Lucky me, today I got to celebrate the Misbehaving Tuesday of all Misbehaving Tuesdays: my Misbehaving 35th Birthday Tuesday. I awoke to my birthday present from Scott (other than organizing the lovely dinner on Saturday): in June we’ll be headed to Asheville for a few days of hiking, lounging, and Ashevilling. AND there will be a hot air balloon ride. I am delighted. Hot air balloons are neat, and I do a good impression of them, so I’ll be able to return from the trip and regale the masses with especially colorful tales.
Once Scott cleared out, it was time to start my own celebrating. I made some couscous -with fruit! it’s festive!- then pulled on my orange pants and headed out for some misbehaving. I crammed a bunch of stuff into yesterday so that today there would be no projects, no homework, no housework, and no work work, not even my usual Tuesday trip to Whole Foods, just a day to myself to hang out with the bench-proclaimed Greatest City in America.
The first stop was AVAM, where I took my time meandering through the exhibits, reading everything on every wall (except for the crazy-signs from Missouri). I picked up a little souvenir on the way out.
Next, I climbed the hill to Federal Hill Park, and walked Fed Hill for a while, exploring streets I never get to see when I am in the neighborhood for other stuff. Of course, this made me want to move downtown when the economy recovers. As much as I like my house and neighborhood, sometimes I really miss living in a city. Burbs are convenient, but my heart is either in the middle of a city, or way out in nowhere. The middle ground is, well, it’s the middle ground. Maybe I’ll paint my kitchen orange.
Hollow tree in Federal Hill Park.
Hi, Bawlamer! View from Fed Hill Park.
After Federal Hill, I got back in the car and headed down to Locust Point, explored a little there (and stopped in a Goodwill store, where I found a lovely macrame belt for $2.00. Score!). I drove straight through to Fort McHenry, thinking of the times I watched fourth of July fireworks there with my grandparents. I spent a while, taking in the history -my own and the city’s- watching all the field trip groups, and taking a lot of pictures of a big bronze ass.
Big bronze ass. Orpheus.
Not a big bronze ass. Me.
From Fort McHenry, I drove to Fells Point, walked for a while, then stopped and had a smoothie and half a sandwich at a particular vegan-friendly establishment. It was delicious, but I am suspicious about their sanitation. Of course, it could be that I am just deeply impressionable. While I was waiting at my table a group of aggressively, uniformly subversive kids walked in and one of them said, “Oh my god, it smells amazing in here,” just as he passed by me, and while the place did smell good, relative to the odor left by this kid, a week old bag of compost smells amazing. This was way beyond rough-night and hot yoga stinky, this was hostile, intentional stinky. And you know what? There are much better ways to stick it to the man than being stinky. I am thirty-five. I have learned these things.
Which reminds me, yes, thirty-five. It’s a little odd, with thirty-five being one of those ages that actual adults are, and I don’t feel like one of those at all. For crying out loud, I just spent an entire day walking around the city taking pictures of big bronze asses.
Anyway, after Fells Point, I made my way home for dinner – grilled tempeh and potatoes and broccoli. Followed, of course, by birthday cake.
Mmmm... dinner
All in all, a glorious and free Misbehaving 35th Birthday Tuesday.
Sounds like a GREAT day!!! I love exploring. Happy birthday again.