Birthday plans

It's that time of year again. My birthday (andmysister'sbirthdaybecausewe'retwins) is Thursday. In years past, we had dance parties. We would have a lot of friends come to our back porch, play some music, and let things play out. Of course, no one ever really danced, probably because we had no professional DJ to goad people into doing it. Reviews were mixed. Some people thought that these parties were boring, but others thought they were fun, probably because they just gave people a chance to socialize with their friends during the summer.

Last year, we set a new precedent by inviting some friends out to dinner. This year, we're doing the same. There was some debate as to the time and place, but it's been agreed that tomorrow night we're going to Macaroni Grill. Inviting my friends was also a difficult task, as I could only pick six. Luckily, almost all of them will be able to go. It's difficult to get a lot of people together during the summer because a lot of people go on vacation. It should be fun, though. It's nice to get all your friends together and eat Italian food.

I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest yesterday with my sister and her friends. They're obsessed with the whole franchise, having gotten hooked back in the day. All put-downs aside, I thought the movie was pretty good. It was hard to follow at times, and that the gross-out factor was pretty high (come on, a guy with an octopus for a head?). But overall, it was fresh and exciting -- anything but an uninspired sequel. There was a lot of action, suspense, comedy, drama, you name it. I wouldn't see it again so soon (it was two and a half hours long), but I'd like to see the third installment when it comes out next year.

On YouTube: It's Paul McCartney... and he's making mashed potatoes.

Here's a Photoshop tutorial on how to falsify beautify a face. I don't know about anyone else, but I get tired of seeing retouched photos all the time in magazines and places like that. Why can't we see people as they really are?

One year ago: "Tonight should be much better, with us just sitting around and talking like old times."
Two years ago: "This year's party passed without incident (and dancing)."