The big “zero” birthdays never bothered me much, but they do seem to cause refection on where I have been and where I am going. Aunt Cici turned the big 40 this year, and she told me she did not feel any different (no, I did not ask her). She said she feels the same as she did when she was 20. I let her know that she will still feel the same when she is 60. We learn and grow as people and may be doing different things, but we still have the same feelings.

As I get older, every birthday is a reminder that the time I have left is getting shorter and shorter. I have had to let some dreams go, but I also determine to focus on the things I still want to do. I know, you are probably thinking how morbid; but I just want to encourage you to not just dream, but to persue your dreams with a passion.

So, Happy Sixteenth Birthday! Grandpa and I hope it is a great year for you.

Love from us both!

I’ve had two birthdays so far that I felt were momentous: 40 – I felt like I was no longer faking it; I actually felt different, that I was a true grown-up.

Five months ago, I turned 70 – my Sweetie threw a HUGE all-day party for me and invited a boatload of people. We ate and drank, told stories and reminisced, small children running in and out, crawling beneath our legs, slamming screen doors and playing games with one another. Many of the people I love were able to be there as I put this glorious milestone behind me. Dunno, actually, but since comprehending that I made it — I made it — I’ve felt more at home in the Universe.

I firmly believe that questions like the two mentioned above are asked by people who aren’t actually thinking! Mean no harm, but, c’mon — most smart people can do a better job of connecting than that.

Happy birthday, G-Man. Delighted I could share it with you.

Although, I must admit, you get more awesome by the day.

Happy birthday, Bear!

au revoir.

Then, there’s the issue of plain, deliberate bad manners. I do not wish to watch anyone grab his or her genitalia, whatever their reason. Pants dragging the ground, the crotch of which parallels the wearers’ knees is UGLY, as are baseball caps on back- or sidewards. Additionally, one should wear a size XXXXL shirt only if he (or she) weighs 350-400 pounds.

Which brings us to your question: Is it possible for sound to be bad? Sound, like beauty, is in the ear of the beholder. That is to say, it depends upon what ‘baggage’ you carry. It doesn’t mean that Bieber OR rappers are bad persons; it means, perhaps, that they push our buttons.

I get it when a people are born with a big old broomstick up their collective asses–due, commonly, to some religious thing or other–but, if China is going to ban everything that recognizes Tibet as a sovereign nation, that includes the entire free world. They ought to stop invading other people’s countries and calling them their own. Tibet IS a sovereign nation.

And Singapore getting it’s shorts in a twist over Lesbianism? Puh-leeze. For several centuries it has been common knowledge that any kink anyone wants to indulge can be had on any corner of Singapore. Ask any sailor. Ask any tourist.

But then, we’re speaking of free speech, aren’t we? None of these countries dare permit personal freedom. The tyrants are soon dead or out of work when a human’s inalienable free will and civil rights is free to function.

Keep on slugging away at injustice, Video Games and otherwise. ~GK