The Aftermath.

Gawd, I'm tired.

Playing hostess got me all wound up last weekend.  Then we drove to the cousin's place in San Rafael, a mere 30 minutes away from San Francisco, my most favorite city (so far), Sunday night.  A tour of her newly renovated kitchen and master bathroom was pure delight, sending me into oohs and aahs of (secret) envy.  Haha!  I love my kitchen though, make no mistake about it.

I woke up Monday morning and forgot it was my birthday.  The cousin reminded me with a quick peck on the cheek before she and her fiance headed out to work, leaving me with Oscar fashion reviews on tv and a mild debate with myself whether I should rejoin the husband in bed or enjoy the quiet morning.  The latter won by a fraction, ignited by fears of oversleeping — something I'm very good at.  I didn't want to miss San Francisco on my birthday, off-and-on rains be darned.

The first order of the day was going to the PAL office for the husband's ticket.  It was all Union Square sophistication until you step into the building's escalator, and then it all goes downhill from there.  Alighting from the escalator and walking the tiny hall towards their sales office, you are suddenly transported to the feel and look of government offices back home.  The place is dingy, the carpet dirty, the walls old and shabby.  If you sit there long enough, you'd forget you are in San Francisco, and in Union Square at that.  The upside:  at least the restroom was clean and Josie at the sales desk was nice and efficient.

We were told later on by the cousin that the Philippine Embassy itself, which is at the upper floor of the PAL office, isn't any better.  This saddens me.  Why the propensity to "make do" instead of maintain — or improve?  Surely, it can't be that hard to change the carpet, repaint the walls, and change the furniture once every few years.

Oh, but let's not go there.  Let's go to Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom instead, where the husband paraded me in front of impossibly expensive purses and, with the false bravado of one who knows I won't take the bait, said, "Pick one and I'll buy it for you."  Haha!  He is such a sweetie, I tell ya.  Even though I knew I wouldn't be taking home that Dior saddle bag, I felt so loved and pampered nonetheless.  Two shopping bags and two sets of aching feet later, we met up with the cousin for a lovely dinner before we finally drove home.

All that excitement over the weekend, and the driving, and the (window)shopping has got me bone-weary.  It will take days for me to recover from my birthday.