vanillafluffy | Color me contented! (Reply)

Today has been a delightful birthday, although that's somewhat misleading: I've been blessed over the last several days (with the prospect of more surprises to come, hurrah!), all in all making this a birthday to remember for all the right reasons. (Unlike the year my toilet overflowed at 7:45 AM, when I'd just gotten out of work at 7, or 2004, when my birthday fell between the second and third hurricanes to hit us within six weeks.)

Let me see if I can remember everything: I got a birthday balloon from work, hovering in my bedroom even as we speak. The new Product Boss Fashion gave me her sample of Le Snobbi parfum, when I mentioned that I adored the stuff and wished I could get more. She didn't know my birthday was coming up, but the timing is fabulous! Coworker V gave me a card---I opened it this morning, and about died laughing: the cover had a chihuahua in a handbag and said she'd thought of getting me a dog I could carry in my bag (obviously thinking of that Le Snobbi bag)---and then you open the card, and "then I remembered, you're not crazy!" Little does she know! There was also the delicious matter of yesterday's congenial lunch with

sbjb.

Another card was enclosed in my Estonian love offering---the ever-adorable

kukkurkurat, with whom I co-wrote the notorious PotC fic, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash sent a handsome card with a three-masted ship on it and in it, with a wish for fair winds and good luck. And three PotC trading cards---two Barbossa and a grungy Norrington---the dear lass knows my tastes so well! There were also a box of licorice-scented votives and a shiny dragonfly wind chime. I opened it while nibbling The Cake and had enough left for an afternoon snack.

The online love offerings have been amazing! You gals are the best. I'd like to hug everyone who dropped in and wished me well! I got shout-outs from

teresa_c,

adventurat, whose greeting included this pic of JDM:

and

rivers_bend, who came up with the perfect customized JDM pic

and the stupendousness that is fic by

karaokegal---http://karaokegal.livejournal.com/125819.html, a very hot and kinky fic about Jools Siviter, of the series Spooks/MI-5. This is the second year in a row she's gotten me all stirred up like this---she is GOOD.

If the above made me dash for a cold shower,

pwcorgigirl's intense fic about Bobby Singer made me squee and flail and fumble for tissues. I do NOT usually get weepy over fan fiction, but OMG, http://pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com/131617.html#cutid1 did it in the best possible way. She's the most prolific poster at my love-child,

singer_salvage, which made this doubly yummy.

Tomorrow is shaping up to be lunch with Kat, Wednesday holds the possibility of lunch with AI,

socialhermit is shipping something mysterious my way (?!?!?), and

jdsgirlbev is making noises about a surprise in my email (?!?!). I'm hugging myself at my own good fortune for having so many lovely, loving friends!

And lest I forget, I've gotten some great responses to the Vanillafluffy Invitational Bullshit Challenge, and some fun replies to the Writer-geeky meme.

Being 47 another year older may not be so bad after all!