Pre-Birthday Observation

My wife decided to leave me alone on my birthday (as in alone with all the kids), so we celebrated a week in advance. She even let me decide what we would do. Most of you probably guessed roller skating and Japanese food--my life is an open book.

I picked a restaurant in downtown Portland based solely on the fact that they serve okonomiyaki, the dish I cherish the most from Japan (it would require forever and a day to explain). And because I called an hour beforehand to reserve a seat, they let us sit in a special section that barred shoes and let us sit on the raised floor (sadly, no tatami mats). Meg cheated on Saburo's by ordering smoked salmon sushi. She should have known better, but after one bite she noted that her salmon was raw. I tried it and it was surely smoked salmon. It was also much rawer than she preferred, so I disposed of that cold, nasty fish for her. The okonomiyaki was nothing like I remember it from my halcyon days in Japan, but it was probably worth going back for in the future. And for all you women out there: the bathroom is equipped with a heated seat and bidet--that alone is probably worth a visit (sadly, I didn't witness the same amenity in the mens' restroom).

Bought used w/last year's birthday money

Have I ever mentioned how much I love roller skating? My preppy-private-Presbyterian kindergarten class traveled to the Skate Palace at least once a month back in 1980, and I can still see my Snoopy shirt glowing under the black lights as I circled the rink time after time after time. Meg's a good sport and comes along, although she  usually finishes the night early and slightly injured. I spent about $20 on a used skates from a former roller rink employee last year, and they have proved to be a practical purchase. They aren't fancy or anything, but they fit well and my feet have yet to develop a blister (which always happened with the rental skates).

We closed out the night at my favorite place to devour the sweet, sweet, sugar-filled treats: A Piece of Cake. Although their cake is the best I've ever had that wasn't at my wedding, part of magic lies in sitting on the antique couches in the adjoining room and conversing with one another. The room is cluttered with junk, but it adds to the ambiance and makes you want to hang out till the cows come home. At which point Meg declared we were paying a baby-sitter for us to sit on a couch, so we promptly returned home and went to bed early (old man needs his rest).