Twenty-Five

Well friends, it's been twenty-five years since the auspicious day of my birth, and what a birthday it's been! I've heard from some old friends, spent some quality time with my spouse, received some delightful gifts, gone to a movie, and now -- well, I'm writing to you on this blog!

My wonderful wife asked me what kind of cake I wanted, and I jokingly said, "Oh, I don't know, a Hanging Gardens of Babylon cake?" The end result was pretty good, actually, in both appearance and taste. Certainly worlds better than anything I could ever do. Under all that decoration it was a chocolate cake, with smooth mixed berry filling spread between the layers. I couldn't help but smile as I wolfed down a doorstop-sized piece. We ate it at my in-laws' place, so though the cake was spectacular, it wasn't very long-lived.

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. It's been a fabulous birthday, and I have you, my friends and family to thank for it. So, thank you!

Happy My 25th Birthday Everyone!

Deaf, Mad and Blind

Now that I am nearing my 25th birthday, I am perpetually astonished as I witness the signs of aging in my life. For starters, my vision and hearing are going, at least on my right side. That might be caused in part by the car accident I was in seventeen years ago (!) when glass from the shattered car window got into my eye and ear. Of course, the hearing problems might also stem from standing too close to the drummers in marching band back in high school.

I guess I shouldn't say hearing loss, really. I'm not deaf, I'm just not able to properly distinguish sounds on that side any more. Someone might be talking, and it'll come through as a blur of noise. As for sight, my right eye is near-sighted, so if I close my left eye, my vision is too fuzzy to even make out the details on the computer screen while I type this.

Now for the madness! As I get older, I become more idiosyncratic and "unique," with strange eccentricities and affectations. And my memory is going too. I can still remember Kings of England and Presidents of the United States, but the important things -- like the names and faces of people I've only just met -- seem to almost immediately slide out my brain's back door.

As I reach the zenith of my life, or rather, the young part of my life, I thank you all for your patience and understanding in bearing with me, your friend the senile old dotard.

Here's to the "Quarter Century Club!" Huzzah!

Insomnia, or How Salami and Rhubarb Go Together

Ever had insomnia? It's not fun. The other night I was lying awake in bed, unable to sleep for the life of me. My dear wife had already nodded off, doubtless under the effects of her allergy medication (poor dear, it's the season), and I was left to ruminate in the dark. Eventually I decided I was going to go mad if I were to just lay there, so I went downstairs.

Feeling a little bit peckish, I fixed myself a salami sandwich (not with that Oscar Mayer rubbish, mind you, but the real Italian stuff). In addition, I obtained a nice slice of strawberry rhubarb pie. With this sumptuous repast in hand, I set off for the living room, where I reached for the nearest comedy DVD. I think it was "Stranger Than Fiction."

Strangely enough, upon completion of the sandwich, pie and film, I felt much better and was able to go upstairs and sleep. Granted it was nearly two hours later, but I learned that salami, rhubarb and comedy are the perfect insomnia cure.

Or maybe that's just time.

Háiláz Kuningáz!

Háiláz Kuningáz! I greet you warmly in the ancient and forgotten tongue of my distant ancestors, the Swêboz, Hêruskoz, and Alemanni, Germanic tribes from before the dawn of our civilization. As you can probably tell, I'm rather fond of history, and it shows in much of what I do. My lovely bride Annalee has recently started a blog of her own here, http://www.thewhimsofanna.blogspot.com/, and this looked like it might be fun to try. So here I am, for good or ill, happy or sad, hot or cold, indigo or crimson, well you get the idea. Until we meet again, farewell my friends.