Year 3, Day 107: You Have Kids, You Have Birthday Party Obligations

This morning I went to Magnolia's second birthday party (that she was invited to). It was a a depressing affair. Really nothing more than a 90 minute YMCA room rental. I bit my lip and tried to stay awake. Because of the nature of her pre-school, where some kids come on just two days, she didn't seem to know any of the kids that were there, and I assume that most of the kids were known from other avenues (like the neighborhood). There was a lot of family that we didn't know and they could not have been less interested in me. We were really like the fifth wheel, socially. I was also a social conversation killer.

SCENE:
TWO MEN LEANING ON A BOOKSHELF THAT SEPARATES TWO PLAY AREAS AT THE NEWTON YMCA.

FRIEND OF BIRTHDAY GIRL'S FAMILY:
It's weird- my father used to come to the gym here 40 years ago. Now I come to the gym here.

ME
Huh. I've never been here before in my life.

AWKWARD SILENCE, followed by irritating kids music. THE MAN looks off and walks away.

Kashi Go Lean!
Heritage Flakes
Strawberries
Blueberries
Banana
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee

Lunch:
Salad with Scrambled Egg
1 heel of toast

Snack
1 oz Boston LIte Popcorn
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
Diet Coke

Dinner
Flank Steak with Asparagus
Broccoli

When I got back to the house I had eat something quickly; the avoidance of a Party Favors cake at the previous birthday party was almost too much to bear. Then it was time to switch gears and for me to take Ruby down the street to a neighborhood party, which was the opposite of the YMCA party—an outside pool party held two neighbors who have multiple tattoos and piercings. Ruby knew the birthday girl and a few others from the neighborhood. They had a pool and a slip and slide. Ruby enjoyed herself, and had a hot dog, juice and some tortilla chips. Luckily, there were no sausages and I demurred when offered a 1:00pm beer, mumbling something ridiculous about how "I had no vices left." Later in the day we went to the pool, and I attempted to swim laps, but only did two, because it was very, very cold.