Birthdays Suck.
Really, they do. Today's probably going to go down as the worst one I'll experience in this lifetime.
It really started yesterday. Since I'd have school today, my mom thought it'd be a better idea to do the "party" on Sunday. Unfortunately for whenever there's a "party", the entire family comes down from the boonies.
This probably wouldn't be so terrible if they didn't do it every single month. I would have MUCH rather not had them over. Don't get me wrong, they're nice, but they're ultimately annoying and best in small doses.
I wasn't supposed to work Sunday, but I got called in for a shift since the guy who was supposed to work called in sick (hung-over, more likely). By the time I get back, the family is already there and has started eating. In addition, all three children under 3 were throwing a simultaneous uber-tantrum. So pretty much everyone left after that. Interesting thing is, most of them didn't even know it was my birthday...they just came for the free food 
The worst part of all was the awkward conversation during the dinner when my mom and grandparents just kept talking on and on about what a mistake I was making in becoming a history teacher when it's not really a "necessary" or "important" job. My mom and grandma just kept going back and forth about why I should become a doctor like I wasn't even there. It's not a tremendously enjoyable experience having your choices devalued by your closest family.
As a side note, the grand total of gifts received on the day of the "party"- $35 from my mom's side of the family. Almost enough for a tank of gas, which is what it will inevitably go to.
Then came the actual birthday day. I already knew it wouldn't be a good day, because it was a Monday. Not only is it the end of the weekend, it's also the one day I've got that damned 3-hour Poetry night class. I get to school and pretty much get ADD for the first two periods...I get to Humanities and it turns out we've got a fucking test over a chapter I hadn't even read yet. I couldn't even bluff my way through it, because it was over artists of the Baroque and Roccoco periods, as well as church architecture and loads of other crap like that. I HATE art history. It was sheer luck I passed the Art Appreciation class I took. My big problem with art is just that anything qualifies nowadays. Some idiot can take a piece of gum off a floor and stick it to a tin can and then turn around and sell it for hundreds...people are sheep when it comes to art.
Needless to say, I was in a pretty shitty mood after that. I get home and find that my dad had visited, but left immediately before I arrived. He left a nice gift of $100 from his side of the family, so that was cool of him. My sister got me a couple packs of soda and some candy, so at least she made the effort.
The next big stressor was this weird drama between my mom and my sister. My sister is harboring some delusion that her car isn't good enough and that she needs a new one. Nevermind that her first car is a '97 sedan in good condition with a CD player, and mine was an '86 pickup that could barely push 60 before falling apart.
Naturally, she expects our dad to buy it for her, since the MTV has long since drained her of any sense of personal responsibility. My dad, proving yet again that he IS intelligent, told her no and offered to get her current car the minor fixes it needs.
The problem really started when my mom told our dad that Kayla had quit her job without getting a new one, a mistake that I can attest to from first-hand experience. Kayla had been trying to keep it a secret and became infuriated, essentially walking out of the house and saying she wouldn't come back. Her runaway episode lasted about six hours, a new record.
So, the day has been filled with drama and annoyance from nearly every angle, and I can put a close on the worst birthday I've ever experienced in my life. It probably wouldn't have been as crappy if I could have spent some time with my friends, but I can take some measure of happiness from this:
This birthday not only marked my exit from the wasteland of teenager-dom, but it is also the last birthday that I'll ever spend at home with a family party. Next year, I'll be turning 21 while living out at Western in Macomb...and there will be craziness. | 
