* * * Short(er) version of this available here. * * *

During this night, I had a number of strange dreams, and towards morning, I became paranoid about missing text messages on my mobile phone wishing me happy birthday. (Which is daft, because they'd only be be deleted if I did so myself.) It was a bit odd. But I can't say that I actually slept Badly though. And then the only text message I got the whole day arrived about six seconds after my alarm went off in the morning.

I rose early, to the purpose of going down and putting the last coat of oil onto our newly finished hallway floor. (at 7:30 am.) This went all right, and during that I got a nice Birthday wish from my dearest Pamela, (Girl friend, as I should surely have told everyone by now.) And then one from her mother as well, wishing me well on this day. She told me to be at home, if possible, because something "Could" arrive in the mail. Hmm. But there was nothing I could do about the fact that I needed to go to work.

It was only training this day, -at least, in the morning it was. In the evening there was our performance; The Ballet Studio. Don't ask me why it's called "studio," because I don't know the answer. It's a small production, comprising of six short pieces, (this year,) only one of them choreographed by our Ballet Director. The others are all made by us: the dancers of the company. And this performance is special for me, because it includes the first piece that I've created. -But I've written about that Here, and also Here. Anyhow, this day, my birthday, was the second performance of this piece. So, when I came home after the morning training, I made something quick to eat, and then lay down for a nice nap, (to have me fresh for the evening, you understand.) -And as my hallway needed at least twelve hours to dry, I was upstairs again.

Oh right, I forgot to say though: that there was indeed a packet for me. -which they couldn't deliver, as I wasn't there in the morning. So there was a nice little note, saying that I could call and have them come again with it the next day, or I could go and pick it up myself: in Hamburg. This was entirely stupid. Hamburg is at Least half an hour away by car, whereas the (rather large,) post office of Lüneburg is about a four minute walk from my home. But this just seems to happen in Germany at times: Parcels are kept for people at cities near by, rather than the city of destination.

Anyhow, it was my Birthday, and I was going to have a nap. And that's just what I did! After an hour or two, Pamela called me though, and woke me up. Well, as I love her so, I was ready to forgive her, and glad to hear her voice. But I wasn't exactly awake, so there wasn't much in the way of intelligent responses that I could make. Anyhow, we exchanged a few words, and she asked where I was... and then if I'd go open the door. OK. So I opened the door, not realising how odd, if not impossible it was for her to be standing on the other side of it.

But there she was. In Lüneburg. As a surprise for my birthday. And she even brought my best friend Momo from Detmold with her. And I was still not awake. I was half in dream land, but trying to be cool about the whole situation. So I didn't have a clue what was going on, and had this odd feeling that they were only there to visit, and would be driving away in a couple of hours. (After all, I had a performance to be in that evening.)

Eventually I collected my wits enough to ask them what was going on, and what they were doing. I was then informed that there was a holiday in their region of Germany the next day, so they were both here to visit me for the next day and a half. They were not leaving when I had my performance: they were coming to watch it! Well, it all started to become clear to me... and I thought of my hallway, which shouldn't be walked on at least until eight that evening. But we were able to jump from the main door to the kitchen, so we made a nice tea, and had that outside in the garden. And by the time that was over, I had to get to the theater. (And see if I could get reduced price tickets for them, at such short notice!)

The performance that evening was... with a small audience. Very small. But that's entirely understandable, because at Exactly that same time, Germany was playing a game in the WM. (the "Weld Meisterschaft." It's the World Cup of Soccer. And it's the biggest sport, without compare, in Germany, if not in all of Europe. So more than half of the population was watching the game, and it was understandable that there were less than thirty people in the theater.) And this was a small production anyhow, which was never expected to have a public greater than... 150 or so.

I think our dancing was all fine, and our little public was brave, and applauded as well and as long as they could. Then Momo, Pamela and I went out for dinner, which was rather nice, very filling, and at the end very noisy: Germany one that game. 1:0. In Over time. "WRAAAAAAAAA!!!!! WWWWWRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" -and so on, for the next hour, at least. And of course, the drunken Soccer Songs, roared tunelessly. (Little smile and smirk from me; I don't think much of tuneless songs which are bellowed at the voice's breaking point.)

When we got home though, we were all exhausted, and happy as could be to fall into our beds. And so ended my... official Birthday.