Wow, what a birthday. First off, were it not for a champagne hangover being worse than any other kind, I probably wouldn’t feel a day older. But between the headache and the queasy stomach, the dry mouth and the sore muscles, I pretty much know what I’ll feel like in a few more years.

It was worth it, though. I got a free, backstage pass to watching the drama between two single 20-something friends, and that reminded me why I’m glad to be well out of my 20s and married. Getting older doesn’t feel so depressing when you remember how much a pain in the ass that being young can be.

The birthday dinner — complete with a surprise bouquet of roses — was phenomenal. I’m not sure which was better: the food, or not having to cook/clean up.

And the loot presents? Perfect. I got exactly what I wanted, thanks to an agreement the Venomous Hubby and I reached. See, we’ve decided that from now on we’ll do our own Mother’s/Father’s Day and birthday shopping — staying within a certain budget — and have the presents shipped already gift-wrapped. Oh, sure, the recipient isn’t surprised by what they receive, but the giver gets surprised and the recipient gets exactly what they want. No disappointments, no angst over trying to find “the perfect thing” and no squabbles over whether someone cheaped out.

So what did I get this year?

From the Venomous Hubby, the Bare Escentuals Get Started Kit. “Makeup so pure you can sleep in it,” they say. Well, let me tell you that after two bottles of champagne, I tried out that claim and, yep, it’s true. I woke up still looking pretty good, and my pores weren’t huge enough to swim in. And it feels amazing on — like I’m not wearing any makeup at all.

From the Princess in Training, a Conair Moisturizing Mist Facial Sauna and coupon for house-cleaning (which is being redeemed while I type). Twenty minutes with the facial sauna — and a few minutes with the exfoliating brush that came with it — and my skin looks better than it has in the last decade.

And from the Big-Eyed Boy, the Tranquility Eye Mask with Nature Sounds and CD/Mp3 jack. (Catch the “well-rested and looking like it for a change” theme here?) Let me just say I love this thing. Love it! It’s large enough to block out every bit of light in my bedroom — something neither of my satin eyemasks have been able to do. Despite looking bulky, it’s fluffy and soft and stayed comfortable all night. The sounds go off after 30 minutes, which was just long enough to fall asleep without once noticing the Venomous Hubby’s snoring, and the sounds are rather nice. I switched between “rural sounds” and “babbling brook” a few times before plugging it into my CD player to hear the the Frog Chorus on my Echoes of Nature CD. I haven’t slept so well in years.

Last but not least, I got a few wonderful blog posts from De Doc, Daniel and Julie, who took me up on the First Ever Open Mic Nite in which folks were invited to log-in and blog at EV. Thank you, also, to everyone who left kind comments and sent birthday emails!

Now, I’m off to find some aspirin and orange juice to conquer this hangover. Great-looking skin or no, I feel too crappy to blog more until this hangover’s gone.