(Update: Reid has some birthday party photos online)

I had a lot of fun at my birthday party yesterday...thanks so much to all who were able to attend (Scott, Mark, Reid, Luisa, Michael, Ronnie, Parki, Alison, JeffL, Gail, JeffK, Jennifer, Megan, AmandaF, Micki, Harald, Gareth, Charlotte, Andy, Christine, Bronwyn, Elspeth, Tom, Daniel, Ross, Justin, John, Kristen, Craig, Peter, Laura, Jonathan, Peter, Lesley, Ginny, JBR, Bryan, Elizabeth, Doug, Jennifer, Ruth, Kaarel, Sara and Annie) and thanks most of all to Jeff, who planned the whole thing. :-) I found out later that my friend Justin flew in from Montreal just for my party (!).

I know there were a lot of digital cameras at the party and am hoping that people send me a few pics so I can post some on Blatherings. Today's photos are of some of the birthday party group, my friend Scott as well as of an incredible birthday card created by Laura Suzuki and Peter Cook of Doodletronics.

Jeff and Scott decorated the inside of Fune with 40 red balloons (see the last half of this Blathering for an explanation of my red balloon obsession), coloured streamers, and a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" banner.

Because the whole place was booked, the children could wander around without worrying about disturbing other patrons. Kinda cool (and scary! :-D) seeing most of the kids congregate at a larger table at the far end of the restaurant; I wonder what they were plotting?

The youngest child at the party was wee Kye, Alison's and Jeff's 2-month-old son. He slept through most of the festivities. :-)

The food was wonderful, of course. Jeff and Norman (the owner) had arranged to have a spread of all my favourite Fune offerings, including salmon and hamachi sashimi. One of the highlights of the afternoon for me was the presentation of the cake, when a bunch of the guys inhaled helium from balloons and sang an enthusiastic Chipmunk rendition of "Happy Birthday". :-D

Jeff's cake turned out splendiferously (photo coming soon, I hope), a large chocolate cake with white icing, decorated by a Jeff drawing of me as portrayed in my Blatherings cartoon. I enlisted the help of all the kids at the party to help me blow out the candles.

John had brought a box full of old posl-archives, notes and paper messages back from our university days. We kept one main paper message board in a carrel in the basement of Robarts Library; people would fill in their "posl-id" initials (mine was "dmo" for Debbie Marion Ohi), the recipient's id, and then the message itself. He even had one dating back from my very first birthday party ever, in 1983 at the Old Spaghetti Factory (I was still dating Reid back then). Here's a photo from that party that John took. So cool that some of the people at that party were also at this party (like Reid, Luisa, John, Andy, Justin) or at the virtual party (like Pontus).

I'll rave more about the party in future Blatherings, I'm sure, when I hopefully get some birthday pics. Meanwhile, I'd like to share the lyrics that came with a very special birthday present from Reid, Luisa, Ronnie and Michael. In addition to some earrings chosen by Michael (I put on the happy face earrings right away) and a dragon painted by Ronnie, they put together a CD recording of them singing a Barenaked Ladies parody. The CD is wonderful, and includes outtakes as well as a whole bunch of extra stuff. Anyway, though I have been forbidden to put their actual recording online ;-), they gave me permission to post the lyrics. There are a ton of inside jokes, of course, but I'm sure you'll appreciate the gist.

Thanks to all of you (including anyone who attended my virtual party!) for making my 40th birthday the best ever. :-)

40 Years

It's been 20 years since we've known you,
Sometimes confused with your sister/twin/clone Roo

10 years since you got hitched
Dimpled those cheeks and Jeff became bewitched.

8 years that you've surfed the web
Done a dot-com - now people search for you, Deb.

Yesterday, on your birthday page
Hundreds of hugs, too much chocolate, don't (you) act your age

You're such a coy and groovy filk chick
We love your music
And buy your book - it's on Amazon.

You play the penny whistle and piano
Flute, percussion and the harp-o
You play Gwyneth with pyjamas on.

Built a cottage on Canoe Lake
Need some Shake and Bake
Spending summers in Algonquin

Sara, Annie make you giggle
So you tickle
Take a picture, flash an evil grin

Karate dojo
Watching TV Mojo Jojo
Sam and Rosie wait for Frodo
See the movie for the hundredth time.

Bramalea to U of T
TAFC members you and me
Urban Tapestry
Singing, writing, words that rhyme

Chuckie face, turn away 'cause it makes you mad
Trying hard not to laugh, but it's too bad

Walking home telling Jeff that you're hungry
Guaranteed in an hour you will be sleepy

Write your life on the web call it Blathering
You want to eat some chocolate.

It's been 40 years since you graced the Earth
We've seen pictures - you looked like the girl smurf

20 years in the Posl crew
Hangin' in the carrels 'cause it's fun to do.

6 years since the spot of Ink
Now it's gone and we blame the rat fink

Yesterday we wrote this song for you
And it'll still be two months of you saying "Kill You"

.. It'll still be two months of you saying "Kill You" ..

.. we still remember that Trudi was a rat, too ..

Today's Blatherpics:

	Jeff took this group photo.
	Scott threatening my balloons after the party.
	Front of a card from Peter, Laura & Jonathan. "Based on a true correspondence: Dearest Ruth, my family and I have been invited to a lovely birthday party for a friend and we simply have no clue what to get her. Absolutely no idea! We so need some of your wonderful advice! Signed, Stumped In Riverdale".
	Inside flap of the card reads: "Dear Stumped In Riverdale - Debbie loves chocolate, reading, LOTR, filking, tech, Jeff and my daughters. You may not give her my daughters. You may, however, wrap Jeff in a bow. Ever helpful, Ruth."
	The inside of the card, including the spectacular pop-up illustration by Laura Suzuki and Peter Cook of Doodletronics. It's signed from Laura, Peter and Jonathan.
	Close-up of Jeff wrapped up in a bow.

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