Anotherhopelessenglishmajor's Blog

My 24th birthday was three days ago, and this time it felt different. For the past few years, I’ve been claiming that birthdays don’t matter to me anymore. Let’s face it, after 21 it’s all downhill birthday-wise, except for 25 when I will finally be able to fulfill my lifelong dream of renting cars (which I’ve recently been told isn’t even the case…so there goes my exciting 25th). This year, however, I reached a landmark. I actually didn’t care. I dozed off before midnight the night before – although my husband woke me up at exactly 12:00 to shout “happpy birthdaaaaay”, which, this year, felt more aggravating than rewarding. I’m a graduate student. Don’t mess with my REM.

I didn’t plan a big dinner, and most of my friends are many, many miles away. I attended my least favorite class and never felt the urge to mention to any of my classmates that November 11th was an important day for me. My husband forced me to pick a dinner for him to make me (stroganoff, delicious), and I was asleep by 11:00 that night.

There is a moment in every person’s life when Christmas becomes more chore than fun and Halloween becomes more driving hazard (between the hours of 6 and 9) than excuse to dress like a prostitute. I’ve passed both of those landmarks, and finally, this year, I passed the it’s-my-birthday-and-everybody-must-know-about-it-and-praise-me landmark.

Despite all my alleged growing up, I had two reasons to be giddy and act like a kid on my birthday this year.

1. I have finally found the world’s best brownies-from-scratch recipe. I made them, then promptly made a second batch for my in-laws who visited yesterday. Seriously. Yum.

Only six ingredients, and one of them is chocolate chunks. Drool

For the recipe, go here (or click the link to the left): http://blog.cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/2009/07/how-to-make-perfect-brownies.html

I’m may not be a Halloween whore, but I am a whore for a good brownie, so seriously – make these. And you’re welcome.

2. I have the best, best, best parents in the world. I know this, because they tell me they’re proud of me, they ask before they visit, and they gave me my favorite birthday present to date. A beautiful Canon S90. Unless you love cameras as much as I do, you’ll never be able to fully appreciate the beauty of this technological masterpiece, but suffice it to say I am in love.

Glorious, no?

In the past 24 hours, I haven’t read a single class assignment, but I did manage to read half of the owners’ manual for this sucker.

Sad? Maybe. Awesome? Definitely.

I’ve been playing around with it for the past few days, and even though I still don’t really know what I’m doing, some of the pictures it takes make me look like I’m not just another point-and-shoot novice. Check it out.

The first picture: the box it arrived in.

Next, my cat, Finley. She's wearing a protective cone. Long story. It made kind of a cool design though. I'm sure she'd beg to differ

I came across a photo series on LIFE's website of Picasso drawing with light. Of course, his light drawings were more involved than the heart my husband drew, but I thought it would be fun to try. We used a reading light...because we're real students.

And finally, a fan. Because why not?

I look forward to a hundred (or more, I’m feeling optimistic) birthdays to come. As long as they’re blessed with homemade brownies and beautiful photographs.

If you want to check out the LIFE series I mentioned earlier, go here or click the link to the left: http://www.life.com/image/50695728/in-gallery/24871