Goldleaf

          Nathan, Alaric and I made a run on the storage unit that Sean reserved, clearing out some quantity of our possessions in preparation for the upcoming party (tonight) and move (at the end of next month.) We also went to Liquor World, which boasts relatively low prices for Boston, and Target to acquire party essentials. A pinata shaped like a boombox was the crowning purchase; Nathan and I also grabbed a couple of one-figure clix boosters.
          My birthday party would be themed just like last year -- funeral colors. Jules and Johnny helped with setup and operation, ably coping with my typically stressed pre-party state. Nathan tended bar for much of the party, freeing me to enjoy it, order/eat pizza, and get blitzed. The apartment ended up packed, which I consider a birthday honor. We put out an empty guestbook for signatures yearbook-style (I found this in my pre-move trash hunting rambles) and collected a good number of sharpied wishes and witticisms, plus a drawing or two. A few rounds of the "who's more likely" game elicited laughter -- Jared being the popular choice for "who's gonna be 30 and fat at the class reunion"! And like any party that pushes the envelope, we lost one or two of our number; I helped Shannon out in the bathroom, while Sara occupied the floor immediately outside of it and managed to steal the cap to someone else's water bottle while she was at it. I made mystery plans with someone and soon forgot who it was, causing some stress. Jules produced 24k gold rolling papers, and we burned through a couple of these before a Fens run with Kofi. The three of us laid down on the slope behind the track, stargazed and laughed quite a lot. It was a wonderful birthday celebration.