A Very Pink House Birthday

This weekend was my birthday! I like being 24, because I prefer even numbers to odd, and I really like numbers where one digit divides exactly into the other. So all in all, a good age to be. I do feel like I should be more of a grown up than I am, so one day I'm totally going to learn to iron. I'll put it on my list of things to do before I'm 30.

Obviously, the only other things on my list are:

1. Be kind
2. Have fun

As it was also the birthday of two of my housemates and we only moved into the Pink House last month, we thought it would be a great idea to have a BirthdayBirthdayBirthdayHousewarming Party.

This, right here? This is the kind of thing I always do. I decide that throwing a party is the best and most exciting idea I've ever had! And it will be amazing! But then the party itself gets closer and closer, and the full weight of what I've done hits me.

I've invited PEOPLE. SO MANY PEOPLE. What if they get hungry? What will I feed them? What if there aren't enough drinks? What if no one can drive home? Can I just pile them all on the sofa? What if they all hate one another? What if they get bored? Seriously, will they be hungry? It'll be ALL MY FAULT.

So I gradually transition from "This is the best idea I've ever had!" to "This is the worst idea I've ever had!", and by the time the guests arrive I have to be dragged out from my hiding place behind the sofa to let them in.

The usual party anxiety crescendo was not reduced by the decision to make punch, because it meant that housemate Maya and I had to make an Epic Shopping Trip (seriously, it should have been a montage), with the added fun of So Much Maths to make sure we could fit everything into our household budget. After scurrying around Jo'burg all afternoon, we eventually had everything we needed, and managed to come in at R4 over budget, because we are awesome at maths. It's sort of our superpower.*

Realising we didn't have anything that vaguely resembled a 17 litre punch bowl, we then had a debate about whether to serve it in a dustbin or a baby bath (we find some odd things in this house), and decided that the baby bath inspired less instinctive revulsion. Once we put it on the candlelit table, it did look a bit like a baby seance, but I still reckon we made the right choice. And we didn't actually seem to summon the spirits of any departed infants, so that was good.

You can insert your own pun about spirits here. Don't worry. I'll wait.

"False alarm. It's just vodka." (Source)

And after all the obligatory pre-party panic? It was awesome! I don't usually like parties that much, because either there are a whole bunch of people I don't know, or there are a whole lot of people I do know, and I have to look after them. Back when my social anxiety was bad, my worst nightmare was going to parties, and I'd spend my time awkwardly sipping water and trying to make it look like I was walking with purpose instead of just shuttling back and forth from the kitchen.

But this time we just had lots and lots of lovely and smart and funny people, many of whom I knew, and I didn't have to look after anyone. And if people got hungry, they didn't complain about it.

All is well. (The house provided the ears. The house always provides.)

After spending Saturday recovering and doing the world's most gradual clean-up, I spent Sunday with my family. We went for sushi and vegan cupcakes, and then I played a game of Summoner Wars with my 14-year-old brother, who beat me yet again. Apparently turning 24 has done nothing to make me sharper.

Ouch.

I also got to spend time with my cats. My ginger boy Cthulhu is apparently still sulking about my role in bringing in the kittens, and I fear he may never talk to me again, but the kittens themselves still seem to like me, so that's nice.

Look how much Biggles has grown! Also, he has great taste in literature.

And as if that wasn't a nice enough birthday weekend, A Very Potter Senior Year was released, and I got to spend a whole day laughing and crying happy tears with Team Starkid.

I fairly often get overwhelmed by gratitude for the wonderful people in my life. This weekend was a great reminder of how awesome my friends and family are. So many more people love and care about me than I ever feel like I deserve.

You guys are the best. You can all come to my next party and I'll try not to let you go hungry.

*Also I have a shopping list app that did it for me. But incidentally, we are quite good at maths.