Last night, I celebrated my birthday with Chris and five good friends at Banc in Murray Hill. A friend who came initially gave me a hard time about the place I chose, but I insisted that my only criteria were a) guaranteed table where everyone had a seat and b) reasonably priced drinks. Our group will create its own ambiance, and I didn’t need a super swanky place to have a good time.

It was a really fun night, and a night where I could actually say that everyone seemed to get along despite coming from different parts of my life, and it made me really happy to see it. All night, all I could think was how grateful I was to have these people in my life, after all these years and after all the drama that we’ve been through together. I’m happy that I can speak loudly, laugh hysterically, swear, hate on women (and men), and do whatever it is that I do, and still at the end of the day, be loved by all these people. I’m a really lucky person.