Praise then darkness, and creation unfinished

It's been a fine birthday: LiveJournal and my email brought happy wishes (including one from someone who I didn't think knew when my birthday was), eleanor sang to me, my mother called to wish me happy birthday (and ask computer advice), roadnotes called to say "Happy birthday kiddo" and discuss getting together, and then I went out to exercise and celebrate.

It was a good workout:
Cardio, 21:30, top heart rate 147
Assisted chin-up (assist set at 19): 10, 3
Calf machine, 40 pounds, 3 sets of 15
Bench press, 50 pounds, 3 sets of 12
Seated leg curl, 85 pounds, 3 sets of 15
Tricep pulldown, 40 pounds, 3 sets of 15

Adjustable row, 100 pounds, 2 sets of 15--on the second set, I realized my form had slipped badly: I was leaning back instead of using my back and shoulder muscles. Doing it right was a lot more difficult (as usual). So I took it down to 80 pounds and did a third set, paying attention to form: 15 reps

Leg press, 230 pounds, 3 sets of 12
Bicep curls, 40-pound bar, 2 sets of 12; 35 pounds, 12

Crunches, 4 sets of 20
Back arches, 4 sets of 16
Cat-and-camel
Tree: 4 repetitions of {2 on each leg, then switch}: good balance this time, I was able to pull my arms in even when standing on my left leg, some of the time.

Lat pulldown, 72 pounds, 2 sets of 12
Hip adduction, 100 pounds, 15, 12

Stretches

After exercising, I went down to the Village to meet Cattitude for sushi, at a place someone recommended in response to my post on nyc_cuisine. Said place was closed. Rather than go hunting for a suitable sushi restaurant, I suggested Khyber Pass, since I'd passed it on the way to meet him and remembered how long it had been since I'd had Afghan food. Not quite comfort food, but a place where the only reason I need to open the menu is to remember the name of the red bean side dish I like. So: boulanee kadu (thin, crisp pumpkin dumplings), shireen palow (long-grained rice with orange peel and nuts), lubia (said beans, with onions, prunes, and stuff), and a pot of shir-chay (a chai-type drink). All good, and probably too much of it. It had also been too long since the two of us had gone out for dinner by ourselves: I'm glad to be able to do it again.

Cattitude had picked up a chocolate mousse cake, to be my birthday cake, but I was still too full when we got home, so we played Scrabble first. He then put a candle in the cake, and sang me "Happy Birthday"; I made a wish and blew it out; and we had one small slice of cake each. Garden of Eden does a good chocolate mousse cake.