Happy XXVIIIth Birthday Eric

Why thank you. I'm glad you remembered my birthday. I like to consider it my birthday weekend. I figure that it only comes once a year (unless your a dog) so why not make an occasion out of it. If Lincoln and Washington get a three-day weekend I don't think it is too much to ask for one myself. I also feel like I'm trying to make up for lost birthday time since I have a summer birthday and I never got to celebrate during the school year. All of the lucky kids had a mini-circus at school on their birthdays but the summer kids were lucky to get a high-five as they got on the bus when summer vacation started.

The birthday cake was also a big deal. When I was a kid the birthday cake was not just food it was like an elaborate resume. All of the things that I liked were somehow assembled on that cake. The older I got the more crowed the cake became. Had I wished to apply for a job at the age of eight I could have just taken my cake to the interview and not said another word. "Well Mr. Smith, this is quite impressive. We've been looking for a sales associate who likes soccer, G.I. Joes and Matchbox Cars. Is it okay if we pay you in ice cream sandwiches?"

At any rate, there is more birthday weekend left and I'm going to do my best to enjoy every bit of it. Now I've got to go feed a cat that I agreed to watch for the week. I hope that four-legged pathogen appreciates it.