| Feeling much better than I was on Monday night. It is 12:20 a.m., my room is clean and smells delicious thanks to the orange oil I use to dust, and I am ready for bed. I managed to finish my presentation and deliver it smoothly (yay!). Forty percent of my grade down, sixty percent to go! Next up, a 10-pager on ethics in negotiations due next Tuesday followed by my Torts exam on the 10th (better start reading!) and my asset forfeiture paper on the 19th.
Decided tonight that I am going to invite several classmates, a few coworkers and my handful of local friends to join me for dinner on my birthday. I turn 30 on December 28 (horrible time of year, I know!) and, darn it, I want to celebrate! I spent my 21st trying to get alcohol with my best friend, but she was 20 and we actually got turned down left and right. It was a bummer. I had been drinking at the gay bars since I was 17 (always looked much older than I was and they served me without batting an eyelash – yes, I was a total fag hag), but that night was just weird. Then I was married that summer. I am going to start 30 off with a bang!! 
Any suggestions for awesome things to do over the next decade of my life (or, more specifically, on my birthday night)? Any stories about how much better your 30s are than your 20s? After living in an oppressive, emotionally abusive marriage for eight years, it can really only go up from here, right? 
Ana and BC, if either of you would like to join me for Chinese on Saturday the 27th (that is if I didn’t completely scare you off at brunch the other day), I’d love to have you guys there. Let me know if you’d like to be added to the Evite list. I need fun people who know how to have a good time because after the friends with kids head home to relieve their babysitters, I’m planning to hit the town with whoever is left!
My best friend and Pumpkinhead’s Godmother, Ashante, is flying in from DC tomorrow. I cannot wait to see her!! 
My brother 
an nephew are flying in on Thursday. Praying for peacefulness. Okay, it is 12:30 a.m. and I have to sleep! I’m picking up Ashante at the airport at 5:45 p.m. and then, although I have yet to tell her this, we are off for an 1.5-hour-long drive (each way…) to pick up Blue Eyes’ daughter because he got stuck on call. She’s bringing her new Shih Tzu. We have Shih Tzus (love ‘em!) so I can’t wait to meet hers. Okay, really, sleepytime!
