41 Laps Around Sol

I'm not generally excited by birthdays, but I have to admit that today was a pretty good one. I received well wishes from family and friends, Sylvia surprised me with a beautiful boxed set of the Harry Potter books, my colleagues at work surprised me (literally surprised me by using a clever ploy to lure me to the main meeting room) with cake and said nice things about me behind my back (reported to my face later), and Sylvia and I finally managed to see Avatar, a stunning technical achievement with a darn good story too, damn the naysayers.

I try to be self-sufficient, but every once in a while it's nice to know that  you're loved and appreciated by the people in your life. Thanks very much, everyone.