My Christmas has come early! (and perhaps my birthday too…)

I’d been hoping this would happen before we went away. We all went for a drive this morning and came home to see the mail had already come. Poking out of the mailbox was a crudely folded magazine, wrapped in plastic. I’d been told it was coming out sometime this week or next. I unwrapped it then and there, with the end of my car still poking out into the street, possibly holding up traffic; I’m not sure.

There was my article! Towards the end and blessedly intact (I’ve sometimes seen my words hacked by editors until it looks nothing like the work I’d submitted. But that could’ve been my fault to start with! But I digress…). I was really quite chuffed.
Then, a girlfriend called around. She handed me a package, all wrapped beautifully.

“What’s this for?”
“Next Tuesday?”
Me, confused: “What’s next Tuesday?”
Her, probably incredulous: “Your birthday!”
Oh, that’s right. I’ve been too stressed this week, I forgot.
In sum––a nice day.

*Note: this isn’t the edition I’m in. This is just a photo of an old one.