So, there's this rumor going around that I turned 35 today. This arrived early in the afternoon, with an invitation for a hot weekend date.
Today, however, the kids went to my sister's, while we headed to the local Red Robin so we could have dinner and Cimmy could amuse herself by insisting that the young folks come by and embarrass me with a big birthday chant (you know they don't actually sing).
the tao of jaklumen 
August 4, 2009 at 05:33
Happy Birthday!! (a day late—but I always say late birthday wishes just make your special day last that much longer.)
35? Wow. I had no idea you were that much younger than me. 🙂
I don't feel 45, does that count?
I hope you had an excellent day.
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August 4, 2009 at 05:35
hope your birthday was awesome. Happy belated!
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August 4, 2009 at 06:08
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I hope you're feeling GREAT!!!!!!!Have a wonderful time and a FABULOUS year!!!!!!!!!
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August 4, 2009 at 08:05
Oh, hey, you're almost at the good years! Well done.
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August 4, 2009 at 09:07
Happy birthday!
No, they don't actually sing. I don't get it. Just pick a note and start there!
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August 4, 2009 at 10:40
Cimmy is 40, so I think that counts for a happy medium. Sometimes people think she's the younger one. You're as old as you feel, right? (Some days I feel more like 80…)
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August 4, 2009 at 10:49
Actually, it's been standard practice there NOT to sing, but simply chant. How do I know? I was the guy in the bird costume when that particular restaurant first opened. What astonished me was the manager of the busser team back then actually could sing, and did so fairly well. Everyone else simply settled for the chant/yell.I learned several lyrics to various alternatives, since "Happy Birthday to You" is avoided for reasons of royalties, obviously. The servers yesterday chose this one:I don't know what I've been toldBut someone here is getting old!Good news is ice cream's for freeBad news is we sing off-key! (warbling emphasis on "off-key", even though they weren't singing)Sound off… (Happy)Sound off… (Birthday)Bring it on downHappy birthday… to you!
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August 4, 2009 at 10:58
I just meant at restaurants in general, where the staff is too embarrassed to sing, so it ends up a horrible half-assed mess.
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August 4, 2009 at 11:37
Yeah, I understand. I pointed out at this one, that was the practice, and so stuff like that was minimized. Everyone can at least chant, right?That '70s Show parodied the rise of these sorts of "neighborhood hangout" restaurants in the mid to late '70s with uniforms that were reminiscent of Farrell's (do you remember them, with the pinstripe shirts, the boater hats, and the huge ice cream sundaes? We had one here many years ago). Red wanted to go to his old favorite diner, while Kitty wanted to try something new for her birthday. They found that the other restaurant they knew (not the diner) was replaced by "Flannigan's". The staff didn't even attempt to sing, it was simply yelling "Happy Birthday" with horn honks in between.Of course, Red didn't understand the concept of the salad bar, either. Remember when those were all newly the rage? Now, it's very difficult to find a restaurant *with* one.
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