Everyone is one day closer to death now

My husband put together a wonderful birthday for me. He sent me irises at work, with a quote from my favorite poem in the card.

Curtis: It's amazing how hard it is to find something nice, or happy, or romantic in The Wasteland.

Me: Yeah.

Then he took me to dinner at what is currently one of my most favorite of foods: Ethiopian.

Curtis: This lamb is great.

Sally: Everything's better with a spongy eating blanket.

Curtis: Mmmm, flappy.

Then we went for drinks, in near hurricane conditions, at a bar I've decided I just don't like. It was open-mike night, and one of the performers launched this conversation:

Curtis: Wow. This guy is terrible.

Sally: I'm going to make up a backstory for him. He was the preeminent composer of theme songs for television shows in the 80s, until his unfortunate PCP addiction stopped him in his tracks. Now he's here, in Arlington, trying to put his life back together, and bringing us the musical stylings of his heyday.

Curtis: Yeah, you can actually hear the theme from Greatest American Hero right there.

Sally: I don't know, I got more Growing Pains. Oooh, wouldn't it be great if Kirk Cameron came here now and told us how we were going to hell? That would be awesome.

He also bought me a gift, which I told Tracy about.

Sally: I just opened my gift from Curtis!

Tracy: It's not your birthday. Your birthday is tomorrow.

Sally: I know. But he wanted me to open it tonight.

Tracy: Well, what is it?

Sally: Knives! He gave me a new set of knives.

Tracy: I don't know that that's the best idea ever.

Sally: Because of my homicidal tendencies?

Tracy: No, I just think of knives as a more Valentine's Day gift.

And, finally, he's putting together a party for me right now. 

Sally: What do we need to do to get ready?

Curtis: Nothing. I have it planned.

Sally: Well, I was thinking that we needed to get some ice, and make sure we have forks, and I need to clean the bathroom, and--

Curtis: Are you reading this from a spreadsheet?

Sally: No. Okay, yes.

Curtis: Stop it. Stop it right now.

Sally: It's really hard for me to relinquish control of a party.

Curtis: I have The Napkin. I'll get it out. Don't force my hand.

(The Napkin refers to a pact I made with him a few weeks ago. It says "Sally gives up control of her party to Curtis, and she will not discuss it with him at all, other than in positive ways, such as 'I'm so excited about the party' and 'You did such a good job on the party.'")