Happy birthday

Here is an idea you can use.

I saw this a few days ago and cannot get it out of my mind. This is too precious. It must be used.

Turn down your volume or you'll never forgive me.

It's a girl singing Happy Birthday as if she's an opera diva. But it's more than that. It's an ensemble of budding musicians. And they're serious.

I saw on Amazon the greeting cards that you record a personal message priced at $31.00. That's too much. 

I can't believe my brother paid that much just to record a message. They must come cheaper than that.

At any rate, you can buy the recording module for $13.00 on Amazon. And insert it into an ordinary card, or better yet, one that you make. The more childish, the better.

Then record the audio to this video. Because it's so excellent.

Oh man, that just reminded me. Flashback.

A very long time ago I learned something from a friend. How not to be abashed when people sing you Happy Birthday.

Until that moment I would turn beet red and shrink inside my shoe. I couldn't stand being the center of attention like that for a few agonizing moments. 

A large group of invitees assembled at his house for a surprise birthday party. He came home from work completely unprepared to face a crowd filling his house. He had to go to the bathroom. Upon returning, we sang Happy Birthday very poorly. He stood there, the center of all our attention, disgusted, rolling his eyes, shaking his head, no. No. That was really bad.

We finished.

He addressed us, "That is the worst singing I've ever heard. You should all be embarrassed. Start over! Sing it again. From the beginning."  There were about forty of us there. We looked at each other. Is he joking?

"Sing it, I said" 

So we did. 

And we sang it much better the second time. 

"That's better." 

And I stood there thinking, you know what? He handed that really well. Emulate his behavior. Be this same way hereafter. Get over being embarrassed by being made the center of attention. 

So I do. When in such a group, surrounded by people and attention on me, say, opening cards, and someone hands me a card personally with no cash or check in it. I look around on the floor, both sides, under the chair. Then look up and shrug, "The check must have fallen out. I'll find it later." 

It's hilarious. Because there isn't a check and no real cause to expect one.