Happy Freakin' Birthday

Happy Freakin' Birthday!

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 8th, I eat my 4[inaudible mumbling]th birthday cake. OK, truth be told, it's my six hundredth birthday cake; however, I've been entitled to only 4[inaudible mumbling].

Of course, this Charm City Cake is the second most expensive of my life (my wedding cake was first). This baby could've been a dinner for four at the Prime Rib or dinner for eight at Thai Landing, where we will celebrate tonight.

Birthday gifts this year were a fabulous Olympus digital tape recorder (thank you, Beth), which I used to record my interviews at the cake place; a pair of jeans from a store for elderly stylish women, a Thai dinner, and some moolah from my folks (thank you, folks); and the promise of dinner at The Prime Rib followed by "King Lear" at Center Stage (thank you, darling husband!). My dear friend, Moonie, sent me a package she made me promise not to open until tomorrow, so it's sitting here tempting me.

And since it's Rosh Hashanah, and this fall is full of fresh starts, I just want to say thank you to all who come here and read and say sweet things. Your support has been a blessing so many times when I've been tempted to give up.

I also want to apologize to my husband for spending all his money, my daughter for not spending enough time, my dogs (especially Cleo, who's awfully stinky these days) for not rubbing them nearly enough, my body for feeding it too much sugar, and my daughter's goldfish, Goldie, who's almost three, for wishing it would go the way goldfish are supposed to go and for not changing its water or feeding it nearly often enough.

Happy freakin' birthday, Libra pals out there!

And a special mystical birthday wish to my dearly departed friend, Mark Harp. You would've loved this cake, Marky. I will toast to you tomorrow.