My Birthday Today
I’m not as old as the People’s Republic of China, but we share birthday. Today, that is!
If any of my friends see this and is in New York, please contact me and I’ll invite you to tonight’s birthday party (probably just a simple dinner-party in my home).
I made it back to New York just fine yesterday, and promise to write a wrap-up from my exciting trip. I knew it would be *fun* to cover the hurricanes, but I had no idea I would also meet soooo many interesting people. Some examples: alligator choppers, a life-time prisoner, Vietnamese shrimp fishers … and lots of evacuated New Orleanians, with the most compelling stories to tell.
It was also useful to travel with senior collegues, and learn their dirty tricks.
Nobody seems to care about my birthday … 
except for my friend Chris who wrote a nice e-mail gratulation from Indonesia! Not even my Mum has called (but she is in Sardinia, Italy).
My very pregnant sister has indeed sent a letter, which I’m about to open – and I look forward to another Libra in the family (her due date is October 21, so it’s border line).
Now I am listen to a music form I didn’t know existed until now: “prison blues”, in this case songs by Robert Pete Williams who once upon a time served time at Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
I was in their small museum north of St Francisville only 24 hours ago, which feels strange to think about. Not only did they sell blues records in the museum shop, but also jelly produced by the prisoners, and coffee mugs, t-shirts, and boxers with the name of the prison on. Or this cheerful print: “Angola – a Gated Community”.
/Gunilla
Grattis på födelsedagen, i efterskott! Nu ska jag skriva in det i almanackan!! Samma dag har min pappa namnsdag, så det blir dubbelt upp!/Karin
Comment by Karin Lilja — Tuesday, October, 4, 2005 @ 02:43:am
Update: a lot of people did indeed call to congratulate me later in the day, including my mum from Sardinia and my sister in Rome, so please allow me to reverse the grumpiness in the post…
/Gunilla
Comment by gunillakinn — Tuesday, October, 4, 2005 @ 11:21:am
Is the Karin Lilja who responded the same Karin Lilja who in 1982 sang at Europa Cantat? If so, can you forward her a message from me? We met at that festival and I have not heard from her since probably the late 1980’s, and would love to know how she is and what she is/has been up to all these years.
Comment by Michael McIvor — Sunday, October, 23, 2005 @ 23:50:pm