In honor of his 100th birthday (!) today…
And I’ll write like I’ll never make a mistake!
Tag / birthdays
The Toronto Trip, Pt 2 (The Birthday)
As it has been every time I went on vacation, I post about it weeks after I finished my travels. Not the first time I’ve been late. Time for a photo dump of the day I turned 41, complete with my typical babble.
It had to rain on my party! Though it was cloudy when I took these pics from my rental condo, it would rain later in the day and into the night. Couple heavy rain with temps no hotter than the mid-40s (or at 7 Celsius since we’re in Canada) and you got me noping out on going out entire day. Which…actually worked fine for me. I have a birthday tradition where I choose not to go anywhere, whether I’m at home or on vacation. Last thing I want on my born day is for it to be ruined by stuff out of my control (traffic, people being pricks, etc.); at least when I stay home, most of the time, I can control my environment.
There’s no better food to have on a rainy day than sweets! Sugar-free sweets, in my case. What you see in the pics came from a sugar-free/Keto bakery called Yoona’s Kitchen in north Toronto. You may find this hard to believe, but this is the first birthday cake I’ve had since going low-carb. Cake is still something I’ve yet to bake, so I allowed them to bake it, complete with the Happy Birthday message (and my real name, which is why I had to censor that out). It’s carrot cake (my favorite cake flavor of them all), and it was muy delicioso! Those other sweets you see also came from Yoona’s. No, I didn’t eat them all that day. My favorite among them were the mini turtle cheesecake and nutella cupcake (the two sweets on the bottom right corner in the first pic).
My other birthday tradition that I started last year is watching birthday episodes of my favorite shows.
The End Credits version of Lisa’s birthday song with that sax solo still slaps to this day!
My birthday was the last full day at my lakeshore condo rental, and I made sure I enjoyed the rest of the amenities before I had to check out the next day.
If every birthday would involve staying home, admiring lovely city & lake views from my home, eating all the sweets I want & watching my favorite shows, and then have some pool-and-hot-tub time at night, that would be ideal!
I originally intended to post my Halloween here, but that will be in the next installment. Part 3 coming soon!
My Birthday Trip So Far
One of my long-time birthday traditions is staying home on my born day, whether I’m at home or vacationing somewhere. It’s currently showering here in Toronto *sobs*, and going out in the rain always blows, so it’s probably a good time to recap my birthday trip so far before I go back on the road tomorrow.
View of South San Francisco from my BART ride to SFO
View of San Francisco and Marin County from my plane ascending.
View of Lake Tahoe from my plane.
I don’t go fly that often, and I found myself looking out from my window seat during most of my plane ride instead of watching movies via the in-flight entertainment. I also finished up a chapter of my latest work-in-progress after stalling on it for days.
A sunset view from when the flight crossed the Canadian border.
Touching down in Toronto!
Coming from Trumpistan, this was a welcome sight to see.
Had a steak and poutine (omg carbs!) dinner at a place called Jack’s, courtesy of my auntie who picked me up from the airport. I’ve always wanted to try true poutine, and you may find this hard to believe, but I didn’t finish all that in one sitting. The steak stuffed me up.
Forty-One
Hi, I’m Lexine, and I turn 41 today. Feeling fab (despite Toronto weather raining on my born day) and I know I look good. No filler (why bother) but I got some sugar-free birthday sweets (courtesy of Yoona’s Kitchen)! It’s also the first time having a low-carb birthday cake (I’ve yet to make one for myself), and it’s tastyyyyyy. 😋 (It’s also partially censored because my real name is on it.)
And just like last year, I’m still not yet ready to show the rest of my face! 😜
Now Playing (5.28.25)
I’m in need of some cheering up yet again, and the music of today’s birthday icon Kylie Minogue always does it for me!
The visuals in each of these videos…STUN all the way. ✨✨✨
Forty
Hi, I’m Lexine, and I turn 40 today. Feeling fab and I know I look good. Filler? I don’t know her.
(Still not yet ready to show the rest of my face, though 😜)
Trips Of A Birthday Girl
Ten years ago today: me having some birthday fun in the Hollywood Hills. I remember that Cookies & Cream cake I bought at a Pavilions. I can’t eat that cake nowadays!
I enjoy traveling, and more so on my birthday. With the exception of 2020 and 2021 (because pandemic), I’ve celebrated my birthday far from home. I do have this rule where I don’t go anywhere on my actual born day, as I do my best to limit outside fuckery that I can’t control. (I don’t want my special day ruined!) But I’d also be in a vacation rental home or in a hotel room. The last time I stayed in my actual home on my birthday was…oh hell…well over ten years ago! It was probably in 2010, but it worked out for me as the SF Giants won the World Series that year, and I wouldn’t have been able to attend their parade if I went on my annual birthday trip.
I know where I was a year ago. Five years ago. Ten years ago. The poolside cabin in Long Beach that was also my first vacation in three years. The top floor penthouse condo in Vegas where I had access to the roof and thus had 360-degree views of Vegas awesomeness, from the Strip to the surrounding mountains. The small apartment in the Hollywood Hills that boasted panoramic views from downtown to the Pacific and even Catalina Island. (Notice a little trend?) I certainly was not in my little Bay Area home to blow out the candles.
My Vegas trip from five years ago. Views of the Strip from the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel tower, and Red Rock Canyon Park.
This year, I buck the trend and stay home. I could’ve gone somewhere again, and a part of me kept asking myself “whyyyy are you staying home?” Yeah, why am I staying home? Oh, that’s right: next year is a milestone birthday. And I’m saving up for that so I can go all-out for my, uh…21st (for the third time). Till then, I shall enjoy my birthday gifts from my friends, pig out on sugar-free cupcakes, figure out what Halloween costume I should wear, and simply kick back in the comfort of my own home.
Forever Adore: Jackie Collins
Posthumous birthday wishes to one of my idols today, Jackie Collins. Ten years ago, an acquaintance suggested her books to me while I sought out stories that did not involve some psycho rich guy abusing his virginial young female lover (and the whole thing being framed as a “romance” *gags*). Dangerous Kiss was the first JC book I read, and I’ve been hooked on her work since then. Lucky, American Star, and her LA Confidential series remain tops from her collection. Jackie’s likely making angels clutch their pearls with her latest tome up in heaven as I type, but, here on earth, she’ll always remain an inspiration of mine. ❤
Plus, she’s forever a queen for this quote!
ETA: my birthday tweet to her got reposted by her account!!! 😀
Quotes Of The Moment (8.16.23)
It’s only fitting that the Quotes du Jour comes from an idol of mine, who also celebrates a birthday today. If only there was a pop star today with the same kind of moxie and fierceness that Madonna had in the 80s and 90s. *sighs*
(Side note: Angela Bassett, Steve Carrell, Julie Newmar, and Xtina’s daughter are also born on this day? Rad.)
I Adore: Kylie!
Those who follow my short-form nonsense on Twitter would know that I’ll always be fangirling for pop icon Kylie Minogue! This being her birthday, there’s no question whose music I’ll be spinning (around) today!
Lex Writes On 