Being of short memory, it is imperative I remember my…the…birthday weekend. The food is what is worth remembering. Let’s reminisce.

It all started last Thursday – my actual birthday. Lunch was had at a fancy Savannah club. I’m not at liberty to share many details- but rest assured – I had the 2nd most expensive dish on the menu…. Thursday night was take-out bbq from a local place.

Friday was my ‘pretend’ birthday – turning out to be just as great as a regular birthday – probably better. Dinner was mussels on the half shell, sauteed in a white wine/butter/garlic sauce. Mike is the best.

Mike managed to top himself when it came to dessert. I had asked for a simple vanilla ice cream ball, rolled in pecans, with chocolate syrup. Mike took that idea, deep fried some flour tortillas, dredged through sugar & cinnamon, and served that ice cream ball with his very own chocolate syrup. For real! Mike makes chocolate syrup – get – in – line!

I was a very lucky girl this weekend. Thanks Mike!

Your Innkeeper is the unfortunate recipient of health news today – I have killer high blood pressure for a person my age (low 30s in case you’re counting). Sigh…a lifetime of gyros, mac and cheese, plus pork of all variants have done me in…

This puts a real wrench in my choice of birthday dinners. I am now leaning toward a mussel piccata but have yet to find a real recipe. Have any of you Beachcombers tried this? I’m certain it has to work; it would just be nice to have a go-by. How hard can it be to combine mussels, white wine and citrus?

Even if we can’t find a recipe, I almost doubt that I may be challenging Mike with this idea. He’s the birthday dinner bringer genius, and to date, has not disappointed. If you’ve not had a Mike bday dinner…well, you just can not know. He is the best. I am a lucky girl.

I think I need to avoid the crab stew and braised beef ribs this year…

I am utterly dismayed and disappointed that my birthday month has allegedly been been co-opted by breast cancer awareness month. Forgive my pettiness (if it is such, which I sort of doubt) – but a) the color pink SUCKS and is the ugliest color in the spectrum and b) who ISN’T aware of breast cancer – do we REALLY need a whole month dedicated to this? Especially the particularly awesome month of October?

Too many of the places I consider to be part of my normal life are now flipped upssidedown to recognize that of which we were already aware – the NFL homepage, the Talmadge bridge – now ALL pink, much to my chagrin and dismay. Pink is UGLY. Can I emphasize that enough?! Pink is UGLY..UGLY…UGLY….! I don’t care the cause – if pink if your banner flag, please stop waving it – it’s U-G-L-Y!

I don’t give a flying cancer cell that ‘pink’ now represents something or other to some people. The color is the ugliest of ugly and has no place showing itself in the autumn, a time for warm reds, yellow, and oranges. GO AWAY PINK. GO AWAY!!!! I hate you. I hate PINK.

Further, we are ALL aware of breast cancer. Seriously – who needs a breast cancer awareness month? Are you one of the few under a rock NOT aware of breast cancer? Of course not. You never had an option. You are aware whether you like it or not.

We don’t need any sophomoric reminders, we don’t need every normal aspect of our autumn lives turned into an unnatural color because of some desperate need pretend we love our western women more than we actually do. Just stop already…please! Let’s move back to the lovely pumpkin orange of norm.

PINK SUCKS. PINK SUCKS. PINK SUCKS. PINK SUCKS. PINK SUCKS. PINK SUCKS. PINK SUCKS. Amen and goodnight. Have I mentioned the color pink SUCKS?

I came across this Chinese artist today, Liu Bolin, and am loving his work – first link I saw:

Liu Bolin…The Invisible Man

Then, of course, I GIS’d him and found many, many more.

Fascinating.