Thursday, July 23, 2009

Happy birthday to me.


I'm fifty-seven today. If live to be fifty-eight, I'll be defying expectations. Of course, folks often live longer than they expect. My father expected to be shot by a jealous husband before he was forty. He wasn't, though it was not for lack of jealous husbands, nor for lack of justification.

Actually, there have been times in my life when I didn't expect to live a whole lot longer. The early Seventies, when I was serving the great Satan of communism, was one such time. And Bob Wright and I still marvel at how we made it out of the Nineties intact.

Yet, here we are again. You know, if I'd thought I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.

Oh, well. I have a doctor's appointment at one. But whether I succumb to natural causes or a rogue federal bullet is still even money.

So, happy birthday to me. I think I'll skip the cake.

Mike
III

35 comments:

Andy said...

Happy Birthday Mike! May you have many more.

christopherstock said...

Happy birthday to you indeed, and I'll raise a glass to you later.

We share the odds on what will remove us from the planet first.

Congrats, and I join you next month with my own. How in the hell did we survive the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's?

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! And have a happy birthday & a beer. And I even give you permission to have a piece of cake.

Live long and prosper.

B Woodman
III

rexxhead said...

57 ?? You mean like in 'Heinz' ?

Hey, everybody! The guy who runs this place is a kid !!

The only saving grace is that he doesn't type "LOL" and "TTFN" and insist we all be his "BFF"s...

Anyway, HB2U, Mike ;-)

Crustyrusty said...

Happy Birthday, Mike.

I'll hoist a Sam Adams for ye tonight.

I too wonder how some of us made it as long as we have.

Crusty

III

Atlas Shrug said...

Congratulations and Salutations from another part of the Olde South.

Give yourself a few minutes on this day, as it is truly the only day that is Yours. Perhaps all you can do is set aside those few minutes, but at least do that.

FWIW, I'm finally carving out the time to watch Valkyrie today. I reckon that will do as my present to you!

Keep your powder dry,

Atlas Shrug

Matt said...

If you're going to skip the cake, I'll take your slice, since I'm young enough that I can run it off. Happy birthday!

ScottJ said...

Happy Birthday.

Hearing birthdays in the late 50's still gives me pause since my dad passed back in 1999 at the age of 58. If I make it that far that will be a wierd few years for me.

As for marveling at your survivial I've been experiencing just the opposite.

I so regret waiting until 37 to become a parent because I now realize I'll be lucky to see 57 before dying in the resistance. The thought of leaving my kids behind saddens me the most.

Moe Death said...

Happy Birthday, Mike... now get back to work on Absolved!
Bill
III

idahobob said...

Happy Birthday Mike!!

Yeah, the question how any of us survived the 60's, 70's, 80s and 90's is a question that has confounded many a mind.

I have always figured that any time past the age of 30 has been gravy for me, and that was a long time ago!!!

May God, richly bless and keep you,

Bob
III

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Mike! Thanks for all you do.

PolyKahr said...

Happy birthday, and take good care of yourself from now on. We need you.

Best Wishes,
PolyKahr

arpjoe said...

You may have been placed on the alarm list but you can still be a dangerous old man.

James A. Zachary Jr. said...

Well I'll be durned. I'm only around a week younger than you are. Happy Birthday, Mike. Take care.

Mike H said...

I'm 60 in October, divorce is looming and there are many women waiting' Never give up!!!

Anonymous said...

Mike,

Happy B-day. Your blog is a recent discovery for me and an important one that all should read. You NEED to take care of yourself and be around for a long time yet. This fight may take awhile and you are an integral part of it.

Mjolnir said...

Happy Birthday Mike!

shiloh1862 said...

Happy B-day Mike!

Pickdog

III

Parrothead Jeff said...

Happy birthday, Mike!!!
Seriously, congrats on making it this far and we hope to have you around for a whole lot longer.
Have a great 57th birthday!

Mike Foster said...

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Wishing you all the best.

chris horton said...

No skipping till the foot's healed!

Have a happy one,bro!

CIII

armed_and_christian said...

Happy Birthday, Mike! It's my mom's birthday, too.

J.R.
III

straightarrow said...

hb

Phelps said...

I'm sitting in the pub as I read this, and the next pint is for you. I wish you were with me to have one yourself.

I've decided on a Belhaven Scottish Ale, in the scotts-Irish tradition. I hope you approve.

III

Loneviking said...

Happy Birthday, Mike. May there be many more in your future and may the thought of those birthdays give you the impetus to finish Absolved!

Concerned American said...

Here's a birthday wish -- may you take all the time YOU need to get feeling better, and everything else go hang.

Congrats on another successful edition of "Beat the Reaper".

;-)

Weaver said...

Happy Birthday Mike.
Interesting that we share the same birthday. My first daughter was also born on this day on my 20th birthday

Weaver

the texan said...

Happy Birthday Mike!

ParaPacem said...

whippersnapper! Ah, well... Happy Birthday anyway. Good health to you and many blessings.
Ted Kennedy will kill off three bottles of Wild Irish Rose in your honor tonight. What the hell, he does it every night anyway, but still.....

Happy D said...

Happy Birthday from Utah, Mike!
Sorry I am a day late. I knew I should have checked here in the morning.

David Codrea said...

Whippersnapper!

Gotcha beat by over two months!

Sean said...

Sorry I'm late, but Happy Birthday, whippersnapper, I'll be 59 in Nov. And remember, it ain't the years, it's the mileage...........

Shy Wolf said...

Happy Birthday, Mike. God bless and keep you on the right track defending this great country He has allowed us.
Shy III

skybill said...

Happy B'day, blue skys and many more.

whatwas said...

Happy birthday.
I'm sad to hear about your father but in general 58 is not that old.
Take a look here:
http://www.whatwasdone.com/Age.php?&Age=58
I wish you many more happy years :-)