The I'm Now Old Edition

Last week's edition was light, so I'm making it up this week with a gigantic, super-sized TGIF...sorry [This week's quotes are brought to you courtesy of the funniest man who ever lived...Groucho Marx] Although it is generally known, I think it's about time to announce that I was born at a very early age Yes yes yes...it was birthday this week. I'm at one of those strange birthdays- 37. It's nothing really. It's not 40, it's not 30..it's not even 35 where you fall into a different demographic. It's 37. That's like being 4 and a half. I tell people I'm 37 and they yawn... I mean have you ever known anyone to be excited to turn 37? You can't find Happy 37th birthday cards at Hallmark. Still I'd rather be 37 than dead. The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing..if you can fake that, you've got it made I don't know what I've learned in my 37 years on Earth. I mean the first 5 are a haze so I don't remember. The next 10 were a blur too. So that leaves about 22 years. I hate to admit it, but I was drunk for about 4 of those, so that cuts it down to 18 years. Of those 18 you have to consider I was asleep for a third of the time so take 6 off that leaving me with 12 to work from. Now between the ages of say 22 and 26 I was an idiot...so that makes it 8 years. Now while it might seem even then I should have a good 8 years of wisdom in me you have to remember I grew up in the age of MTV...so really...I got nothin' Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me? If I had to confess one thing to you all it would be that I'm desperately, hopelessly, mind-numbingly afraid of death. Shakespeare was no fool, there is a pause in the contemplation of life and death and a definite dread of something after. I wish I could even think of an undiscovered country as hopeful, but I can't. So I generally avoid thinking about it. But then what good is that? To live life half ostrich-like, with my head buried in the sand? Is that even living? I don't know...these are the thoughts that sometimes keep me awake at night. Okay so sometimes I have thoughts about Jessica Alba and THOSE keep me awake at night too...but I seem somewhat resolved to those...for some reason.. Where was I? Oh yeah, the mortal coil. Well maybe there's your (well MY) answer right there...the yin and yang...death or Jessica Alba...truth or beauty. Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others But back to my birthday... Well before my bithday actually was Halloween. SO let's step in the Wayback Machine, Sherman...all of a few days to Monday... When I was a kid...for a while at least, I loved trick or treating. One year my brother and I dressed as Starsky and Hutch. I remember very clearly that we had a HUGE fight because we both wanted to be David Soul (Hutch)...my brother's twisted seven year old's logic was that he should be David Soul since HIS name was also David. I, being a much more mature 10 year old, believed that since I was taller, and Hutch was taller, I should be Hutch. In the end, he won because "you should just let your little brother go as Hutch so he won't cry". Really neither of us won because those were those old sweaty plastic masks with the rubber band that always broke about 3 hours into use and cracked when they fell off your face onto the ground... A few years later my parents decided that Halloween wasn't a great way for good Christian children to spend Satan's Hootenanny, so we sort of skipped Halloween for a time...hey it was the 70s man...life was different. I hold no ill will against them for their decision. Well okay that's because they decided to use Halloween night as the night they'd take me out and celebrate my birthday, so while other kids were getting a pack of Sweetarts and some gum, I was having a hamburger at Roy Rogers...it balanced out well for me. My brother kind of got screwed in the deal but then again he got to be Hutch that one year so... Well Halloween had pretty much passed me by when my parents decided that Halloween wasn't so bad after all. And I have to say that I never really got into it all that much. In my 20s when some of my friends were still dressing up and having fun with it, I just felt rather 'meh' to the whole notion. Luckily though I married my wife, who LOVES Halloween and costuming and the like so we've had some good Halloweens the last few years. This year being the absolute best one ever since I had my own child to share it with. Granted what does she know, she's 6 weeks old, but we dressed her up and headed into town to spend Halloween with Tim, Les, Quin and Leah... [As always, much apologies to those who have been spammed by some of these photos either on livejournal or via email...eh, it doesn't kill ya to see them again, does it?] They go all out over at the Snyder place... Heck we even let evil scientists (who haven't yet quite finished putting on their costume) feed the baby... I should take a moment to note, that Gracie's parrot outfit was NOT the only Halloween costume she had. Seems my little girl was in possession of several costumes so we present a Gracie Halloween Fashion Show First as Mummy's Little Pumpkin... As a little devil girl...(see Rach, I told you she was evil!) And as a little duckie... I've had a perfectly wonderful evening...but this wasn't it I haven't really had a lot of what I'd consider GREAT birthdays. There was THIS party, I think my 4th birthday (remember that falls in the 5 year 'hazy' period!) My parents tried to throw me a surprise party once, but the next door neighbor girl told me about it at the bus stop that morning...I did get a cool Star Wars Coloring Poster. My 21st Birthday was a bit uh...murky (thanks Dave and Scott!) My 30th Birthday I spent alone...in my apartment (sad no?) My 33rd Birthday I went out with this really really hot chick...mmmrow... Well pretty much all my birthdays have been solid since then! This year was no different, except that I have a gift that keeps on giving- my precious little pumpkin belly Ginny Grace. They took me out to the movies...and we saw "Doom" which is pretty close to the worst movie I've ever seen. Shell seemed to like it, but I think that was because there were explosions, and she got to see the Rock without his shirt (folks, she literally DROOLED, when that scene came on screen...*sigh*...I don't feel so bad about that Jessica Alba comment any longer) Of course Gracie loves going to the movies...and before any of you get that tsk tsk look, we've taken her to three movies and she hasn't uttered a sound in them...not a peep, so she's a very well-behaved patron...unlike her mommy with the drooling and the moaning "oh Rock you're so sexy"...sheesh, get a room lady. Anyway, as I was saying, Gracie loves the movies, especially with a comfy seat.. Ginny Grace has really learned to smile lately, she giggles, and coos, and her eyes light up and she's just a really happy baby most of the time... Except here where she's clearly telling us to "fight the power"... But when not making radical political statements she is quite jovial... I'm just so damned lucky...and to prove it to you...I give you a few more photos.. So I guess you could say...I had a pretty great birthday...cuz I'm the richest man in town... Now if I could only get some sleep...I wonder why I'm just so sleepy...hmm.... Until next week... I'll get you my pretties and your little dog too!!! Cheers