Happy Happy, Dewey!

 

Today is Dewey's birthday. Dewey is warm, loving, creative, and hilarious, and I'm SO glad she's my sister.

Happy happy, Dewey! I'm so glad you were born.

So, people who have been reading my blog for awhile may know that I take birthdays seriously. Other people's birthdays. My birthday? It's fun, but celebrating other people is even better.

My coworkers didn't get that memo this year.

My 27th was arguably my best birthday since becoming an adult, in large part because of that. To top it all off? Elizabeth got the lab where we both work to write me a birthday post. And she said that I had to post it. After I stopped getting all teary, I agreed. 

Thank you so much, GabLab.

Abbie has two of the best qualities a person can have: she always knows how to make a day ten times better, and she makes EXCEPTIONAL pies. – Keri

Abbie is the best motivator and leader I know. A social prodigy some might say... – Julia

Abbie delights in the sights, smells, and sounds of her native city, exclaiming gleefully, "We live here!" - Sara

You can always tell when Abbie is around because you can hear her laughing. – Livia

Everything Abbie does, she does with kindness and enthusiasm. It comes through in her cooking, her work, and her friendships. (And I get to enjoy all 3!) - Elizabeth

Abbie makes delectable confections that I adore. - Joe

Abbie never stops smiling! – Maggie

Abigail is hilarious and bubbly and happy, and makes everyone in earshot bubblier and happier, too. I think she rocks. –Todd

Abbie gives me treats and introduces me to new little people whose faces I can lick! - Echo (note: Echo is a dog.)

Abbie is the most socially graceful person I know! – Ola

I can always count on Abbie for the essentials in life, like lip balm and snazzy German hand lotion. And also for being my partner in crime when a snack time is needed. - Dorice

Abbie has a contagious laugh.  She is always happy and makes others feel happy too! – Cindy

Abbie makes the best rhubarb pie I've ever tasted. Ever. - John S.

Abbie's amazing at celebrating all the moments contagiously! – Joanna

Abbie is fearless against Frighteningly Loud Computer Sounds and always brings cheer to the office! – Irina

Happy Happy, Abbie!

We are so glad you were born, and some years later became our froworker.

Love, Gablab

Cheesecake Monstrosity, part II

Over the weekend, Ben turned 27 (oh man oh man, that means we're getting old, I think.)

One of my favorite things about Ben's birthday is that it gives me an excuse to make the most ridiculous cake in the history of birthday cakes. Last year, at Ben's request, I made a cheesecake monstrosity. This year, after several texts back and forth, we worked out an even more monstrous cake: a heath bar cheesecake, topped with chocolate mousse, topped with a chocolate cake layer, topped with more chocolate mousse, covered in ganache.

Basically? This thing was insane. And so much fun to make.

Happy Happy, friend!

I'm so glad you were born.

Yesterday was Dewey's birthday (hooray for 24!), so we had a summertime feast, followed by a trip to Rancatore's for some much-enjoyed dairy fat.

{Banana chocolate chip ice cream, you are more delicious than words can describe.}

Dewey, I am so glad you were born. Happy happy birthday!

Item Number 9? Check.

So, I did it.

I turned 26. It was kind of exciting, actually. I sometimes freak out a little bit about getting older, but as I learned from my list, getting older's not so bad if you think about all the fun stuff you get to do. Like buy a fancy new camera.

Number nine on the list was Buy an SLR and Learn How to Use It. I bought the SLR as a 26th birthday present. I haven't quite learned how to use it yet, but I have a teacher all lined up, and I can't wait to practice. In the past year, as I've gotten busier, I've kind of forgotten how much I love to take pictures. I'm pretty excited to remember.

(I've done an okay job of recording some of the items on my 25 in 25 list as I've checked them off. I didn't get to everything, but I did do a surprisingly large number of them, and I found the list to be a surprisingly transformative exercise. I'll write more about it in the coming weeks, including posts on the funnest things from the past year.)

Happy Happy, Elizabeth

This is Liz. (Sometimes people call her Elizabeth.)
I met Liz in college, and today is her birthday.

I love Elizabeth for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. Liz knows her food. She is the perfect restaurant buddy, and if this fake vegetarian ever has questions about cooking meat, I always go to her for answers.
2. Liz is a people connector. When I emailed after not seeing her for years, asking about grad school, she emailed back that her lab was hiring and I should apply. I did, and I've been working there for six months. She is also the sort of person who organizes people for trivia night or random adventures. Like. . .
3. Liz does fun stuff. Yesterday, instead of a boring old birthday party, we went to a place where they taught us how to make beer. It's fermenting right now, and in two weeks, we'll go back to bottle Dizzy Lizzy's Apricot Blast. (Hopefully we'll have a better name for it by then.)
4. Liz knows how to enjoy the little things in life, and the big ones. Listening to her describe a trip to Napa or a Dogfish Head beer is like being there yourself, but with a special Elizabeth sparkle that makes it sound even better.
5. Liz always knows what's going on in Boston. Ira Glass is at Sanders Theater? Liz is the one who told me. Same goes for Dogfish Head night at Redbones and the best places to get veggies in Cambridge.
6. Liz and music are quite a sight to behold. Before I knew anything else about her, I knew of her huge affection for John Mayer. Tonight, she's going to see David Gray for her birthday, and if anyone can talk her way into a meet-and-greet, I'm betting she can.

Happy Happy, Elizabeth!
I'm so glad you were born.

Cait

This is Cait.
Cait and I met at Dartmouth, and several months ago, she had a birthday.

I love Cait for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. You can always depend on Cait to be there when you need her. If you're moving, Cait will be there, ready to haul boxes and mattresses until every last knicknack is in its proper place. If you've had boy trouble, Cait will be there with ice cream and gin, ready to curse his name 'till kingdom come.
2. Cait is a Dartmouth woman through and through. I cannot name a single person who loves our college more, and seeing it through her eyes always reminds me how lucky I was to spend four years there.
3. Cait is perhaps the only person in the world whose appreciation of that fine combination of classic cocktails and casseroles exceeds my own. Long email discussions of both of these items frequently result in me sitting at my computer, drooling at the thought of processed food products, at 10 o'clock on a workday.
4. Cait's writing is some of the most beautiful on the internet. If you don't read her blog already, you are in for a treat. Go, read, lose a couple of hours, and feel more insightful for it.
5. Even though I think it nearly killed her, Cait showed remarkable patience when waiting for her birthday post. Unlike some other people.
6. Cait loves her friends deeply and openly. Those of us who are lucky enough to be recipients of this love are better people for it.

Happy Happy, Cait!
I'm so glad you were born.

Lisel

This is Lisel.

Lisel and I were friends the instant we met, and she had a birthday a whole lot of months ago.

I love Lisel for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. Lisel is the most loving, open person you'll ever meet. I have never met anyone who does as good a job letting their friends know how much she loves them as Lisel does.
2. Lisel is silly. You should see her introduce people to stuffed animals. Or listen to her make inanimate objects talk.
3. Lisel loves children. She is currently finishing up grad school to become a teacher, and I know that the world will be a better place to have her shaping young minds.
4. Lisel gets a kick out of things. Whenever she comes to visit in Boston, or I go to visit her in New York, we do all sorts of fun things that are made so much better for her enthusiasm. Cupcake cafe, anyone?
5. Lisel is the most scheduled person you will ever meet. In college, we used to make plans to eat an early dinner for twenty minutes starting at 5:50. It was really amazingly organized.
6. Lisel is a rock. There is no other way to describe it, really. During one really rough time in my life, I spent three months mostly sitting on Lisel's bedroom floor (I would leave to go to class, and sometimes to sleep, but that's about it.) Her loving support saw me through to the other side, and I will always, always be grateful.

Happy Happy, Lisel!
I'm so glad you were born.

On Birthdays

A year ago this past November, just as I was starting to get really into blogging, my friend Lisa had a birthday. Lisa was (and is!) one of my dearest friends, and what better way to celebrate her birth and her value in my life, than to make a list of reasons why I loved her. And thus the birthday post was born.

The birthday post is a wonderful tradition; I love sitting down and really thinking about the people in my life, about what, exactly, they bring to the table that no one else can hope to replicate. The problem with the birthday post is the problem with publicly making a list of people who are important to you: you inevitably leave people out. It's not because these people are any less important to you, it's just because you are a flake. And so, rather than hurt more people's feelings with my own flakiness, I just kind of. . . stopped writing them.

The problem with that is that I miss writing birthday posts. A lot, as it turns out. And there are important people whose place in my life didn't get celebrated. So this week, my lovelies, I'm going to play catch up. If you don't know me in real life, it might be a little boring, and for that I'm sorry, but these people are important and amazing, so I'm going to indulge myself and celebrate them. Tomorrow is Lisel, and we'll go from there.

Happy Monday, friends!

Happy Happy, James!

This is James.

James and I have been friends since we were fourteen (that's ELEVEN YEARS), and about a month ago, he had a birthday.

I love James for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. James is pursuing his passion more doggedly than anyone else I know. About halfway through college, he decided that he wanted to become a journalist, and he has been steadily working on that dream since then.
2. James lives in Minnesota, so I usually only get to see him once or twice a year, but when we do get to hang out, it's like nothing has changed.
3. James makes the weirdest food taste delicious. Once, he made a dish for our whole gang with lentils, kale (stems included!) and pasta. I was skeptical (hello, starch overload!), but two years later, I still remember how wonderful it tasted.
4. James and I both took time off from college during what would have been our junior year. Our weekly Friday-night dinners are one of my most cherished memories from that time.
5. So, I don't really know much about the plains states, but I do know this: even though he grew up in Boston, James is about as Minnesota as they come. (Which is a good thing!)
6. Having a conversation with James is not unlike being in therapy. He and I sometimes sit in coffee shops for hours, mulling over all of life's little situations and each others' problems. We sometimes do the same thing over the phone, but not enough- part of me is tempted to move to Minneapolis so we can spend much more time dissecting life together.

Happy Happy, James!
I'm so glad you were born.

Happy Happy, Emma!

This is Emma. (And, um, my boobs. don't mind those.)

Emma and I were in the sororitee together, and about two weeks ago, she had a birthday.

I love Emma for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. Emma is from New York, and she's about as East Coast as they come. Seriously- I've never seen anyone walk that fast or aggressively down a city street.

2. Emma knows how to have fun with little things. In college, Emma got a fondue pot, and had some delightful fondue parties. Which only occasionally resulted in delightful misunderstanding.

3. Emma is an amazing teacher. Professionally, she's a high school Latin teacher (seriously- this girl is SO East Coast), but I've had first-hand experience of this- last week, she had me drive half of the way to Dartmouth. I've never met someone so patient and calm with a driving newbie as Emma was with me.

4. This girl, this quintessential New Yorker, moved to Boston this year, and is able to appreciate that Boston's a pretty cool city, too. For a New Yorker, that's huge, and something this Boston girl is grateful for.

5. Emma is the most competent individual I know. She can build furniture, make pizza, and look great in pearls. Seriously. It's impressive.

6. Emma wakes up even earlier than I do. Which is very handy when I'm looking for an early-morning farmers' market or brunch buddy.

Happy Happy Emma!

I'm so glad you were born.

Happy Happy (Belated), David!

This is David.

I've been friends with David since our sophomore year of high school, and about a month ago, he had a birthday.

I love David for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. David is up for anything. Having a birthday picnic, and want your friends to come? David will hop on Megabus from New York, and bring a pizza.

2. David and I traded coasts once- I moved to San Francisco just as he moved back east. I remember gchatting with him in the beginning, when I hated San Francisco and he hated New York. I promised him he'd fall in love with New York, and he said the same thing to me about San Francisco. We were both right.

3. As a neuroscience grad student, David knows more about the workings of the brain than almost anybody else I know. (The only other contenders are the neuroscience grad students with whom I work sometimes. He knows more than you do, though.)

4. David doesn't sleep. Well, actually, he sleeps, just really weird hours. Waking David up became a fun morningtime activity whenever our gang got together in college.

5. Because David doesn't sleep, he is always on gchat at convenient times. Like whenever I was pulling an all-nighter during college and needed a distraction (well, that was AIM, but same thing), or whenever I'm having an emotional crisis. David has patiently talked me down from more than one of those. He's a patient kind of friend.

6. David pronounces the words neurotic and neuroscience with a particular flair I have never heard anywhere else. Since no description of him is complete without the use of both of those words, it's only fitting.

Happy Happy, David!

I'm so glad you were born.

Happy Happy, Dewey!

This is Dewey.

Dewey is my sister, and last Wednesday was her birthday.

I love Dewey for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. Dewey is always up for doing fun activities. Whether it's a bike trip to the Boston Harbor islands or a taste-tripping party with a full array of sour foods to try, you know you'll have an adventure when you're hanging out with Dewey.

2. When we were little little girls playing pretend games, Dewey always let me be the very very rich lady, and she would be the servant.

3. The meanest thing I've ever heard Dewey say about someone is that they are a grump.

4. Dewey has style. More than almost anyone else I know. And she's generous with her style- 90% of the times people complement my outfit, Dewey picked it out.

5. My sister is the wittiest person you'll ever meet.

6. Dewey's sense of self is admirable. While most college seniors obsess over finding the perfect high-paying corporate-type job, Dewey took her cum laude diploma and became the cook at a preschool. Now she makes (really delicious) hippy food for Cambridge babies, and has plenty of time for her various and sundry other interests, too. She figured out what worked for her, and she went with it.

Happy happy, Dewey!

I'm so glad you were born.

{photo shamelessly stolen from facebook.}

Guest Post - Cait of MiddleGround

So, Sunday was my birthday.

Yesterday, this arrived in my inbox, along with formatting instructions.

Cait is the kind of friend who shows up to help you move whether you asked her or not, who looks up what a ranunculus is so she can embroider one on a hankie, and apparently also the kind of friend who writes a birthday post about you, the kind that makes you cry on the first day at a new job (that was a little awkward). She also is a brilliant writer, and if you do not already greedily await each of her posts, go read her blog, STAT, and see what she can do when writing about topics more interesting than yours truly.

{Cait and I both know the importance of checking one's teeth before a photo op. If that turns into the photo op, so be it.}

To the readers of Abbie Babble, who clearly exhibit good taste from the get-go:

My following of this blog is, to say the least, passionate-- from stalking Abbie's gchat status to see if there's a new posting, to the inspiration to start my own blog. As you all well know, one of the features of this bright spot in the internet universe is the birthday post. Being with Abbie yesterday on the anniversary of the occasion of her birth, I requested the opportunity to be a guest-blogger so that she herself could have a list (albeit woefully short and massively abbreviated) of her own.

This is our Abbie.

I love Abbie for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. Abbie an amazing sense of origin. She loves the place from which she came, and when you watch her walk through Cambridge or Boston, you can feel her radiating her love of home and it's clear that Cambridge and Boston love her back. She is also adventurous, because she went to a galaxy far, far away in San Francisco for a while (but we are very glad she's back now because we Boston people don't like to share).

2. Abbie knows lots of amazing things. To give one brief example, when she came over to make scones, she taught me that when you cut butter into the flour, you actually cut the butter with knives, and that you need to fluff the flour. It was as though my KitchenAide had sighed in relief: now here was finally someone who knows what she's doing.

3. Abbie is the most inviting person in the world. Some people guard their origin and knowledge jealously, but not Abbie. She invites you into all of the amazing things that she knows and into her sense of belonging, so that you feel like you know things and belong too. She'll also invite you to go apple-picking and picnicking and all sorts of other things that turn into the best afternoons on record.

4. Whenever I think of Abbie, I only think of pleasant things, like: solid colored tights, All Stars, pretty skirts, raspberry crumble bars, Pimms Cups (said with particular flair), silvery blue rooms, ridonculous ranunculus, mason jars, window sills, tree lined streets, orange wedges and apples.

5. Abbie has the amazing and extraordinarily rare quality of being able to be honest and kind at the same time. Most people just look once and decide they know everything, but Abbie makes the effort to look underneath a problem and understand why it is the way it is, and empathize. I think this is one symptom of her overwhelming generosity.

6. Abbie reminds me a lot of Miss Rumphius because she has an amazing ability to make the world more beautiful every day. She'll say it's the Holga or her photo processing website, but it's not-- it's the Abbie lens that when you look through it, ordinary things become lovely and full of the possibility of making you unexpectedly happy.

So Happy Happy darling Abbie-- patron saint of baked goods, window sill flowers, and all other things kind, lovely, and delicious.

We are so glad you were born.

Many, many thanks to all my friends and family for the birthday love on Sunday. You can't possibly know how much it made my day.

P.S. I realize it's a little awkward to post a whole list of reasons why I'm wonderful. I'm doing it for two reasons: 1. I am currently covered in paint and moving detritus and thus have no time to write a post, and also 2. When Cait tells you to do something, you listen. When she gives you formatting instructions and a gorgeously-written (if horribly undeserved) blog post, you post the thing, damnit.

Happy Happy, Manoli!

{l-r: Manoli, me, Em}

This is Manoli.

I've known Manoli since we were fourteen, and he just had a birthday.

I'm a big Manoli fan for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. He doesn't know how to ride a bike. He wasn't interested when he was a little kid, and so he never learned.

2. His relationship with his family is inspiring. If Dewey and I are half as close as Manoli and his little brother Alex, we are doing really well.

3. Manoli always sees the best in everything. Both people and situations.

4. I am really nerdy, and all my friends are really nerdy, but Manoli takes being a nerd to a whole new level. He owns it, though. It's why we love him.

5. Manoli is one of the most trustworthy people I know. He will never, ever, let you down, and you can always depend on him to be there when you need him.

6. Manoli is the only friend who has actually lobbied for a birthday post. Two days after his birthday, we're on gchat, and he's all "hey Abbie, isn't it time you write up my birthday post? You're getting kind of late." He is shameless. But in a good way.

Happy Happy, Manoli!

I'm so glad you were born.

Happy Happy, Marissa!

This is Marissa. She is one of my dearest friends from Dartmouth, and her birthday was a month ago. (Oh dear, how did I get so behind on birthday posts?)

I love Marissa for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. When she thinks something's funny, she laughs so hard she stops breathing. (While it makes her friends worried for her health, it also makes them feel very witty.)

2. Marissa is remarkable at keeping in touch. Not only does she have a job that allows her to fly all over the country, visiting everyone, but she is also always remembers birthdays and Christmas cards.

3. Marissa knows how to have fun, more than almost anyone else I know. One night in college, we went on an adventurequest that still ranks among the best saturday nights I've ever had. More recently, she came to visit for her birthday and we drank whiskey, sang Backstreet Boys songs and went dancing at a dive bar. It was ten times more fun because she was there.

4. While Marissa knows how to be silly, she also knows when to be a grownup, and how to do it with grace and style. Need someone to help you write that note to your landlord? Marissa will help you compose one that sounds much better than anything you could come up with.

5. As different as we are, Marissa and I have really similar world views. One day last fall, we were sitting in a cafe, listening to these Harvard grad students get into a heated debate about something really dumb, and we just looked at each other and burst out laughing. There aren't that many people with whom I share brain waves like that.

6. Marissa likes feelings almost as much as I do. As such, she is my go-to person when I need to spend four hours dissecting an emotional crisis.

Happy Happy, Marissa!

I'm so glad you were born.

Happy Happy, Daddy!

This is my Dad. He reads my blog every day, and Tuesday was his birthday.

I love my dad for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. He's incredibly handy. A couple of years ago, he made a career switch- he had done all sorts of work with cities and small governments (my dad loves things like zoning laws, the most boring thing on earth), but then he decided he wanted to have a contracting business. Now he and his guys build gorgeous fireplaces and cabinets and rooms.

2. When we were growing up, Dewey and I lucked into one of the most hands-on dads around. He took us on camping trips and, best of all, coached all our sports teams. (He even taught himself how to play soccer so he could coach those teams!)

3. My dad is exactly the person you want to have around in an emergency. I have never seen anyone else react so calmly to the most stressful situations. We all depend on him for that, and we're all grateful for it.

4. My dad also makes really impressive birthday cakes. The one he made for Dewey's third birthday had three tiers and dalmatian spots, and it was delicious.

5. My dad is more generous with his time than anyone else I know. Need someone to pick you up at the airport at two in the morning? He's your guy. Same goes for someone to take you out to breakfast and help you study at 5:30 on the morning of a big test.

6. My dad taught me about music. When I was fifteen, he drove me to school every morning (which was unusual because everyone usually just took the T), and we listened to Simon and Garfunkel and Dylan and the Beatles, and my musical taste was born.

Happy Happy, Daddy!

I'm so glad you were born.

This is Sinny.

{Ocean Beach, San Francisco, Easter 2009}

Deep in my heart, I believe Sinny's Birthday is in May.*

Unfortunately, it is not. It is in March.

Oops.

Anyway, without further ado, I love Sinny for lots of reasons. Like:

1. Sinny is the warmest, most genuine person you will ever meet. I don't think she has ever met a person she doesn't like, and she makes friends faster than you would believe, in any situation.

2. Sinny gives the world's best hugs. One of her hugs will make even the worst day better.

3. Do you have an adventure you've been dying to go on? Tell Sinny about it, and she will get as excited about it as you are, and then figure out how to make it happen. Last year's Fourth of July camping trip? All Sinny. Same goes for Bourbon and Branch outings, apple picking and countless other adventures.

4. Sinny's passion for food is rivaled only by her passion for helping people. This girl is an amazing cook. Seriously amazing.

5. Sinny is in med school right now, and when she gets out, she is going to be the kind of doctor everybody hopes to have. The kind who treats every patient with such care and genuine love, they are just bound to get better.

6. Sinny was my SF BFF. She was the one who picked me up at the airport when I moved to San Francisco, the one who gave me a place to stay while I was homeless, the one who listened to me cry when I felt like this. I can honestly say that knowing Sinny was there to catch me was what made it possible for me to up and move across the country last year. I will always be grateful for that, and I hope she knows I'd do the same for her in a heartbeat.

Happy Happy (belated), Sinny!

I'm so glad you were born.

*Seriously, when facebook told me her birthday was last week, I made a mental note to tell her that facebook had her birthday wrong.

This is Loren.

Loren has been one of my best friends since high school (she, Emily and I were Three Musketeers), and today is her birthday.

I love Loren for lots of reasons. Some of them are:

1. Loren is on of the most level-headed people I know. Just being in the same room as Loren instantly makes me calmer.

2. Loren has found a subject about which she is passionate, and has completely immersed herself in it. Last summer, she even went to Uganda to work for the World Food Programme.

3. Loren can always be counted on to indulge our mutual love of all things pink and girly.

4. Loren brings people together. Our group of friends, who are still close to this day, did not really form until Loren came to Commonwealth in eleventh grade.

5. Loren can always get enthusiastic about a party. When she's around, there will be dancing and delicious food and beverages.

6. Even though we didn't get together that much last year, just knowing that she was down in Palo Alto, a train ride away, made me feel so much more settled in San Francisco. Those times that we did get together, those trips to farmer's markets and coffee shops, were some of the highlights of my time in California.

Happy happy, Loren!

I'm so glad you were born.

{Isn't Emily pretty? She's a librarian. It's why she's sitting by the books.}

This is Emily.

As some of you know, Emily is my bestie. Yesterday was her birthday.

I love Emily for more reasons than I could possibly enumerate here. (In fact, when I started making these little lists, one of my first thoughts was "but how can I do one for Emily? I would just want to write 'I love her because she's Emily,' and that would be kind of boring.")

Nonetheless, I shall try to provide a partial list:

1. Emily always has my back. Emily has been known to get madder at people for being mean to me than I have gotten at them.

2. She can bedazzle anything. (You should see her cell phone case!)

3. Emily is incredibly generous with her time and space. She has volunteered countless hours of her time for a variety of purposes, and whenever our gang needs a place to have a party, cook an elaborate meal, or just hang out, she is always the first to volunteer her condo. Or sometimes even, her mother's house.

4. Until recently, despite the fact that Emily has hosted numerous cooking extravaganzas, she did not own a whisk.

5. Emily is able to perfectly tow the line between being supportive and listening to her friends obsess and whine and freak out and telling us when to cut the crap and get over ourselves.

6. She's Emily. I really don't know how else to say it. She's my bestie. Life without her would be so lonely, so sad, and a hell of a lot more boring.

Happy Happy, Emily!

I am so glad you were born.