flexagon | Happy birthday to my bug

heisenbug turned 40 today.

This blows my mind in various ways -- since when is 40 such a great and great-looking age? Does he realize he spent his entire 30s with me? but mostly it meant I got to spend the day trying to make his day good (starting by going out and buying us coffee, of course). I got him a gift certificate for private music lessons at a local music place, and he liked it.

We had a good date in the North End. I wore the nice top I bought last week at a little Davis Square boutique (by Israeli designer Ronen Chen, who I apparently like a lot), and took the bug to a restaurant that got good reviews on Yelp. They placed us high up on the third floor, in a glass-topped room that had beams wound with greenery, and the food was good.

In a particularly outstanding touch, as we were eating our appetizers a couple got engaged at the next table over. I sort of had noticed the guy going over to the girl's side of the table and kissing her -- then I didn't notice them again until (soon after?) I realized she was crying, repeatedly wiping her face, and, hey, the guy was down on one knee talking. I managed to telegraph look! to

heisenbug in time for him to see what was up, and see the guy stand up again and kiss her. I was fighting the urge to clap when someone else started clapping, and instantly the whole room exploded in applause. I spent the rest of the meal peeking over at the newly engaged woman, how for a long time she couldn't get her new ring over her second knuckle, but then late in the meal she did, and how the guy kept smiling at her so very happily. It set a good romantic mood, and yes I got somewhat choked up for them.

We followed that up with cannolis from a small place not on Hanover Street, which we'd seen earlier while exploring the side streets. We ate them while sitting on steps and people-watching, then wandered toward home. Not bad, this being married to a 40-year-old thing.