(It was my birthday. The fail was thinking I would enjoy the attention of a mariachi band and an entire restaurant.)

TCG is very much aware that he ever had a restaurant staff sing to me on my birthday, he would be a dead man. In fact, most people who know me are all too aware of this.

I find it more effective to point out to waitstaff that if anyone sings that there will be no tip, no matter who says I'm kidding.

Urgh, friendship FAIL. We decided to have bbq today sometime last week. I invited various people, all was good etc. My best London friend who I've known since we were kids, said on Thursday that she couldn't come because she had to study. I was all 'But meat! Margaritas!' and she said she'd see. I have just now got a text from her saying 'Hey guys, BBQ and margaritas at my place today!'

I called her and she said she just forgot that we were having a thing. Which I entirely believe because she's the most self-absorbed person in the world. Which I'm used to, but still. Come ON.

End of weekend here. Ryan has spent the week fighting a chest infection - nasty cough, high fever, mucus gusher hidden somewhere in his sinuses, all that kind of thing. Anyway, it finally broke today. Temperature's down again and he's a happy baby again. (Still has the cough and runny nose.) He's also decided that he likes the medicine, which makes dosing him a lot easier.

Of course, he didn't recover before passing it to his daddy. There's a theme here, his latest game is passing his toys back and forth to his mummy, his daddy, random passersby etc. Is it charming? Yes, yes it is.

He's had ample opportunity to demonstrate said charm this weekend. Yesterday we all had lunch with a couple of classmates of mine, two Chinese women in their early twenties. We did some group assignments together over a couple of units. One of them had a gift for us, a Chinese decoration she'd made over the summer. The centrepiece is a piece of jade carved into the Chinese character for good fortune, it's really quite lovely. We've hung it over Ryan's cot. (Also discovered that my other classmate is a Muslim, something of which I was unaware. She's off to Boston in a month on a student exchange progam.)

I am finding much win this weekend. I find myself amazingly fortunate in my wife, son, job, studies, classmates, neighbourhood and friends. So, thanks to everyone here for the last several years. You've been here through and for pretty much all of it.

Your character arc has been impressive, Mr. Tea.

I'm glad to hear Ryan's all better though I'm pretty sure we could've skipped the part where you get a hacking cough.

It's true! I remember much misery and sadness from BT, and it's wonderful to see how amazingly and happy your life has turned out to be.

So true! What a joy it is to read of your joy billytea.

And thanks for the many, many chuckles and aha!s you have provided over the years.

Continued blessings on your house and some anti-ick ~ma to boot.

I don't think I could say it better than bonny did. We love to see you so happy, billytea.

I really need to go into work today, but there's a cookout I really want to go to that starts in an hour. And of course, if I had been more focused at work, I probably wouldn't need to go in. Oh well.

Billytea rocks mightily.

(It was my birthday. The fail was thinking I would enjoy the attention of a mariachi band and an entire restaurant.)

Pete would kill me. And then possibly explode of embarrassment. Unlike my Dad, who has been known to wave mariachi bands over to the table so he can sing along with them. No birthday required.