Today is Last Day to File Your Income Tax Day, also known around these parts as my birthday! So in honor of said birthday, I decided to stay up an entire 24 hours. Just to see if I could, and also to better savor the birthday feeling.

12:01 a.m. Birfday! Birfday! Another year older (ugh), though not necessarily wiser. Eat ice cream to celebrate.

12:45 a.m. Wow, you can watch Law and Order marathons at all hours of the night.

1:15 a.m. Get call from my dad (Chinese in italics)

Dad: Hellooo? Helloooo?
Me: Pa? Is that you?
Dad: YES! This is your FATHER! Happy birthday!
Me: Thank you. You remembered. (My dad is notorious for forgetting my birthday.)
Dad: Yes, I had our secretary remind me this year. Are you having a good lunch? Did you get yourself something good for your birthday meal?
Me: Pa, it’s 1 in the morning here.
Dad: Oh, I thought it was 1 in the afternoon. Because it’s lunchtime here at the office.
Me: Pa, there’s a 12 hour difference. 1 in the afternoon there is 1 in the morning here. (My dad lives halfway around the world; I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told him that)
Dad: Well then, have a good time at lunch…

4:00 a.m. Oh look, an Eff Oh (picture taken later during the day)

Pattern: Koolhaas, by Jared Flood, from IK Holiday Gifts ‘07
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere #10 (Orange), 3 skeins. Size 6 and 8 Denise interchangeables, and size 8 Inox DPN’s

I love the hat! I love the pattern. I wish I could say the same about the yarn. I mean, it’s cashmere, and I like it OK, but I wasn’t impressed by the yarn. First, there’s only about 49 yards per skein, and to me it didn’t feel any softer than baby cashmerino. Maybe I was expecting too much, but cashmere! I have to say though that the cables really pop with this yarn.

I CO 96 stitches instead of the called for 104, and made 5 repeats of the pattern because I wanted the hat to cover my ears. There are a few boneheaded mistakes, but they’re near the top of the hat, and I was too lazy to rip back. I did run out of yarn at the very top, but couldn’t justify buying another skein of the DB, so I used leftover orange Lamb’s Pride worsted - you can kind of see it in the picture. I like it - it looks like the hat has a bright(er) orange dot on top.

8:00 a.m. Get ready for work. Include many opportunities for procrastination - surf the internets, wash dishes, make up birthday wishlist…

9:00 a.m. Show up at work. Surprise co-workers by being more than 15 minutes early for class. Much teasing about impending old age.

12:00 nn There is cookie cake! With more frosting than the picture shows. Eat lots of frosting for lunch. Mmmm…

2:00 p.m. Students sing Happy Birthday many times, in hopes of convincing me to cancel class. Does not work.

6:30 p.m. Stagger home. Why is it still freezing here? Sun, where are you?!! Good thing I finished a hat today.

7:00 p.m. Cook yummy seafood corn chowder. Eats lots of it. People who know me know that I am mildly infatuated with corn. This felt like a good meal to make for birthday.

8:30 p.m. Birthday well wishes from fam and friends. Yay! Grouse about lack of presents ;) Buried among well wishes is news of family crises. Ick.

11:20 p.m. Feel sad that birthday will be over in less than an hour.

12:05 a.m. Made it! 24 entire hours. Birthday may be over, but birthday week is still in full swing.