November 10, 2024 – After saying Happy birthday, and good morning to Jen, I asked, “Where’s the first place for the Birthday Hit-Parade of Free bizo?” She stared at me blankly for a full 20-second to process her Word Wizard’s words, and request … “What free stuff, my Love?”

“You don’t know about all the fun free items you can collect ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?!” I pressed. She didn’t know about freebies on her birthday! In order to receive a majority of it is to sign up / download the app of the company in which you want. The extensive list is compiled by the Penny Hoarder here: 115 Birthday Freebies.

One establishment we could agree on was coffee giant, Starbucks. Through an odd series of events, we didn’t make it into a store on her birthday. We circled back to one on Monday, which the barista still honored it with the remark, “The app was super glitchy yesterday, so let’s take care of you today.”

Then we discussed our thoughts on birthday celebrations over coffee, a shared love.

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Four Year Plan

I shared with her that I planned out, and executed a multi-year birthday celebration path; culminating at 40 years old.

2013 – Birthday Bashing Bayne, Parts I & II, 37th birthday.

At this time in my life, partying was all that mattered. I launched a party plan for multiple years for my birthday celebration. The first party was actually 2-parts. Friday, we would dressed up as pirates and post up at an Eagles club for cheap drinks, and more.

Saturday? We drove up to Swinomish Casino & Lodge. I knew the Night Room Manager at the time. I asked for a group hotel booking, the mezzanine level conference room, and of course, all run of the place. Since Pirates of the Caribbean movies were dominant again at this time, (2003, 2006, 2007, 2011) the theme was dress up as a pirate. A lovely lady, named Alicia custom made a Captain Morgan costume for me as my gift.

I titled the celebrations Birthday Bashing Bayne, Parts 1 and 2. So many memories! We even traveled to a different casino, only to be kicked out of in within an hour.

2014 – Superhero Scavenger Hunt, 38th birthday.

On a FAM trip to Aruba, my group leader issued a fun activity: a photo scavenger hunt. Basically, you and a partner are dispatched to seek out a list of items to find. Then once found photograph it with your photo. Finally, first team to return with the full list wins.

I used that to create a photo scavenger hunt in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. [Yes, even before my Geocaching days! I didn’t find my first geocache until May 11, 2014] That wasn’t enough. I encouraged my party attendees to dress up as a superhero. It was a bitter cold night, but super fun.

2015 – Bubble Soccer, and Snohomish Waterfront Pub Crawl, 39th birthday.

I contacted Snohomish Soccer Arena. They directed me to a guy who hosted bubble soccer events. Thankfully, he provided everything in his price. The preparation, the suits, and games.

Once again, Josie was one of the first friends to say yes. She was one of the few participants, too. The bubble suits were to hard to breathe in from the constant laughing, and restricted breathing. The host was a one-legged man that was more spry and physically fit than any of us with both legs.

We celebrate with a pub crawl along the Snohomish waterfront. At one point in the night, I donned my custom made Super Los cape! And she shared with me that she stole a flag from a bar.

I wonder if she still has it?

2016 – The Roast of Los, 40th birthday.

Carrie’s bar, The Liquid Lime, hosted my 40th birthday party in grand style! We offered lechon

“Lechon” in Filipino cuisine refers to a whole roasted pig, considered the national dish of the Philippines, typically served at celebrations and special occasions, known for its crispy skin and juicy meat, cooked on a spit over charcoal and often seasoned with a blend of spices like garlic, onion, and lemongrass depending on the region; the word “lechon” originates from the Spanish term “lechona” meaning “suckling pig”.

~ Google Search Results

There was a chair for me, a mini-stage, and a microphone for the roast of me, [no one really roasted me the way I thought it should be] Finally, we hosted gold fish racing!

It was fantastic. The set up was rain gutters on top of 6 foot plastic tables. Then filled with some water. You selected your feeder goldfish in a numbered Red Solo Cup, and an elongated straw. You were to blow air gently into the straw that was inserted below the water level and behind your goldfish. Once the signal was given, you “raced” your goldfish to the other end of the gutter. First one to the finish line; wins.

Michelle Green née Wise took home her goldfish, raised and kept it until it passed away.

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What’s Your Sign?

Does your zodiac sign dictate how you approach birthday celebrations? Perhaps. Then my mind down the rabbit-hole of relationship compatibility on an astrological sign basis.

A Scorpio female and Aquarius male pairing can be a challenging but potentially exciting relationship, as their contrasting energies of deep emotion (Scorpio) and intellectual detachment (Aquarius) can create a dynamic if both partners are willing to understand and adapt to each other’s needs; however, this pairing is generally considered to have lower compatibility due to their elemental differences (water vs. air).

Key points to consider:

• Attraction points:
  • Intellectual curiosity: Both signs can be drawn to each other’s intellectual curiosity, with the Scorpio’s intensity complementing the Aquarius’s open-mindedness. 
  • Loyalty: Both Scorpio and Aquarius can be fiercely loyal once committed. 
• Potential challenges:
  • Emotional expression: A Scorpio woman may feel like her Aquarius partner doesn’t express emotions deeply enough, while he might feel overwhelmed by her intensity. 
  • Need for space: An Aquarius man values his independence and needs space, which can clash with a Scorpio’s desire for closeness. 
  • Different communication styles: Scorpios tend to be more direct, while Aquarians can be more detached in their communication, leading to misunderstandings. 

How to make it work:

• Respect boundaries: The Scorpio woman needs to respect the Aquarius man’s need for space, while he should make an effort to understand her emotional depth.
• Embrace differences: Instead of trying to change each other, celebrate the unique qualities each partner brings to the relationship. 
• Open communication: Both partners need to openly discuss their needs and feelings to avoid resentment.

My pragmatic line of thinking doesn’t allow me to put much stock into that ideaology, I can appreciate the real-life translation to an experienced dynamic. Without divulging too much detail about my personal life, I have noticed the three bullet points of “how to make it work”.

Open Communication: After several months, I felt comfortable and safe with her versus a 90% of my failed relationships – a reason why their are exes. You Can’t Spell “nEXt” Without Ex is a deep-dive into that!

Mostly, my previous partners would weaponize my feelings, vulnerable thoughts, and soul-baring information about myself. As one could imagine, that hurt every time it happened, so I stopped sharing my feelings, guarded thoughts, and personal information.

I recognized, and acknowledged with her that openly discussing my thoughts and feelings will not used against me later on. And honest dialogue will (has) avoid miscommunication, and resentment.

Respect Boundaries: Again, not to divulge information that’s none of your business, MY Scorpio woman continually respects my Aquarian “need”, (more like want) for space, while I honor her emotional depth on every level.

Embrace Differences: We’ve both been through some ‘shit’, that we do not want to change one another. In fact, we love to celebrate our differences. Sometimes we light-heartedly poke fun at it, but ultimately understand it’s the differences that make this particular relationship work.

We are in-it, to-win-it.

That said, I’m off to celebrate a joint birthday celebration with my Godson Gabe in cold-ass Kansas.