My Mighty-16 Party…

Disclaimer: The following anecdote is embarassing. Shameful, even. Enjoy.

A few months* ago, my Mom (or my brother?) was rummaging in a forgotten, musty drawer and rescued a bundle of items that were drowning in a sea of unused "Thank You" cards. A veritable time capsule, the bundle was secured by a brittle rubberband. We gathered around the curious capsule and began plucking papers from it.

I was genuinely shocked by one of the pluckings:

Mighty-16 Birthday Party Invitation: My younger brother Mike had quickly drawn the cover of the card as a goof. Yes, his drawings were always flattering. Also, my mom was obsessed with weather and its uncanny potential to disrupt human activities. Thus, it is not surprising that she had the foresight to plan a snowdate for my Mighty-16 Party. NOTE: I did not alter the images above, except to remove personal information (address, phone number, etc.).

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Self-respect…

I should point out that this invitation was only sent to my immediate family and therefore was never seen by any of my friends. Needless to say, I had my humble reputation to protect. I did not want to be seen as an arch-dork by my peers. Δ

The party itself…

By all accounts, the party was indeed held on the glorious 26th day of January, 1991. "So, what do you remember about your sixteenth birthday party?" you ask. Sadly, I do not remember any specific details from my Mighty-16 Party. You see, despite the invitation's proclamations, Mighty-16 was actually a typical birthday party with my family and relatives: fun, straightforward, and devoid of any TG-16 themed activities. No King Drool cupcakes. No Bravoman Party Favors. I can say this, however: my cousins most likely played TG-16 for an hour or two that afternoon. Δ

Months?

Months? Well, to be entirely honest, this birthday party invitation was discovered over eighteen months ago. I intended to share this treasure last year (on the glorious thirty-first day of January, 2010, in fact), but my courage, like a brittle rubberband, crumbled. This year, thankfully, my courage held fast. Unfortunately, my status and reputation among civilized (non-nerd) human beings may crumble this year. Δ