Everything I Ate On My Birthday

8: 12 a.m.: Penny’s French toast served with mango and papaya, maple syrup and yogurt. We were both recovering from a flu bug and this was the dish that sent us on the road to recovery.

1:40 p.m.: Takeout sushi (BC roll, asparagus maki, and other luscious delights) from my favourite Vancouver Japanese restaurant, Sushi-Yama. Graciously provided by Zoe, and eaten at Kitsilano beach, with a bleached log serving as a table, spiced with ginger and academic gossip.

6:50 p.m. :Cheese and olive plate, assembled by Megan, including some fine BC cheeses like Moonstruck and Saltspring Island goat cheese. Accompanied by lovely wines and rambling conversations.

7:10 p.m.: Haida’s seared marinated salmon atop asparagus salad.

Three days later…we finally got to the chocolate mousse cake, lovingly provided by Haida. By the end of my birthday, my iffy stomach got the best of me and it was all I could do to sit on Haida’s back porch and finish off the wine. The cake was devoured during a raucous evening of filmmaker chat with Haida and Ileana, with a brief cameo appearance by Michael.

It was smooth and sexy, with a rum and coffee backbeat. It gave closure to a crazy birthdayish couple of weeks that began with a present from The Guitar Player, was punctuated with readings and family gatherings and plane trips, and concluded with gateau.