ironychan posted a birthday meme, and since my birthday is very soon, I figured I'd give it a shot!

Birthday Meme: Look up your birthday in Wikipedia. Pick 4 events, 3 births, 2 deaths, and 1 holiday.

August 13 - on this day in history . . .

Events:
1326 - Aradia de Toscano, according to legend/folklore, is initiated into a Dianic witchcraft cult, subsequently founds the tradition of Stregheria later known as the Malandanti.
1521 - Tenochtitlán (present day Mexico City) falls to conquistador Hernán Cortés.
1913 - Invention of stainless steel by Harry Brearley.
1960 - The Central African Republic declares independence from France.

Births:
1860 - Annie Oakley, American sharpshooter (d. 1926)
1899 - Alfred Hitchcock, English film director (d. 1980)
1926 - Fidel Castro, Cuban revolutionary and politician

Deaths:
1910 - Florence Nightingale, English nurse (b. 1820)
1946 - H. G. Wells, English writer (b. 1866)

Holiday/Observance:
Roman festivals - Vertumnalia in honor of Vertumnus and Diana, on the Aventine hill.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, amjackson!!!!

It was a good birthday! Thanks to everybody for the birthday wishes--they always make me smile! I didn't get smashed, but I did go into a liquor store with my mom and bought beer (with her money, for her to drink). I told the man at the counter, "It's my 21st birthday and I'm exercising my right to buy beer that I won't even drink."

We spent the day running around doing stuff. We did Chinese food for lunch, my mom and brother and I. When we left, I saw a coin machine selling Care Bears, and my mom gave me some quarters to get one. My brother was all, "I bet you'll get the orange one." But I said, "I want the green one, actually." Seconds later, the green one popped out of the machine. That's a nice thing to have happen on your birthday. I'm keeping it as a good luck charm.

Then we went to Salvation Army and I found a nice hoodie from Aeropostale, and debated long and tortuously over whether to buy it . . . on the one hand, it was a really nice hoodie for five bucks . . . but on the other hand, something about wearing name brand clothing, with a big logo on the front, sits really uncomfortably with me. I guess I'm a little bit more indie than I thought. I ended up buying it, but the idea still makes me kind of uncomfortable. Also, it turned out to be just a tiny bit too small. I'll either wear it or give it to somebody else.

Then we went shopping a couple other places. I got some more sock yarn (overpriced), and a cute shirt at the resale shop (on clearance), and then we ended up at the courthouse because I realized that I needed to apply for an absentee ballot. And, somehow, being at the courthouse led to, "Well, I guess I should stop by downstairs and renew my learner's permit," which led to, "Our 2:30 is late--if they don't show up, you can take the test," which led to Mom going on a merry chase around town to get her insurance papers up to date, and all of which ended in me taking the test, which was nothing but backing out into the street, taking a few left and right turns, driving back to the courthouse, and parking. The most complicated thing I did was stop for a couple red lights--I don't think I went over 25 the whole time.

So, um, yeah, I'm now 21 and a licensed driver. Huh.

Anyway, after that, we went to Dollar Tree (man, I love that place), and Safeway, and I bought snack food for my trip. Tomorrow, I'll be trying to pick up a new cell phone from Verizon before getting on my train--I hope I can manage that. Then I'm off.

Um . . . I haven't been posting a lot, because I haven't really been doing much on the Internet lately . . . haven't been in the mood. I have lots of stuff I could post about . . . I still kind of want to write a little essay about the last Harry Potter book . . . but it's hot here, and we don't have an air conditioner, and I'm lazy.

I have been knitting, though! I've knit three pairs of socks since I've been home. Four, actually, if you count the tiny pair I just finished for charity. I also made a pirate hat. I'll share pictures eventually. And, I entered one of my pairs of socks in the county fair and won a blue ribbon. That would be really impressive, except I suspect that they were the only entry in that class. Also, the prize for first place was, get this, ONE DOLLAR. Whoa baby, careful, you'll spoil me! I think it's completely hilarious. I need to blow it on an ice cream cone at McDonalds . . . that's about the only thing I can buy with it.

Heh. One dollar. It cracks me up every time I think about it.

Tomorrow is my 21st birthday, and I managed to almost forget about it. Which is a pretty remarkable feat, given how many things there are to remind me--my mom's birthday is exactly a week before mine, and I remembered that. And my train leaves exactly a day after my birthday, and I remembered that too. Anyway, before anyone asks, no, I'm not going to go get smashed. I might go shopping at the Salvation Army.

Actually, the only really annoying thing about it is that my learner's permit expires on my birthday, and I don't have my license yet. I can mostly drive now. There is some small chance I may take my driver's test tomorrow, even though I believe myself to be totally unprepared for it. If not, I'll have to try it at Christmas break, but it'll be a lot trickier without a learner's permit. Bah.

Also, the mosquitos here are horrible. I have eight or nine bites on my right leg alone, and I sustained all of them while SITTING INDOORS ON MY COMPUTER. My body reacts pretty badly to mosquito bites, too*, so they get all swollen and red and unattractive and itch like heck. I've been applying various creams and ointments, but it's still super irritating. And I happen to live in the worst county of the worst state in the country for West Nile. I'm not particularly worried about it--the chances of having any noticable problems even if I happened to be infected are really low, but it just makes everything so much more fun.


*I'm not kidding. When I went to Greece, it was horrible. I got a bite on my wrist so bad that I actually still have a scar there, two years later. My theory on that is that my body was less immune to Greek mosquitos, since I haven't been exposed to them my whole life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY floorlamps!!!

Congratulations on being 20! I hope the year brings lots of good things.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY mandythetipsy!!! You're one of the most awesome people I know, and I can't wait for the next semester to start! MWAH. Expect a phonecall later.