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At Which Everyone Pays Attention to Dori

Yesterday was my birthday. My body decided to give me the gift of youth: cystic acne. I felt like a teenager again. The angsty kind.

I did not want the day to end because now I have to wait another year for people to have to be nice to me again.

I share a March 21 birthday with Twitter, Santana and the first full day of Spring.  It was also the date of my very first half marathon last year. That race feels like it was yesterday. I remember every second of it so well (although I suppose blogging it makes the memory stick) and I don’t understand how an entire year has already passed.

While I celebrated my 27th by running 13.1 miles through my city . . .

Dori 27th birthday NYC Half

. . . I did 28 with a bit more style.

Oops! Not the style I intended. And for some reason, everyone around me and my cousin seems totally oblivious to our nudity.

Anyway, like I said, a bit more style . . .

. . . And a lot more booze.

I love my birthday. I titled the Facebook invite for this “At Which Everyone Pays Attention to Dori” because that is exactly what my birthday is: a day where everyone has to pay attention to me, be nice to me, put drinks in front of me and just overall make me feel special. I am uncomfortable and anxious in groups of people I don’t know, and I tend to avoid blogger meetups and other social situations for this reason. But with people I love? I am totally in my element being the center of attention. And since my party was on a Saturday and my birthday on a Monday, I got to experience a nice, long celebration with me at the center. Hence my post-birthday blues.

It is also an interesting time because while I don’t have many friends, I do have one or two from all different aspects of my life. So at my party, I had two friends from first grade, one from my Israel trip, three from blogging/Twitter, one from my old job, my cousin, my um — friend McGriddle, my roommate, my roommate’s sister and some of their guests. I was a little worried that I’d feel spread thin, trying to make time for everyone, or that no one would really talk to each other.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about.

I am so happy and so touched that all my friends from different places meshed so well. Everyone was comfortable talking to everyone else. No one was shy. No one stuck to only those they know. I wanted to cry from happiness when I saw my friends from many different places all together like this:

Left to right: Missy (Israel trip), Melissa (blogging), Ben (Twitter/running/blogging), Emily (first grade), Luis (my old job) and Rae (first grade).

And by the way, only Ben could stay out with me until 1 am for my birthday and then PR in the NYC Half Marathon at 1:42:24 early the following morning. And only Michelle would tolerate living in a 320-square foot apartment with no living room, no closets and ME for exactly five years as of March 20.

And why would Emily would bring a foam roller to a bar‽

Who knows?

Not them.

I love my friends.

I am so fortunate to have such amazing people in my life who not only come out to support me, but who are so wonderful that they get along so well with people who are also important to me. To me, this is a sign that I choose my friends well.

I was too shy to tell anyone at work it was my birthday, but it was also someone else’s birthday, so I got to go into the kitchen after they celebrated and eat a leftover slice of his cake.

Thank you for indulging me in this overwhelmingly Dori-centric post. One last self-absorbed item: My newest post on NBC New York: Dori’s Quest: barre3: Will the West Coast Phenomenon Hit New York City.

I am sad I have to wait another 365 days — wait, is it a leap year? 366 days — until I can get this type of attention again. Do you love your birthday like I do? Hate it? Ambivalent? Tell me why!

32 comments on At Which Everyone Pays Attention to Dori

  1. Missy Maintains
    March 22, 2011 at 7:50 am (14 years ago)

    I love this post so much! It really was such a fun night and everyone connected so well! You have amazing friends. Definitely laughed out loud at the um…McGrid part. Finally!

    Reply
  2. Cameo
    March 22, 2011 at 8:21 am (14 years ago)

    Looks like an amazing night/weekend. I need to borrow some of your birthday enthusiasm. My birthday has been a let-down since age 7, when everyone was served cake and I got left out of my own B-day dessert…until I cried and yelled, PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!!! Ever since then it has been a day of torment, not to mention that with each passing year I dread them more and more… Ah, I remember my 28th like it was yesterday, it was my first BDay in NYC and I was very poor and had few friends. It was back when I was waitressing, so I gathered together a motley crew of friends, co-workers and acquaintances and proceeded to get hammered at a karaoke bar in SOHO and then cried when the night ended too early…only to be taken pity upon by the gays and end up dancing on top of some sleezy bar on the LES. HA! You are so much classier that I was… Anyhoo, I digress. Happy Birthday, Dori. I am glad you had fun. Your look was OFF THE CHARTS! HOT MAMA! WOOOOO-HOOOOO!

    Reply
  3. Ali @ Ali on the Run
    March 22, 2011 at 8:53 am (14 years ago)

    Yay, so glad you had a great birthday celebration! You deserve it every day of the year!

    Every year I tend to freak out about my birthday a little bit. I’ve always had GREAT birthdays, and each year I worry that I’ll be disappointed. Never happens though, somehow. Like you said, I guess I choose good friends.

    Reply
  5. Amber
    March 22, 2011 at 9:08 am (14 years ago)

    Happy Day-After-Your Birthday! It looks like you had a lot of fun!

    I tend to not get too into my birthday. It’s in December, and my sister’s birthday is three days before it, so it was always celebrated as part of something else and not a day about ME. There have been a few exceptions: my 30th was celebrated in Cabo with fabulous girlfriends and then of course this past birthday which my husband took me to NYC, which was awesome. But mostly I try to keep it on the downlow. I really don’t like for anyone at work to know when my birthday is because they tend to sing for birthdays here and that is just awkward.

    Reply
  6. Eliz@The Sweet Life
    March 22, 2011 at 9:29 am (14 years ago)

    I love your title–well-deserved attention! Did yu see Dr. Day yet?

    Reply
  7. marie
    March 22, 2011 at 9:51 am (14 years ago)

    You’re too pale to have birthdays!

    Reply
  8. Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine
    March 22, 2011 at 9:56 am (14 years ago)

    Happy birthday!! I’m glad you had a good time. I like attention from my close friends, but I don’t generally publicize my birthday because I think attention from strangers is awkward. But my family, boyfriend and best friends can feel free to treat me like a princess 🙂

    Reply
  9. shelby
    March 22, 2011 at 10:03 am (14 years ago)

    Happy belated! Looks like you had a great night. Love the foam roller at the bar. LOL.

    Reply
  10. Megan @ AVeryMegGirl
    March 22, 2011 at 12:23 pm (14 years ago)

    Happy Belated Birthday Dori! It looks like you had a fun birthday!

    hmmm the Foam roller at a bar.. awesome!!!

    I think I realized this last year but our birthdays are so close as mine is tomorrow 🙂

    Reply
  11. Michelle
    March 22, 2011 at 12:56 pm (14 years ago)

    Happy Belated Birthday! Sounds like an awesome time. I totally get what you mean about that awesome feeling when you realize all of your friends from different aspects of your life are getting along…I remember during my wedding weekend last year feeling so overwhelmed with happiness when I saw my high school friends hanging out with college friends, work friends mingling with my husband’s friends, etc. It’s a good reminder that YOU are pretty awesome, and all of these people must be awesome, too 🙂

    I have a love/hate thing with my birthday…I’m like the Chevy Chase of birthdays. I always build it up in my mind and have these unrealistic expectations that no one could ever possibly live up to. I know it’s silly, and every year I say I’m not going to do it, but I have yet to learn this lesson in my 28 years thus far! Haha.

    Reply
  12. Jolene
    March 22, 2011 at 1:25 pm (14 years ago)

    Looks like an awesome party!! I too get worried about mixing friends from different walks of my life, but sometimes it DOES just work. Seems like it did here, so fun! You look fabulous!

    Reply
  13. MelissaNibbles
    March 22, 2011 at 3:18 pm (14 years ago)

    Looks like a blast! You totally deserve all the attention. Also, that guy in the vest is HOT!!!

    Reply
  14. Megan@Dirty Dishes Daily
    March 22, 2011 at 4:15 pm (14 years ago)

    I am defiantly not a birthday person. I love celebrating other peoples but not my own.

    Reply
  15. Jess
    March 22, 2011 at 5:36 pm (14 years ago)

    what a fun birthday!! I’m glad you celebrated in style, totally deserved!

    Reply
  16. Dorry
    March 22, 2011 at 6:09 pm (14 years ago)

    I’m glad you had a fun birthday with close friends! I’m not a big fan of crowds OR people celebrating ME, but Billy is trying to convince me to let him throw a 30th birthday party in October. I told him I’d rather go on a weekend trip to celebrate…maybe to NYC!

    Reply
  17. Katherine
    March 22, 2011 at 7:02 pm (14 years ago)

    Hey Dori,

    Happy Belated Birthday!!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful celebration, it’s always nice to celebrate those milestones with good friends 🙂

    I used to not be a huge fan of Birthdays because I didn’t like the “pressure” to host a big party and hope a lot of strangers show up; as I get older I’m learning to love my Birthday more and more because it’s a time to bring all your close friends together and make more memories!…and who doesn’t love any reason to eat cake!

    Reply
    • Dori
      March 23, 2011 at 1:48 pm (14 years ago)

      Thanks! I didn’t actually run in the half this year, but my friend Ben had an awesome PR.

      Reply
  19. diana@mymarblerye
    March 24, 2011 at 7:44 am (14 years ago)

    i know i’m late but i’m still giving you attention right now!! So pretty!! work those exhale arms and legs girl!! 🙂 Glad you had a great time that was NOT full of awkwardness! BTW i’m the same way…i don’t like to tell people at work it’s my birfday cause they don’t KNOWWW me…and I don’t want a pity cake.

    Reply
  20. DD
    March 24, 2011 at 7:47 am (14 years ago)

    Happy birthday, Dori! I’m a big proponent of the birthday month to extend the celebration of me as long as possible. I have never understood why people don’t like birthdays. So what you’re another year older? To me that’s a cause for celebration, no matter how old I am (and btw, I’m much older than you). So you’ve got the right attitude. Enjoy the rest of your birthday month!

    Reply
  21. chandra
    March 26, 2011 at 11:33 pm (14 years ago)

    I absolutely LOVE my birthday and make sure everyone knows about it weeks in advance… and then remind them every day for like a week before… and celebrate it for multiple days. 🙂 One year my co-workers played a prank on me and pretended they forgot my birthday. I almost cried. lol

    Reply
  22. Tamara
    March 27, 2011 at 4:22 pm (14 years ago)

    Hi Dori, you also share a birthday with my amazing friend Robert. Happy Belated Birthday! I’m glad that you had fun! Congrats on all your accopmplishments: the PR, your roomateversary, and your birthday!!

    Reply
  25. Mallory
    March 28, 2011 at 5:07 pm (14 years ago)

    I wish I was there to celebrate with you! Happy belated birthday sister!

    Also, the image of you slinking into the kitchen at work to get someone else’s birthday cake made me laugh like Arrested Development does. You are a funny one!

    Reply
  26. Vanessa Hills
    March 31, 2011 at 7:03 pm (14 years ago)

    What a fun time! Looks like a great birthday. Pretty sure the whole point of birthdays is too eat/drink delicious things and have everyone be nice to you, right?
    🙂

    Reply
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