Birthday week drew to a close in a very fun way!

Friday night, Joe surprised me by spontaneously making plans for us to go out with a friend of his. J. is Joe's co-worker, and is also his childhood friend. Neither of them realized they worked in the same place until just after Joe started. Small world, huh?

I finally got to meet J., which was awesome. I even got to hear a couple crazy stories from childhood over drinks, prior to the movie. It was a lot of fun!

Then we headed over to the theater to see The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in Santa Monica (opening night! woohoo!). I've personally never read the books, so I went in with a blank slate. I really liked it! I thought it was very funny and entertaining. I've grown curious enough to want to read the books, too, since I've heard they're vastly different from the movie. I'd like to see what they're like, and whether or not I enjoy them. And plus, Joe and several other friends have already read the series, so it'll be fun to be able to chat about it with them. This is going to be one book-filled summer, what with the new Harry Potter book, and now the Hitchhiker books, too (not to mention the many others in my "to read" pile by my bed). I have been so lax in reading novels lately, it sucks. I used to just immerse myself in them; I miss that. It'll be fun getting back to it, once finals are over!

[ / end digression ]

On Saturday, I had my birthday dinner at Buca di Beppo, which was incredible! Incredible wine, food, fun, and friends! It was a very happy birthday, indeed!! Jen was able to make it, which was awesome! JoeC. and Leah were there, too, as well as several others who I have no idea if they mind being named or not, so shall remain nameless. (Leah wrote about a funny story from the night on her blog!) It was so great seeing everyone! I have fun friends.

We had wonderful food including my favorites: chicken marsala, a warm spinach and goat cheese salad, and bread pudding for dessert. I also drank red wine, and since I'm a total lightweight, it hit me fast and lasted a while, but that's okay. Sometimes getting buzzed is a good feeling! Of course, what mostly contributed to the good feeling of the night was laughing really hard with friends as we swapped a bunch of stories, and re-enactments of lines from Family Guy, Wondershozen, and more.

As it turns out, I was so busy talking and laughing the night away that I didn't even think to take pictures until the night was over. I was disappointed that I'd forgotten at first. But then again, my 19th birthday and Joe's 30th were exceptionally fun, too, and we don't have pictures from those events, either.

Well, when I got home, Joe did take a couple quick pictures of me in my new outfit. Of course, I didn't realize the clutter around me, so it's not the best picture...

Fortunately, through the magic of Photoshop, I was able to create a more accurate portrayal of the evening ~

Good enough, right? Hee!

Anyway, my birthday was great this year, and I'm really happy so many of my friends could celebrate with me. For those who couldn't make it, I missed you, and I'll see you soon! Thanks so much to everyone who made my birthday so special!! You guys rock! I have to say, so far, 24 is treating me very well!