There’s times where I’m like, I don’t know, is there anything interesting enough in my life to talk about for this podcast?

And then there’s times like today when I have birthday slash New York City related stuff plus bagel related stuff all to discuss.

So yeah, I’m fired up.

Let’s go.

Your Daily Lex.

All right, first, let’s start with birthday stuff.

Today is October 19th, which is my oldest Ani’s birthday.

And I’ve been with my kids for every single one of their birthdays, save for one.

There was a year, I don’t even know how many years ago, when I missed Thanksgiving, Sierra’s birthday, and all eight nights of Hanukkah.

As did Lauren, we missed them all because I had been asked to be a speaker on a Mac Mania cruise.

And man, they should still do that.

But it was a riverboat cruise through France and was covering all of those events.

It helps that my birthday was on Thanksgiving that year.

So missing one meant I had to miss the other.

And Hanukkah started on my birthday and Sierra’s birthday is seven or eight days after mine.

So it all worked out where I got to miss all of those things.

And everybody was fine with it because the kids got to stay with grandma.

So they’re very excited about that, whatever.

It was all totally fine.

But that was the only time I’ve not been with one of my kids on their birthday.

I’ve missed one of my birthdays with my kids.

There was one time I was on a work trip, I think to Seattle, Washington on my birthday.

But other than that, I’ve always been home with my kids for their birthdays or traveling with my kids for their birthdays.

And let’s see.

Today is Ani’s 17th birthday, but Ani’s not here.

Ani’s in New York City.

Ani does a special high school program where all the kids get to, you know, some of the kids go to Manhattan and film a movie for several days.

And then there’s a big screening thing and then there’s a big award ceremony.

And so Ani is one of two juniors involved with that and is thus away for the birthday, which is crazy.

We’ve texted, we have not yet FaceTimed or even spoken on the phone.

I don’t know how or if we will.

I mean, I know how it would work if we did, but I don’t know.

All the kids are very busy there.

So we’ll see.

So that’s weird to be away from your kid on their birthday.

It’s odd.

Anyway, there’s that.

But separately and unrelatedly, I went to the bagel store today and, um, bagel world, great bagel store, a great, great, delicious, incredible bagels, perfectly made New Jersey bagels, as everybody knows are the best bagels in the world.

And, uh, I go into the bagel store and everything is weird.

Almost from moment one, there is one other customer who looks like she could work there based on her outfit and how she was kind of walking around.

Like she owned the place a little bit.

She was on her cell phone and she was clearly not at the counter.

And I go up to the counter and the woman behind the counter says, fine.

Thanks.

And you know, I didn’t miss any part of the conversation.

I didn’t say, Hey, how are you?

As I walked up, I simply walked up and then she said, fine.

Thanks.

How are you?

And, uh, it was very weird because now I couldn’t ask how she was because she was implying I already had.

Uh, I actually believe in retrospect that she realized I hadn’t asked her this and that she was overhearing bits and pieces of the woman’s phone conversation and responding to that.

Like hearing that voice before she looked up, linking it to me and then seeing me like, I don’t know.

I think something like that happened, but it was very awkward.

I ordered my two bagels.

It takes for free an hour.

Uh, and while I’m the two bagels were not for me.

Okay.

I have house guests.

Um, one bagel was for me.

Uh, but so anyway, um, the woman who’s been pacing around then has food, you know, ready for her.

So clearly she is a customer and they’re handing her the food.

She says, thank you.

But she’s still on the phone.

She’s pacing back and forth using her AirPods on what seems to be a pretty serious conversation.

Uh, and then, um, but isn’t leaving, like has her food and isn’t leaving.

Uh, she ends her call and I’m still waiting for my bagels.

And she comes back up to the front.

She’s like, I’m so sorry.

I forgot to ask her meeting the other person by the counter for salt and pepper.

Could you please add salt and pepper to this bagel?

So they unwrap the bagel, add salt and pepper.

I’m also going to steal a hot chocolate while I’m here.

And I’m wondering, does she, cause it’s a, a customer accessible hot chocolate machine.

And I’m like, when you say you’re going to steal it, do you mean you’re actually going to just take it and not pay for it?

And then of course she’s like, can you ring me up for this?

And they do, but it was all very odd.

The way she approached it was odd.

The way she was interacting with the fact that she was doing a loud personal conversation in a very small bagel shop.

Like this is not a kind of thing where you sit and eat.

This is like, maybe a maximum of eight customers can be in there at a time.

Having a private conversation on your cell phone in the presence of everybody is weird.

Uh, she leaves, I get my bagels.

Uh, but maybe the most exciting thing about bagel world, besides how delicious the bagels are, is that for years it was a cash only establishment, but now they also take Apple Bay without an additional credit card fee.

So way to go bagel world.

You’re the best.

Enjoy the rest of your Thursday.

Happy birthday to Ani.

If you happen to be Ani, who you probably aren’t because Ani doesn’t listen to this podcast.

Lex.