Lin, do not read any further. Hear me? You are not allowed to read this post. I’ll know if you do.

Today is Lin’s birthday. I’d started planning to do something special, but then this tooth business cropped up, and I’ve been in something of a haze since then. It’s not so much that I forgot, because I didn’t really. It’s that I barely have enough brain power and energy to get through the day, and that’s when I am not drugged into oblivion. And now, there isn’t much money to blow on anything, but of course, I want to do something special for him.

I suppose I will go blow some money we do not have on some steaks and a small cake of some kind … and a card. I’d have liked to get him a present, but he’s impossible to shop for since he buys what he wants when he wants it (if there’s enough money, of course), and he never talks about wanting anything. It’s a little late to be running around trying to find a gift anyway.

This is making me feel like such a putz. I always seem to screw up his birthday somehow, even though it usually isn’t entirely my fault. If I had endless money, I’m sure I’d have no problems spoiling him rotten, but I don’t.

Gah! What the hell am I going to do to make Lin’s birthday special?!?! All I can think of is a nice steak dinner and a cake. Even that’s going to cost a bit, but the man deserves steak and cake on his birthday!

Maybe that tomato will get ripe today and I can let him eat the whole thing with dinner.

I better get to the store now. My teeth are feeling OK for the moment, but they felt pretty OK yesterday too, and then it all went to hell. If the universe would just like to be nice today, it could make sure I do not have to drug myself on Lin’s birthday. That would be a real bummer.