9:16 p.m. | 2003-08-26 My Days Of Being 38 Are Numbered. My birthday is on Saturday the 30th. I didn�t realize, until recently, that this weekend is Labor Day and, hence a 3-day weekend. I also failed to mention the actual date of my birthday to Lancelot until late last week. As a result of these oversights, everyone already has plans this weekend. Lancelot is going out-of-state, Bestest Girlfriend is doing homework (law school), Dearest Sister is working, and all my other various friends/relatives are going out of town and/or participating in other activities. A friend of mine asked me about my birthday celebration. Here�s that. (Friend:) What�d you have planned for your 39th celebration? (CI:) Well, as of the moment, I plan to take my dead father (his spirit, not his ashes) and my newspaper to brunch at a new place on Saturday. (Laughing.) That probably sounds little out of the ordinary for most folks, but stuff like that isn�t too unusual in our family. (Friend:) At least you have a sense of humor about it. (CI:) My birthday just kind of rolled up on me this year, but I think that�s actually more than I did last year. There are some local events though, so I might check out a couple of �em. It�s a good thing I know how to entertain myself, huh? What I really need to do is some unpacking, organizing and cleaning. And, I might just do some of that. Or, I might not. I give myself a �free pass� on my birthday weekend so I just do whatever I want to. Maybe I�ll curl up with some of those new books I bought right before I moved. I know I�ll definitely be getting some extra sleep. And, it looks like I might be doing a lot of laundry since the washer is still out-of-order. I might also wander over to the big celebration in Old Town. It�s historical in nature, and you know how I love history. Maybe I�ll drop in and see my favorite shopkeeper, Spin. Or, I might stay home and root around in my one of my history boxes. I could garden, go shopping (I�ve received a gift card from Eldest Sister and cash from StepMom), put together a picture package for Dearest Sister, or sit on the front porch and watch folks walk by. I certainly think I should have a mimosa or two. It�s great to have so many choices and some extra time. It�s even more fun when you have a �free pass� so you don�t have to do anything you don�t feel like doing. I must say that I�m just grateful that I�m not working and going to school on my birthday. I spent many, many years doing just that. I�ll take a lazy weekend over that shit any day. I went and picked up my pictures today. I didn�t even have to negotiate on the price; they just charged me the cheaper rate for next-day processing instead of the higher rate for one-hour photos. I�m still learning how to use this point and shoot camera I have. (I�m used to a manual 35mm camera with accessories.) I did pretty good overall. Only one shot with my finger in the frame. Frankly, I don�t know how that happens. My finger shouldn�t be anywhere near the lens. I must have some quirky, last minute posturing that I do or something. And, only one shot of something that doesn�t actually appear in the photo. I attempted to take a picture of a turtle sitting on a rock in the pond. I did take a picture of the rock � which has many other things on it � but there�s definitely no turtle in the shot. It�s either in the shadows or not in the frame at all. Dearest Sister won�t care though. Oddly, she enjoys my commentary on the backside more than the quality of the front side of my photos. See, we tend to embrace weirdness in our family. That�s a good thing too, since we�re all just a wee bit off the beaten path. Presuming, of course, that there is a path. your thoughts? seed flower