This week I celebrated my birthday. It wasn’t a banner one so don’t worry if you didn’t message me to wish me your warmest regards. We are saving that for next year. What I did do was take some time with some of my favourite people to enjoy my favourite subject, me.
On Sunday, we went to the arcades on Southend seafront, and spent roughly fifty quid on games, winning tickets that we collectively exchanged for a 5D frog puzzle – the fifth dimension is frog.
Then we went for incredible dim sum at The Pearl Dragon. This is me and my partner by the way, and then two of our other favourite couples who have had the distinct pleasure of seeing me through many highs and lows over the last decade (plus).
We were very well looked after and (for once) nailed the order size. The most joyous part of the evening was the Lazy Susan that we swung in each direction to get our sticky fingers on dumplings, soups and rice dishes, shout “Susan” to give others the heads up before it was sent into motion.
For the first time in my recollection, I got to pick my own birthday cake so a Spiderman cake with a suspiciously placed sparkler was brought out. I love the nostalgia of an icing covered jam sponge. There’s nothing quite like it.
I took Monday off (I’m like Garfield or Brenda Spencer) and we went out for bagels and then to see Hamnet at the cinema. I cried a decent amount and was surprised to discover that William Shakespeare, like me, had a little earring.
On Tuesday, my partner took me to London for Vietnamese food and entertainment, at first courtesy of the insane old women who were seated right next to us (complimentary use of the term insane there) and then a How To masterclass where George Saunders was interviewed by Richard Ayoade.
To be able to step away from the usual dross that people pour in my ear and listen to two very intelligent people talk about writing and culture was a high point of my month. It left me so inspired that I haven’t stopped writing since.
Paul Schiernecker 
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