The Gang of Five
Beyond the Mysterious Beyond => The Fridge => Starday Wishes => Topic started by: Malte279 on June 28, 2011, 03:22:44 AM
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Congratulations for your 25th birthday Cal. I hope that you are having a great celebration today and will have an awesome 26th year of life of health, success, happiness, friendship, luck, peace, love, occupation, and recognition to come :birthday
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Hey happy birthday, Cal!
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Oh yes! Happy birthday, dude! Hope you come up with more wonderful stories!
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Happy birthday :D
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Yay!
One of our newest members have a birthday today.
I really hope that you have a great day today Pterano/Cal. After all you don't turn 25 every day.;)
:celebrate :cheers :birthday :celebrate :cheers
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Happy birthday Pterano! :) Hope you have a great day! :birthday
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Happy Birthday Pterano! :birthday
I already know you're doing something fun today, so I don't need to say that :lol: Hope your liking it at Disney World!
And dagnabit, I got beaten to the punch :p
Check your pm's! :smile
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Happy Starday Pterano!!! :DD :birthday
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happy hap hap birthday pterano! :D
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Happy Birthday. Hope the day is great for you.
:yes :DD :wow :lol :! :smile :angel :cheers :celebrate
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From what I heard you're in Disney...land, world, one of those :lol So I bet it is fun but have an awesome day!
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Happy birthday, Pterano! Hope it's a great one! :birthday
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Thank you very much for making a Starday thread for me, Cal! Happy Starday to you! I hope it's a fantastic one! :birthday :DD :celebrate :cheers :angel :D
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Congratulations on reaching the quarter-century mark, Pterano! :birthday :birthday :birthday :birthday :birthday Hope you're having a good time at Disney World! :DD
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(http://cdn2.iofferphoto.com/img/item/719/552/01/the-land-before-time-edible-cake-image-cake-decorating-78ff1.jpg)
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kGjuq87WDRI/S3f7IFMNHJI/AAAAAAAAAvk/cJ2ew7LeGsM/s320/my+land+before+time+cake.jpg)
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Thank you EVERYONE for your very kind and heart warming wishes! I have to say this was probably the BEST Birthday I've ever had! I'll never forget it, and if I learn that I passed my FS exam tomorrow, it will truly be the PERFECT Birthday (even though I'm sick :p).
Thank you all so much again. It really warmed me up to check out the site on my phone in the morning and see all of those well wishes. :yes
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You're welcome. I'm glad you had a great birthday. What kinds of gifts did you get?
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Well my primary gift was this trip, as well as the gift card I got to cover my food and anything I wanted to buy. I mostly did gift shopping for myself on my Birthday after the fireworks, as the park was open a lot later that night, and there was plenty of time to still shop and then finish up with some rides. I had mentally picked out items in some of the World Showcase shops that I thought might make nice souvenirs, and we started making our way back around after the show. The stuff I bought includes:
An otter plushy from Canada, because I like otters. :p
A dragon plushy from Britain, because I like dragons. :p
A book on the man who designed the costumes and sets for the Godzilla films, as I thought it would be a nice addition to my library, this one from Japan.
A rather large red carved dragon statue from China, which I have sitting on my desk now.
And two other presents I got from other people are both books, one on the Battle of Borodino, and the other focusing on the campaigns of 1814, both by F. G. Hourtoulle, thus completing the six volume set that I have from this author.
The friend that I brought with me also gave me a few things, in the form of some books, and I got a souvenir light cube from one of the restaurants we ate at. :p
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Sounds overall like a great day and gifts. :yes
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Pterano Happy Birthday.
I've notice you've not been happy these past days and I know how that feels. So I hope that today will bring you happiness, joy, love and much more today as well as birthday presents. A birthday should always be a happy one. And I hope your happy today. I hope your having a great one from....
:angel Mr Wonk :angel
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Happy birthday Pterano! Hope you have fun :)
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Congratulations Cal :)
I know the last days have been rather harsh for your, but I do hope that you have a good celebration anyway. Remember that there are many more and better days to come :yes
For your 27th year of life I wish you health, success, happiness, friendship, luck, peace, love, occupation and the spirit and energy it takes to get over and on :birthday
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Happy birthday Pterano! :D :birthday Have a blast :)
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Happy birthday, hope you have a great day.
:birthday :smile
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Happy birthday Cal, hope the coming days are kind to you.
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Happy Birthday, Cal! :birthday
I hope you have a much better day today than you did yesterday, Cal. I wish the best for you. :yes
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Happy birthday, Callan. Best wishes for the next year. Don't let life discourage you!
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Well thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. :) It wasn't as memorable as last year, but it wasn't bad either. Went to the Orioles game, which kinda sucked as we got stomped (and somehow ended up sitting in like the only section where the opposition sat as well). However, afterward was good as I went out with friends for food and drinks and ended on a mostly positive note. :yes
Thanks to Mr. Wonk for being the first to post here this year. And a big thanks to everyone else. :DD
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Well thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. :) It wasn't as memorable as last year, but it wasn't bad either. Went to the Orioles game, which kinda sucked as we got stomped (and somehow ended up sitting in like the only section where the opposition sat as well). However, afterward was good as I went out with friends for food and drinks and ended on a mostly positive note. :yes
Thanks to Mr. Wonk for being the first to post here this year. And a big thanks to everyone else. :DD
Hey it was nothing. I'm happy that your happy. And is everyone else. :lol
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Well upon further assessment, last night wasn't really all that good. I haven't slept much and I feel pretty stressed and out of sorts. Not the best of birthdays, in all honesty. Still though, I DO appreciate the well wishes from everyone. That was certainly one of the better parts of it. Honestly wish I was asleep right now instead of up with insomnia, but oh well.
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Well upon further assessment, last night wasn't really all that good. I haven't slept much and I feel pretty stressed and out of sorts. Not the best of birthdays, in all honesty. Still though, I DO appreciate the well wishes from everyone. That was certainly one of the better parts of it. Honestly wish I was asleep right now instead of up with insomnia, but oh well.
I'm sorry to hear that. I'm been having a few Nightmares recently so I've not had much sleep. :bang
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Yeah, I have bouts of insomnia every now and then, but I haven't had it in awhile. Just my luck to get it on the night of my birthday I guess. :p Sorry to hear about your nightmares. That doesn't sound pleasant. :(
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Yeah, I have bouts of insomnia every now and then, but I haven't had it in awhile. Just my luck to get it on the night of my birthday I guess. :p Sorry to hear about your nightmares. That doesn't sound pleasant. :(
Of all nights but your luck will get better no matter what happens :DD. I'm just hoping I can get some sleep tonight. Know I fear for the wrost. :wow+:oops=:bang
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Well don't worry, I'll probably be in the same boat tonight. :p My stress has increased rather a lot since this morning. I'm STILL sorting out this health insurance mess I've found myself in. I'm also hurriedly applying to this internship last minute, BUT, there are drawbacks even if I do get it. It'll mean a drastic cut in my pay as the internship is not paid and I'll have devote less hours to my regular job. Unless I can get a real job with benefits, this year could be really tough for me. It's certainly frustrating to the max.
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Well don't worry, I'll probably be in the same boat tonight. :p My stress has increased rather a lot since this morning. I'm STILL sorting out this health insurance mess I've found myself in. I'm also hurriedly applying to this internship last minute, BUT, there are drawbacks even if I do get it. It'll mean a drastic cut in my pay as the internship is not paid and I'll have devote less hours to my regular job. Unless I can get a real job with benefits, this year could be really tough for me. It's certainly frustrating to the max.
It sounds frustrating. If you did get the internship and spent less time on your regular job do there think there fire you for spending less time on your job? Or would there be lay back about it and understand what your going through? I hope you do get that one job that gives you benefits. :DD
Wish you luck tonight. :lol
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I'm not sure on that end. It's hard to say what they would do. That's why I see it as a pretty big risk. It's clear that I do in fact need a job with benefits, but the job market is insane right now. On average, 600 people apply to one job, making my efforts to get into any one place so far pretty fruitless.
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Our situations are eerily similar Cal. I'm applying since 2009.
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That's why so many have set up there own business. But I guess not everyone has the money to start an business and if there even could or want to risk everything there own. :cry If you don't mind me asking what line of work do you wish to do? I understand if you do not wish to tell me. :smile
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Yeah, but not only that, I have no desire to run my own business. I currently work for people that run their own small business, and they're constantly dealing with it with very little free time. It's literally a 24/7 job sometimes, and that's just not for me. My own father said it best when he told me: "I didn't want to run my own business because then you have to constantly monkey around with it" and it's certainly true. :p It's for some people, but not for me.
If you're asking about my long term career goals, then the thing I absolutely know beyond a shadow of a doubt what I want to do is work in the U.S. Foreign Service. That kind of lifestyle is exactly what I want, but the application process is very lengthy and very annoying. It will be years probably before I get in, and a minimum of two years at this point before I could start working for them. One has to first pass the standardized test, the FSOT (Foreign Service Officer Test). This test is extremely hard and only about 30% of applicants pass every year. If you don't pass, you have to wait an entire year before you can take it again. If you do pass, then you have to write five essays for the Review Panel to consider. After about four months after you took the exam/wrote the essays, you receive word from the Review Panel. They either reject you, or they invite you to the Oral Interview. The Oral Interview will take place about 5-6 months after you tested.
The Oral Interview is an intense, all day event in which you arrive around 7 AM and get out around 6 PM. You are run through a series of practice scenarios with a group, where you are tasked to come up with group solutions in a set time limit. After that, you're set through an intense series of questions from three FSOs and yourself. They ask you why you want to be in the Foreign Service, what you would do under certain situations, and about your personal background. Finally, the last part of the Oral Interview is the essay. You must compose an essay in a set time limit. Once you get through all of that, you FINALLY get the job offer at the end of the day, or you get sent home with nothing.
Sooooo... you passed the Oral Interview! What next? Well you don't get to work YET! Now you have to get a top secret security clearance which can take anywhere from 3-8 months depending on how many places you've lived in throughout your life. The State Department runs background checks on you and interviews everyone you know, trying to get a sense if you ever committed any major criminal acts and what sort of person you are. Once you get the clearance, you have to be medically cleared by a doctor, and after all THAT is done (usually about a year after you first tested), you finally get sent to basic training courses at their campus in Alexandria. You spend about 1-2 months in training classes, and then get to bid on which country you want to work in first from a list of current openings. Upon graduation, you get sent off to your first assignment and are FINALLY a Foreign Service Officer.
Lengthy process, right? :p I don't mind waiting for it, as it'll be worth it to me once I finally get in, but the problem I currently have is that I no longer have health insurance, and my current job is dragging me down and making me no longer enjoy my life. :p I've been looking into getting a job elsewhere, but so far, due to intense competition in the job market, my efforts have been failures. I'm looking for government work somewhere (which is over applied to now), or museum type work that would be a nice hold me over until I can get into the FS. Whatever job I pick up as a backup, I would like to get benefits too, to help my health insurance situation out.
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That really is a lengthy process. But it must feel so good when you do get the job in the end. When you get to the Oral Interview dress up as Pterano. (Only joking :lol)
I see your dad's point about own business thing. I think I'm going to have to do it know. If people with amazing grades or skills fail to get a job then I don't think I have much chance ever. :cry
The museum ideal sounds good know. I think my Dad going to try and do something like that. He works at the BBC Television Centre in London. But there closeing it down so he won't have a job next year. :cry
Anyway I'm sure you find that backup job you need. :DD
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Sorry for the late post. Happy birthday, Cal.
I hope you find your job eventually. (I went 8 months unemployed before I got my job at the grocery store. :( It looked hopeless, but I was happy once I got that job.
Please hang in there Cal. I know things have been very rough for you in the past 2 weeks, but I hope they get better. You are an awesome pal, a great Pterano fan, and you wrote great in "The past that yawns behind" I sure can't write as good as you.
Remember, I'm your buddy, and i'm here to support you along with the rest of us on the GOF.
Hang in there and keep up hope.
Happy 26th birthday :birthday and best wishes for the future.
-Jrd89 (Jared) your Pterano pal. :)
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Sorry for the late post as well, but happy birthday Pterano!
And I really hope things can go better for you....
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@Mr. Wonk: My dad is in a similar situation. His benefits have been rapidly cut, as has his salary, and instead of being able to retire this year, he's looking at another five years or more. :( I should dress up as Pterano. :lol I hope I can get a backup job... but it's been a year and a half, so I'm not holding my breath. :(
Thanks, Jared and Breckclub. I won't lie, as things aren't looking good. I have no option right now but to take the most expensive health insurance option for at least two months. Things are... gonna be tough from here on out unless I can get a job with benefits. :neutral
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I feel bad for your dad. But if you dress up as Pterano but didn't get the job there MAD! :lol I can't believe that it's been a a year and a half just to get a back up job. Things in this world are mess up! :cry
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Despite everything that has been bothering you, I hope your starday was a good one, and many any more to come :).
:birthday :birthday :birthday :birthday
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Happy birthday and best wishes, Pterano. :)
Have a great day.
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Happy birthday!
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Happy Starday, Pterano :)! I hope this year goes much better for you :yes.
:birthday :birthday :birthday :birthday
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Happy 27th birthday, Cal! :celebrate :D :celebrate
Have a great birthday today. I really hope that the year ahead goes great for you, too. :yes
(I'm sure that Pterano and Norton wish you a happy birthday from the LBT world. :yes)
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Happy birthday Pterano! I hope the day goes well for you. :yes :celebrate
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Happy Birthday and a nice celebration :yes :birthday
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Hello:
And happy birthday! :birthday :DD :lol :angel .
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Happy Birthday :D
Glad you liked the pictures, they were a lot of fun to do :DD
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Happy Birthday Pterano. I hoped you had a great day. Better then mine I hope. :lol
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A happy 27th (a lucky number ;)) birthday to you Cal :)
I hope you have a great celebration for it and will have a 28th year of life full of health, success, happiness, friendship, luck, peace, love and occupation to come :birthday
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Happy, happy birthday to you! Hope it's a great one, Cal.
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Happy 27th Starday Pterano! :birthday :celebrate
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Happy birthday, hope you have a great day.
:birthday :DD :wow :smile :idea :celebrate :cheers
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Thank you everyone for the kind birthday wishes! :) I didn't do too much today as I had to work, but I got to open presents and got taken out for a really nice French dinner just down the road. Overall it wasn't bad. :yes My dad is visiting in two days, and I'm really looking forward to seeing him. :yes
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Happy birthday! :lol:
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Even though its late... :blink:
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A late wish is better than no wish, I always say, so thank you! :DD
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Happy 28th Birthday, Pterano! Hope you have an awesome day :D
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Happy Birthday, Cal! :birthday Have an awesome day and a nice party, yep, yep, yep :celebrate
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Happy birthday, Callan!
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Happy Birthday, Pterano! :birthday
Just think of wherever you've gone in the past year. You've boldly started in a new career! :DD
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Hope you have a great day with lots of fun.
:birthday :yes :DD :lol :wow :! :angel :idea :celebrate :cheers
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:celebrate :celebrate :birthday :birthday HAPPY 28TH BIRTHDAY, CAL! I hope you enjoy it! :birthday :birthday :celebrate :celebrate
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Hello:
And happy birthday! :birthday :DD :wow :smile .
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Also, happy birthday to Paradise Bird!
:birthday :DD :lol :oops .
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Happy birthday! :birthday :DD :smile :lol :DD I hope that you have a great day.
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Congratulations Cal :)
I hope you had a great celebration today, that the past year was a good one and that, in case it was, the upcoming one will be likewise :yes
Health, success, happiness, friendship, luck, peace, love and occupation to you :birthday
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Thanks for the well wishes, everyone! :) It wasn't too bad, as I mostly spent the day in DC, partly on a tour for the anniversary of the First World War in the morning which was quite good. :yes
I certainly enhanced my Napoleonic library with this birthday, picking up "Napoleon in Egypt", "The Spanish Ulcer", "Napoleon's Conquest of Prussia", "Napoleon's Campaign in Poland", the "Thunder on the Danube" trilogy, "Moscow 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March", "Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany, 1813", and "Napoleon at Bay." I also ended up getting "Finding Nemo" Game of Thrones Season 3, and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" on Blu-ray. :yes
So it was a book kind of birthday, but that's OK, since it'll go a long way in my research on the Napoleonic Era and help out my emails to my group on the subject vastly. :yes
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Happy birthday, Pterano! :birthday I hope that the next year brings you happiness and success.
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Happy Birthday!! :D! I love your dedication to TGOF! <3 Have a great birthday!
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Happy birthday, Pterano! Have a good one! :celebrate :celebrate
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A happy 29th birthday to you Cal :)
I wish you a happy conclusion of your third decade and a 30th year of life of health, success, happiness, friendship, luck, peace, love and occupation :birthday
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Happy Starday, Cal! I hope the year ahead will be just like the last year ended for you :yes
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Happy Birthday Cal! Have a great day, hopefully I'll get a chance to speak to you again soon :)
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Happy Starday!!
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Happy Birthday, Cal! :birthday
Hope you get to do something fun today! :DD
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Thanks for the kind birthday wishes everyone! :) I know my activity level has kind of dropped as of late, but it's still nice to read something like this. :) I had a very good day today, and I am kind of looking forward to my 30s, as both my parents said that was their best decade. :yes Thanks so much! :DD
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Happy 29th birthday, Cal! :celebrate
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Hello:
And super-belated birthday!
At least that means you have extra cake :D
:birthday :wow :lol :DD .
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Happy Star Day, Pterano! Hope you have a great one! :celebrate
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Happy Star Day, Pterano! Hope yours is a fun one! :)petrie
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Happy Starday!
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Happy Starday! :celebrate
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Happy starday Pterano! Hope it's a good one! :celebrate
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Happy belated birthday! :birthday
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Hi Pterano! Hope you had a wonderful birthday this year :birthday