Today I turned 38, an occurrence that normally would provoke some self-reflection or introspection.
Unfortunately, I'm still suffering from the Saturday night birthday celebration, an evening that entailed a small group of friends, the consumption of multiple bottles of vodka, and an entire slew of doting grandparents who coalesced to cumulatively take all of our respective children away for the entire weekend.
Given a weekend furlough from the normal rigors of parenting, a few of us married couples went out for a night out on the town. Many of us were clearly out of practice so we paid dearly for it on Sunday. Yesterday, I woke up at noon and was desperate for something to clear the cobwebs out of my brain. I tried a wide variety of traditional medicines (Advil, Pepto Bismol, Alka Seltzer) but they seemed to have no palliative effect. In desperation, I then turned to some more homeopathic recipes (pizza, Chinese food, McDonalds) but nothing seemed to do the trick. What was wrong? Why did my head continue to feel as if I'd spent a weekend with the L.A.P.D.? Why was my stomach churning like Vesuvius?
Oh yeah...that's right. I'm 38 years old.
Needless to say, this two-day-old hangover is acutely confirming the fact that I am no longer a spring chicken. Despite my youthful demeanor and boyish deportment, I think it's safe to say that my best partying days are beyond me.
However, for one brief evening, it was a hell of a lot of fun.
And if I need any physical reminders of my evening and its lingering effects, I need only look down at my feet. Whereas my right one seems to be wearing a sock of a bluish color, my left one is cocooned in one that is a very dark brown. It's like my feet are having a circus party! Woo hoo! Happy birthday to me, indeed.
Happy Birthday! Damn you're young! I could almost be your father. We start very early here in Sweden...
AD
Posted by: AdventureDad | November 07, 2006 at 04:19 AM
Happy birthday, MD. Hope you had fun celebrating with BossLady and the Peanut!
Posted by: Gina | November 07, 2006 at 08:17 AM
I was hungover on Sunday. Not pretty.
Happy birthday!
Posted by: metro mama | November 07, 2006 at 08:28 AM
Wait til 40, my friend. The husband hits 40 on Thursday and on Saturday we're having about 90+ people over to drink heavily. I've scanned my fingers bloody for a sweet roasty/toasty multi-media presentation that features the husband and 1) Bad fashion 2) bad hair and 3) bad music. Have Boss Lady call me for yours and I'll hook her up with all the Foreigner, 38 Special and Cheaptrick she could ask for. (So are you JUST as much of a Scorpio as the man I married? :- )
Happy Birthday MD! Hold on Loosely! And don't let go!
Posted by: Xdm | November 07, 2006 at 08:52 AM
Happy Birthday Old Fella!
Posted by: birchsprite | November 07, 2006 at 09:27 AM
Happy birthday, Sugar!!!
PS - Where you EVER a spring chicken?
Posted by: Queen of Ass | November 07, 2006 at 10:05 AM
Here's a lesson from a 43 y.o. guy. Start early! I know it's sad but lately we've all been getting together with our friends for dinner and drinks at 6:30. That lets us get drunk early, go to bed, and still wake up at 7:00 am with the kids.
Posted by: Mick | November 07, 2006 at 10:16 AM
Happy birthday, Metrodad! Ah... the aftermath of forgetting you're no longer in your teens... not fun, indeed. Of course, you'll have to work on forgetting this same fact by next year, no?
Posted by: Mama Nabi | November 07, 2006 at 12:24 PM
Is there any photographic evidence of said birthday celebration? Would love to see how you old folks party in NYC! Happy birthday, Metro!
Posted by: O-Town hussie | November 07, 2006 at 12:59 PM
I'm singing to you right now.
You don't look a day over 37. :)
Posted by: Kristen | November 07, 2006 at 01:39 PM
Happy Birthday MetroDad! Cheers, hope you have an awesome year! (I'm whispering...hope the pounding in your head is better :-)
Posted by: Angela | November 07, 2006 at 02:52 PM
Happy B-day.
The perfect hang over cure?
A nice greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray.
Posted by: How About Two? | November 07, 2006 at 04:08 PM
I love the post title (youth really is wasted on the young.) that was my grandfather's favorite saying and he'd often look at me and my sister while muttering it to himself.
happy birthday, md. delurking to say thanks for all the graet laughs over the past year.
Posted by: smittie | November 07, 2006 at 04:11 PM
Happy Birthday! And, in case I didn't mention it before, the Peanut looked adorable as an angry fairy!
Posted by: the weirdgirl | November 07, 2006 at 05:26 PM
Happy Birthday P!
Hey, I've heard of navel-gazing, but the foot gazing is oneupsmanship all over the place, uh unless your belly button was a-drooping that far south, in which case, instrospection alone is not going to suffice. Maybe there are navel bras. Look around.
Just kidding.
Ain't life grand?
Your fan in Belgium,
Jen
Posted by: Jen | November 07, 2006 at 05:28 PM
Happy birthday right back at you it seems. I guess I always knew you were my type (or at least my sign)
Posted by: mo-wo | November 07, 2006 at 05:43 PM
I love your homeopathic methods. Mine: a Victor's burrito with extra hot salsa or a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit from McDonald's.
And I hear you on the hangover. I didn't have one until I was 34 if you can believe that. Now I get them from two glasses of wine. TWO! Pathetic.
Happy Belated Birthday - sounds like it was a great day!
Posted by: RBrown | November 07, 2006 at 07:13 PM
Greasy food should have done the trick.
Damn.
You are old.
Happy Birthday. The big 3-9 is coming up next month... Oy.
Posted by: L.A. Daddy | November 07, 2006 at 07:53 PM
Happy birthday MD!
Posted by: Nina | November 07, 2006 at 09:08 PM
Sorry this is belated, but glad you had a fab birthday, dude! Keep rockin' on...
Posted by: Fiona | November 07, 2006 at 09:16 PM
Happy birthday, MD. My 40th is coming up soon and we're having a blow-out with some close friends. Kids will all be with the grandparents. I'm not kidding when I say that we've all been looking forward to this for 3 months! Ahh...to be young again!
Posted by: Richard | November 07, 2006 at 09:25 PM
Happy Birthday, MetroDad!
Thanks for the kind words you left on my blog. Your kind thoughts are greatly appreciated right now.
Posted by: Glennia | November 07, 2006 at 09:38 PM
38 years old, young Jedi? You're still new in the ways of the Force! Wait until you have teenagers. Then, you'll REALLY feel old!
Happy birthday, MD!
Posted by: Erik | November 07, 2006 at 10:00 PM
Happy Birthday MD! Now I know what I have to look forward to in a couple of months! I haven't had a two day hangover since college. My roommate and I each had a date with a bottle of gin. He and I spent two days crawling on the floor to get to the bathroom and vomiting through our noses. Good times.
Posted by: misfithausfrau | November 07, 2006 at 10:31 PM
38? Really? Happy Birthday! Only two more years until it's all over ....
Posted by: Cry it out! | November 07, 2006 at 10:52 PM
Well, Happy Birthday, MD!! Sunday night we ordered too many pitchers of margaritas, and Monday morning at work was pretty damned loud, I have to say. Gah.
Posted by: Kristen | November 07, 2006 at 10:57 PM
Happy Birthday, MD!
I second what Mick had to say about getting out early - we now routinely have the babysitter come at 5:30, drink heavily at dinner, movie at 7:30, home by 10 and almost sober!
It's the only way we can survive on Sundays.
Posted by: Velma | November 08, 2006 at 12:35 AM
Happy Birthday MD!
Glad you had a great time, even if your body has aged prematurely another five years, it still sounded worth it:-)
Posted by: samantha Jo Campen | November 08, 2006 at 01:15 AM
Happy Birthday!
I don't think that even spring chickens should drink vodka. Love your sock circus party on your feet.
Posted by: something blue | November 08, 2006 at 01:31 AM
HaHaHa...I just noticed your technorati tags...chicken feet, chicken mcnuggets, spring chickens! Hilarious, MD. Hope you had a great birthday celebration. Sounds like it was fun.
Posted by: Diana | November 08, 2006 at 08:43 AM
Happy Birthday!
It's good that it took 38 years for you to finally get the 2-day hangover. I started getting it last year. I figured a way to drink like an alcoholic and still make it to work on Monday feeling good... move the usual Saturday night binge to Friday. Not rocket science. Goodluck!
-ray leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Posted by: ray lee | November 08, 2006 at 10:25 AM
Happy belated birthday, MD. It's nice to see that old guys like you can still go out partying (despite the 2-day hangover.) Gives hope to all us chidless young 'uns!
Posted by: Michael | November 08, 2006 at 10:50 AM
38th? Still young. At heart, anyways. Kidding kidding.
Happy 38th birthday.
Posted by: Linda B | November 08, 2006 at 11:22 AM
Happy Birthday (a little late)
Posted by: Chris | November 08, 2006 at 12:15 PM
Dude-if McDonalds & Alka-Seltzer can't cure your hangover, nothing can. Happy belated birthday.
Posted by: Nico | November 08, 2006 at 12:23 PM
Happy belated birthday MD! A big huge cheesy breakfast burritto and a bloody mary usually help me the next day.
Posted by: NewbieDad | November 08, 2006 at 12:25 PM
You know what goes well with Spring Chicken?
Vodka.
Happy Birthday!
Posted by: mike | November 08, 2006 at 12:32 PM
Wow, 87 comments from people wishing you a happy birthday. That's so cool. I've been an avid reader but have never commented here before but I just wanted to delurk to say happy birthday.
Posted by: Papa Smurf | November 08, 2006 at 02:48 PM
Happy belated, MD. 38. Wow, that's old!
Posted by: RJ | November 08, 2006 at 04:22 PM
Happy Belated Birthday.
Now I know what to look out for when I get there.
Posted by: creative type dad | November 08, 2006 at 04:39 PM
What about a little hair of the dog that bitcha? I mean, maybe a vodka and OJ would have helped you out? What, you think a drink at the crack of noon is a BAD thing?
Posted by: J | November 08, 2006 at 07:56 PM
My all-time favorite hangover food is an egg sandwich on a roll with bacon, cheese, home fries, and a slice of tomato. It'll either cure you immediately or send you to the toilet. 50/50! Not bad!
Happy belated birthday.
Posted by: Linus | November 08, 2006 at 09:24 PM
Yo, MD. Happy bday. Keep up the great writing. I'm digging your site.
Posted by: JB | November 09, 2006 at 09:07 AM
A hangover is definitely indication that you are over the hill!! :p
Happy birthday Metrodad.
Posted by: The Mad Momma | November 10, 2006 at 02:27 AM
I've been 38 for many months. You'll get used to it.
Posted by: KC | November 17, 2006 at 11:08 PM
I like that!x
Posted by: ahmed | October 14, 2007 at 09:31 AM
I found your blog through your Mom's, who psetod a comment on mine. I love them both. You are very funny...like funny ha! ha! (now that I think about it probably funny strange, too!).
Posted by: Bobby | November 17, 2012 at 07:45 AM
Stop trying to make me cry!Thank you for the bithrday wishes. We can do dinner a movie sometime soon but not for my bithrday. Too much attention, too much fuss will make my head hurt (like it did last week). But we can definitely get back to our regularly irregular movie dates whenever we find one we both want to watch that nobody else does.
Posted by: Bimbo | November 17, 2012 at 08:45 AM