Another Wake For Dr J

Well, the dreaded day came and went. Thank God it’s over. I won’t bore people by describing the events here, but for those who know what my birthdays are like, suffice it to say that it was pretty much as always, save for two differences: the surprise appearance of Anne (thanks, kiddo!), and the fact the night ended with me stone cold sober (unfortunately), despite Mr Robeis’ gesture of “30 years of Bushmills for The Good Doctor” (i.e., three shots of ten year-old single malt). As Anne learned firsthand, my birthday always seems more like a wake than a celebration, and this was no different. I wound of giving in on exiling myself totally, mainly because my maternal unit made it perfectly clear that she wanted us to ‘do something,’ which meant doing the same thing as always, except with fewer gifts and no cake. On that last clause: the fact of fewer gifts doesn’t bother me at all, and the absence of cake was at my request. And, as usual, most of my ‘friends’ – or people who ostensibly care about me, including many of whom who were insisting that I celebrate the day – were not to be heard from in any shape or form. Typical. In the end, I’m just glad it’s over and done with. Hell, even my horoscope predicted a two-star (out of five) day for me for the day. But thanks to those who did send good wishes (or more): Mom & Dad, Bruce & Yvonne, Marg & Dave, Gram, Anne, Catherine, Karen, Kim, Jere and Mr Robeis. And my gifts? Dinner, The Two Towers on DVD, a bookbag/carry case, forty dollars, two beers, and the three aforementioned whiskies. Yah.

For the record, from the newspaper, on being born on my date of manifestation: “You have the unique opportunity to make a difference this year. You have an unusually gentle manner that separates you from many. You have only good intentions, though sometimes someone misreads you. Responsibility weighs on you, often encouraging you to take another path. For some, there might be a change of residence. For others, a lifestyle transformation might be in the works. The good news is your flexibility. You enter a new life cycle in September that could be unusually lucky, but events and feelings often go to extremes. If you are single, you are likely to meet someone this fall who will knock your socks off. If you are attached, you will often find your partner to be difficult or perhaps overly energetic. Seek guidance from Leo.” Yeah, right.

All in all, pretty depressing. The best part is that I won’t have to go through this again for a whole year. Now that’s something to cheer about.