My Personal Holiday

The 1st of April, aka April Fools Day...a day so very close to my heart!

I was originally going to post a blog about the origins and history of this particular holiday, but then I thought, who really cares? On the small off-chance that you DID care, all you'd have to do is google it. All people really care about on this day is trying to pull off some joke on a poor soul and cry out, "April Fools!"

Trust me. I am no stranger to this April Foolery.

But then again, I guess that's what I get for being born on this day! (lucky me!)

Once upon a time, some thirty-and-some-odd-years ago, MnM was born in the city by the Bay. For as long as she could remember, the spirit of this holiday was firmly imprinted in her mind beginning with the story told by her parents that SHE was supposed to be a HE. Yes, according to the sonograms, a wee-wee was seen and my parents were (supposedly) told that they were going to have a bouncing baby boy. APRIL FOOLS! Ha...imagine their surprise! Now while I do not know the extent of that truth, a name has been thrown around to what I would've been called had I been a boy. I would've been a Michael Joseph.

7th grade was the year when the April Fools jokes really began. I'll never forget how Mommy Hernandez and a lil' crew of my friends somehow got the class AND the teacher to participate in the whole do-not-mention-or-greet-MnM-even-though-it's-her-birthday thang. The joke finally ended with a big round of Happy Birthdays and laughter...and THE present. Mommy Hernandez had gotten me the 12inch Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album. I was so psyched! (yes, I was a fan of BIG hair rock bands back then...c'mon, it was 1987!)

8th grade was worse. Ya'll remember how Swatch watches were the IN thing back then? Well, everyone had one EXCEPT for me...and some of my friends thought it would make a neat birthday gift. NOT! I was presented with a beautifully wrapped super skinny rectangular case. If you ever had a Swatch watch, you know the thin case I'm talking about! I tore open the wrapper and from the clear case, there was the warranty piece of paper thingy. By this time, I'm excited and stoked that wow, my friends actually pitched in to get me a Swatch watch...NOT! When I finally opened up the case, it was with laughter in the background as another piece of paper with "April Fools" dropped out. Bastards...all of them! Lol! Just for the record...I DID end up getting a Swatch watch complete with the Swatch guard (them lil' rubber-band thingys didn't guard worth sh*t!)...although not for my birthday. But hey, I had one!

From there, high school was met with maxi pads in my locker, people telling me wrong information of where to meet them, etc. Yah...pads. That was a running joke for a while. Thankfully, most jokes, with the exception of the finger pointing of "hey, there's something on your shirt" incidents and when you'd look down, they'd flip the finger up your nose and face....thankfully those ended by high school.

Since high school, there have been three major highlights for my personal holiday-

1. 21st birthday. Drinking up at Chevy's during PCN practice. Keyopes jumping around in circles on stage doing a folk dance clearly buzzed. Going to a gay club. Seeing my uncle at the gay club with his "friend."

2. 26th birthday. Miyakes and one too many Sake bombs. Q's nightclub afterwards followed by more drinks than what my body could handle. Liquid cocaine is a name of a drink?! After much mixing of drinks that should not have been mixed, continued to make good friends with the sidewalk bushes, parking lot, and toilet bowl. Swore the day after that I would never EVER drink like that again.

3. 29th birthday. My first surprise birthday party given by the hubby. Held at the clubhouse of our new apartment. Lots of people came through. And it WASN'T an April Fools joke!

I'm sure there are many other memorable April Fool birthdays to recall, but these are the ones that quickly come to mind. Hopefully and God willing, there will be many more to come!

Just wanted to send some birthday shout-outs to my fellow fools:

*SciMathScopes- I used to think that she was my ultimate twin! We were born on the same day, baptized on the same day, and lo and behold, her dad worked with my dad in PI. Went to the same high school, became the best of friends, and did practically everything together. She's legally changed her name, but I'll always know her as that Beatles song. Though I've lost touch with her through the years and though we've gone different paths in life, just wanted to wish her the best on our birthday!

*Fred and George Weasley- if you're not a true Harry Potter fan, then you won't understand. It's only natural that these practical jokers were born on this day!

*Bad Batz Maru- yah, the one and the same Sanrio character. Why do I know this??? Honestly, I like Pocchaco much better and I think Cinnamaroll is way cuter.

In any case, hope ya'll have a fabulous day today...and hey, don't be so gung-ho about those practical jokes...it might very well be their birthday! Lol!