The Birthday That Might Have Been

Today would have been Mom's 83rd birthday. I'm still a bit shocked that just weeks ago we were discussing how to celebrate. Mom initially thought it would be nice to go to La Ronde. I wish it could have happened. 

But maybe she's celebrating with Dad. I'd like to believe that. 

Here's Mom in 1960, the year she turned 18. Looking beautiful, Mom, as always. 
 

Birthday Sean 2025

Today, Sean celebrates another birthday! Happy Birthday, little (but physically bigger) brother. 
 

Revolver

Another circuit around the sun. 
 

83

Dad would have turned 83 today, had pancreatic cancer not taken him away in 2018. Here he is at left with his father, William Woods, sometime in the late 1950s. 

Happy birthday, Dad. I hope you're flying something cool. 

 

Around the Sun Once More

Happy Birthday once again to Squishy McMonkey, my wee jellybean. 

Sean's Birthday 2024

It's Sean's birthday! Here we are in Leaf Rapids. He's older now, and no longer wears jumpers. Happy Birthday, younger brother!  
 

Happy 22nd, Superman

Superman's birthday falls on February 29. There have been 22 leap years since Superman's creation in 1938, which means Superman turns 22 today. (Maybe they're Kryptonian years?) Happy Birthday, Superman! 

To mark the occasion, here's a promo image director James Gunn released today to mark the start of principal photography for his 2025 Superman movie, which has been retitled from Superman: Legacy to simply Superman. As you might imagine, I'm very excited. 

Earl at 55 Outtakes

 

55 or 551?

For my 55th birthday, Bing showed me this vision of the future: a snapshot of my 551st birthday taken (or will be taken) on February 25, 2520. Sylvia and I will obviously really benefit from the nanotech revolution, and it was super nice of Superman and the Enterprise to fly by for the party. 
 

82

Dad would have been 82 today. Here's a nice photo of Dad in his natural environment by Mom. He loved the outdoors. 
 

Purple Vaze

Purple vaze, it's full of violet
Purple vaze, I think I'm gonna try it
Purple vaze, it's a very strange tea
'Scuse me, how did this get dyed? 


 

Bubbly Boucher Birthday

My wee creature turns [REDACTED] today! Happy Birthday, my sweet dove of delight. She wants steak tonight, and steak she shall have! 
 

Happy Birthday, Mom--2023 Edition

Sean, Sylvia, and I went out to visit Mom on Saturday to celebrate her birthday (a couple of days early, since her actual birthday is today). There's nothing quite like spending a beautiful sunny afternoon BBQing and chatting with the people you love. 

Happy Birthday, Mom! Thanks for having us over. The potato salad was amazing, and kudos to Sean for BBQing a perfect beer can chicken. 

 

Sean Circles the Sun Once More

Happy Birthday to my younger brother Sean! Here he is back in the 80s in our front yard in Leduc. 
 

Studio 54 Diffusion

A little earlier tonight, at 7:37 PM MT, I completed my 54th trip around Sol. I had a very pleasant day, visiting with Mom and Sean and Sylvia, enjoying a really glorious lunch of chicken, scalloped potatoes, and stuffing at Mom's place. She also prepared an ambrosia salad, which isn't normally my kind of thing, and I tried it and it was delicious. And last night, Sylvia's parents had us over for a lovely lasagna dinner. 

By the time Sylvia and I returned home, I felt rather spoiled, sated, and sleepy. But before heading to bed, I prompted Stable Diffusion to create an image of "Earl J. Woods celebrating his 54th birthday with family and friends." With a prompt that open ended, I probably shouldn't have been surprised by these results, and yet . . . 

I like to imagine that Stable Diffusion is pulling images of different iterations of me from across the multiverse. Sometimes I resemble the "me" me in those other universes, but in still others I'm Black, or Asian, or an Indigenous person, or a woman, or a different species altogether. It appears I even belong to superhero teams in a couple of universes. 

Well, happy birthday, everyone.