Not a bad way to start off my 36th year -- got up early, revised and hopefully fixed a story that I'd been having trouble with for about two years now, was "interrupted" from my work by Drew, who came into my office and pointed at me and yelled "Daddy!" Then I opened up some snazzy gifts from Lizzie and Drew (Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf and a DVD of "Napoleon Dynamite: Like, the Best Special Edition Ever," along with the shirt I'm currently wearing that says "Shocks... Pegs... Lucky!" Okay -- that shirt is under my other shirt, but still).

And now I'm at work. On my birthday.

Ah, but Lizzie and Drew are meeting me for lunch, so do not dismay.

And tonight we're checking out a new Irish pub in our new neighborhood, one of the very few times we've eaten out in the past year. Not a bad way to turn 36! Later...