got a new Meade 4504 telescope!

As you may be aware, I turned 39 two days ago. We just had a nice lunch with our family friends Jeff and Sheila at their house, and they gave me a brand new Meade 4504 telescope. It's certainly one of the best birthday presents I've gotten to date!

I've always been interested in astronomy since I was a kid. Of note is I used to actually have my own telescope. However, the parts had rusted or gone missing altogether. I had actually been wanting to buy a replacement for a while, but haven't really found the time to shop for a new one. It also doesn't help that most telescopes are pretty expensive these days.

Even though the Meade 4504 was manufactured over 20 years ago, this particular unit is in pristine condition. Sheila's late husband had bought it for her as she was also interested in space. However, she says the telescope was too complex for her, and her husband got sick and passed away before he had the chance to help her set it up. Sheila figured I might like it and decided to give it to us. I'll do my best to carry on his legacy and put the telescope to good use.

Of note is that this telescope has a lot more features than my old one. I guess I need to find some to study the manual. :D

Currently listening to: "Telescope" by Dan Eriksson

a busy 39th birthday

So this is the final year of my thirties. It's hard to believe how fast time goes. I guess it won't be too long before I'm considered "old."

In any case, things were a little different this year. I didn't do much for my birthday as I had a job interview lasting a total of almost four hours. However, that's not a problem because we had an impromptu early birthday celebration with our family friends Jeff and Sheila in September. We had invited them over for lunch at our house, and Sheila said it felt we were celebrating someone's birthday because they had brought a nice cake from Satura Cakes. Mom replied that my birthday is in October and that we might as well celebrate. It's funny how things work out after all.

On a related note, we're having lunch again with Jeff and Sheila in two days. It's going to be at their house this time. I should mention that Jeff also makes really good food. Looks like Mom has competition. :-)

Another highlight is we got to see the northern lights again. Although the aurora wasn't as intense as last time, this was my mom's first time seeing it in person. At least we won't have to spend thousands on a trip to Alaska or Iceland.

On the whole, this was a nice birthday even though I didn't do much otherwise.

October 11 update: I just received a copy of the official RuneScape cookbook from my cousin Cathy and her husband Andrew. It's something I truly appreciate. All I need to do now is to grind level 99 Cooking in real life. Haha.

October 12 update: We had a great lunch at Jeff and Sheila's house. To my surprise, they decided to give me a brand new Meade 4504 telescope. I truly didn't expect to receive a present like this. See the next post for details!

Currently reading: RuneScape: The Official Cookbook by Jarrett Melendez and Sandra Rosner