Dear journal, Today we celebrate Riki's 40th Birthday! It's actually on the 21st but we have a gig in Minnesota on the 20th and will still be on a plane on the 21st. Riki's been planning this thing for a year now. I don't think he realized how much work it was going to be. But he pulled off quite a shin-dig.(Sp?)
First, we had a nice dinner at the Hurricane Restaurant. I actually used to work there. They have A nightclub called Stormy's on the 2nd floor. I DJ'd there for 10 years. The place hasn't been the same since I left, if I do say so myself. Anyway, dinner was just the Tortuga family. Me, Riki, Ronn and Sharon. We watched the sunset and had a delightful dinner. After that we went to the exchange. It's a so-so little club but has an upstairs area perfect for private parties. This is where the real party was to take place. People showed up slowly at first but by 11:00 he had quite the crowd. People I hadn't seen in years showed up. I was really nice to see some of the old "Bay Area Renaissance" crowd again. A lot of these people don't even do that show any more.
I think my favorite part of the night came next. The presents! He got some nice cards, some gift certificates and some clothes. But the best present was from Ronn and I. First we had Sharon give him a DVD. He had been saying that he wanted a new DVD player and we knew this would give him the idea that our big gift was that exact thing. But it wasn't! (and he took the bait) As he unwrapped our present he could tell it was electronics and was quite pleased with the thought of a new DVD player. But, at closer inspection he realized that this box contained a new Laptop Computer! His jaw hit the ground! It was so cool! He had no idea at all.
Then Sharon gave him his real present from her, a laptop briefcase. She couldn't give him that first or he would have figured everything out.
We closed the Exchange. Not surprising for partiers or our magnitude. So, it was time for the next phase in our plan. Riki had gotten a huge two-bedroom sweet at a hotel near my house right on the water. So he invited quite a few people back to continue the party there. He had stocked it with alcohol and brought all the snacks from the buffet at the club. We drank ourselves silly 'till the wee hours of the morning. Riki was blind drunk. But I think that was his plan. Needless to say it took him almost three days to recover. With the exception of some occasional drama (you can't have a party this big without it) the party was a smashing success! Well done little Rikker! Wow, you 40 now! I guess your not so little anymore, old man!
Like I said in my toast, "May you have twice as many good days in you next 40 years!". Happy Birthday to my partner, my friend, my brother, my Riki.
You can see pictures of Riki's Birthday from Ron's Camera in the Gallery and also in Riki's Journal updates
