Monday, October 16, 2017

Bingo and Birthdays and Books! Oh, My!

I've got a birthday coming up soon. Sometimes this makes me cranky, but this year I came across a cartoon that made me smile (and okay, a little teary) for a few reasons. 

It reminds me of my maternal grandmother. The woman loved a good Bingo game. Whether it was at the church hall or at an Atlantic City casino, she was ready to play. 

It reminds me of my godmother. Sometimes for my birthday, she took me into Manhattan to what felt like a giant Barnes and Noble store and let me pick out lots of books. And she never questioned or censored my choices. 

It reminds me that I am not alone in my love of all things books and reading. 



(Check out the Introvert Doodles website and the book - which I own and love! - available a number of places, including Barnes and Noble.)

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How do you feel about birthdays? Any big ones coming up? Any favorite birthday memories? How do you celebrate? (For me, just let me loose in Barnes and Noble with a gift card in one hand and a chocolate cupcake in the other and I'm good. I am soooooo good!)

42 comments:

  1. Happy birthday in advance :-)

    I don't like to make a big fuss over my birthdays and prefer that no one know about them. I'd be happy just hanging out with a good book or two and a dozen chocolate cupcakes.

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    1. Thank you!

      Hmm, instead of candles or birthday smacks , how about a CUPCAKE for each year?! Oh, now we're talking! How's that for a benefit of getting older! :)

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  2. Happy early birthday! Birthdays and anniversaries are the only times I'm loose with the coin purse. :)

    I don't do anything special for milestone birthdays. I'm grateful for any day I'm not required to cook.

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    1. Thanks, Maria!

      Those milestone birthdays sometimes feel like pressure, like we SHOULD do something. I say the only thing we SHOULD do is what makes us happy that day. :)

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  3. Happy early birthday! I just had my birthday, and I'm either neutral or down about them. Eating cake helps. :) I have yet to spent my Amazon gift card. That BINGO is hilarious!

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    1. Happy belated birthday to you, Christine! And cake helps with pretty much everything. :)

      Every time I look at that Bingo card, I laugh. :)

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  4. Secretly judged someone's literary tastes - funny!
    I try to ignore my birthday but my wife won't let me.

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    1. My favorite square is the one about maxing out the library card. :)

      Your wife just wants to celebrate you - that's a good thing. :)

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  5. I hope you will have a very Happy Birthday. I agree, cake makes everything better. I like low key birthdays best, followed by a great meal.

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    1. Thank, Murees!

      Not sure yet I want for my birthday meal but dessert? So many choices! :)

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  6. Hi Madeline,
    What great memories of birthdays with your grandmother and godmother, who must've influenced your love for books and writing. A favorite birthday wasn't mine but my husband's. I surprised him at our country place with a 4-wheeler for his 50th birthday. He said other than our kids and grandkids that was the best gift he ever got.
    And happy birthday to you!

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    1. They really are nice memories. My godmother always took me to dinner, too, which wasn't something my family did all that often.

      And thank you! :)

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  7. I almost have enough to cover the entire board. Love it!!

    I don't celebrate my birthday, but I wouldn't say no to B&N gift cards and chocolate cupcakes. :)

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    1. Ha! Me, too!

      Pick something else to celebrate - can't let a gift card and cupcake go to waste!

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  8. I remember when I couldn't wait to turn another year older. I stopped that insanity around #30.

    I was thinking the same thing the other day...how I miss the people who have passed, but how we are still linked by so many things in this life. They made me who I am, so in essence, I carry them with me every day.

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    1. Love that about still carrying them you, Elizabeth. I'm pretty sure I got my love of books and reading from my godmother.

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  9. Love it! I always try to do something really special to celebrate my birthday, as it's another year on this planet. I know far too many people who weren't lucky enough to make it this far, so I try to be grateful that I'm still here.

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    1. That is an excellent point, JH. Thank you for the reminder. :)

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  10. I just read that bingo card outloud to my daughter. She would totally win. I do have a big birthday coming up soon.

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    1. She might have some competition. :)

      I hope you have a wonderful birthday, Susan!

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  11. That is gold. And all of us book lovers pump our fists and shout 'yes!'

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  12. Happy Birthday and what a beautiful memory of your grandmother. Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

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  13. My boys have been jointly sending me an amazon gift card each year in an amount equal to my age. As I keep getting older, I get to buy more and more books. Other than that, I like getting cards and phone calls but that's about it. Maybe going out to eat with my husband if we're in the mood. I'm just not a party girl.

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    1. Nice! I enjoy going out to eat sometimes, but the older I get, the more I tend to like curling up with my husband, getting take-out and binge-watching TV shows or having a movie marathon. :)

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  14. Aww I love the cartoon and the memories that came with it. And falling in love with a character made me chuckle. Guilty, yes. :D
    Wishing you a great Barnes & Noble shopping spree and lots of chocolate.

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    1. Thanks so much, Julie! I have a note of a few books I want to look for, but I try to have back-ups because the store can't carry everything. As for chocolate, no back-ups needed. There WILL be chocolate. :)

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  15. Bookstore gift cards all the way! Happy birthday!

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  16. Happy soon-to-be anniversary of your 29th birthday! I have a pretty major b/d coming up and I am so psyched about it, because that's the day I start the rest of my life as a full time writer!! My gift cards of happiness are Amazon.com, B&N, and the wine store. And I have a couple of aewsome friends who still buy me actual books.

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    1. Ha! :)

      Now that's an exciting birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day, and that it's a creative and inspiring start to full-time writing. :)

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  17. I had a birthday in late September. We celebrate by going to a restaurant and with a gift certificate which I'll lose in our house of clutter horrors. Sigh.

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    1. Happy belated birthday!

      I've learned to keep all gift cards in one envelope, in one place. :)

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  18. "The book was better" is my mantra :-)

    I like birthdays. I had a couple of wobbles hitting certain numbers, but now I'm in my 40s, I feel pretty good about it. I'm trying to convince people I've hit the 'wise' phase ;-)

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    1. I'm in my 40s, too, and I am still waiting to feel "wise." Sigh.

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    2. You don't have to feel wise, just convince other people you are... for the fun of it :-)

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    3. I'm not sure I'm that good of an actress. :)

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  19. My birthday is coming up too. Not sure how I feel about it yet.

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    1. Well, I won't tell you how to feel because I don't like when people tell me what to feel. :) I will say, though, that focusing on what's good in your life, what's working in your life helps with lots of things. As does doing and/or eating something you enjoy. :)

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