There is still no cure for the common birthday. ~ John Glenn

I turned 39 on Monday and unfortunately for my wife, I'm not a big fan of my birthday and therefore birthdays in general. It's unfortunate for her, because her birthday is around/on Thanksgiving. So not only is she married to someone who doesn't like birthdays, but her birthday is near a holiday and it tends to get lost in the shuffle. And unlike me, she like birthdays.

I'm a shy person and being the center of attention is the same feeling as being the waiter in a restaurant that drops a plate and then has the whole restaurant turn to stare. So even though it is family, I can't get rid of that feeling when everyone is standing around staring at me as they sing Happy Birthday.

Also after my parents divorced, my dad moved to Oklahoma City. I then spent the summers living, working and celebrating my birthdays with my dad. And through no fault of his, they weren't the greatest birthdays.

One summer he made a birthday cake and placed it into the oven to keep the cat from getting to it while we were at work. Well his 2nd wife decided to cook something and pre-heated the oven without first checking to see if there was anything in the oven. Somehow it became my dad's fault, which added to the tension that was generally already in the house because of my visit. So then I would feel guilty that he was receiving grief for something that he was doing for me (needless to say he is no longer married to his 2nd wife).

Another summer, I was working on my birthday, and the police came into the building that we were working on to ask if when had seen anyone with a gun run by. Someone had just been robbed at gun point outside. So I spent the rest of my day at work waiting to be shot (not sure why I would have been shot, but it being my birthday that is what was bound to happen).

And then there is always the fact that I'm am now 1 year older and the older I get the more time flies and the more it feels like there is less of it.