Michael and I are celebrating our 30 something birthdays this weekend. Tonight the Rents are taking us out to one of the nicer restaurants in the Hamptons. Can’t wait for those truffle fries!

Remember the days when you would put together a Christmas list to send to Santa? I do. If I were to put together a list this year, here’s what I would wish for:

1. That the AMPTP will give the DVD residuals to the writers and this strike will end.

2. That our men and women will come home from Iraq.

3. That Mike Huckabee would be found tapping his foot in a restroom.

4. That the genocide would end in Darfur.

5. That the US would get serious about global warming.

This year I am thankful for a number of things that I would like to share:

1. My Sweetie - Michael continues to amaze me with each day how someone can have so much love to share with another. I am so blessed to have him in my life and am very pleased this we will get an opportunity to further demonstrate that love for one another publicly as we plan to be married in June.

2. My Son - Zachary is really one amazing kid. I know that every father probably thinks this about their children, but if you ask anyone who has met him they are impressed by his selfless attitude. He is a very thoughtful young man who is always looking out to help others, especially those who are less popular.

3. My Home and family - over one year ago Michael and I moved to a house next door to his father. We have a lovely yard, garden, big back yard with a great grill. We also have the company of our family to spend time with. I never thought it would be possible to live near family happily, but I have been proven wrong.

4. Friends - I have so many very dear friends I am so thankful for (Bonnie, Monique, Sid, etc)

Here in the States we are celebrating Labor Day. Here is a bit of info about the holiday:

Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

Today Labor Day is often regarded simply as a day of rest and, compared to the May 1 Labor Day celebrations in most countries, parades, speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key, although especially in election years, events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school. However, of late, schools have begun well before Labor Day, as early as the 24th of July in many urban districts, including Nashville and Atlanta. In addition, Labor Day marks the beginning of the season for the National Football League and NCAA College Football. The NCAA usually plays their first games the weekend of Labor day, with the NFL playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day.

I’ve been out of commission for the last 3-4 days due to a lack of sleep. For some reason I was unable to get any sleep from Wednesday until Friday night. Yesterday I felt like I was in a fog after getting a bit of sleep. This morning is the first morning I got a solid night of sleep with no fogginess.  What a horrible feeling it is to be so exhausted and no matter what you do, cannot get to sleep.

July 4th was a ton of fun on Fire Island with the invasion of drag queens. You can see the full gallery here. I also asked Sid to be my best man. I will tell more about that in my next blog entry.

These are a couple of friends we bumped into on the way to FI.