birthday's 54th iteration

I turned 54 yesterday. The day was marked by well-wishers over at Making Light and elsewhere. Thanks, all of you! I did mostly greasemonkey work at the office, but that's OK because I like being a greasemonkey (as long as I'm appreciated for it). After that, my wife and I wennt to my favorite Mexican restaurant, where I had lots of chips and salsa before my burrito magnifico showed up. Back home, we spent some time looking for my wife's house/car keys. Presents were later presented. Her parents had sent me the DVD set of Burn Notice's first season. Sue gave me the steampunk graphic novel The Five Fists of Science. Then we sat down and watched George Pal's wondeful 1964 movie 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.

"The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it. The way the sun goes down when you're tired, comes up when you want to be on the move. That's real magic. The way a leaf grows. The song of the birds. The way the desert looks at night, with the moon embracing it. Oh, my boy, that's... that's circus enough for anyone. Every time you watch a rainbow and feel wonder in your heart. Every time you pick up a handful of dust, and see not the dust, but a mystery, a marvel, there in your hand. Every time you stop and think, "I'm alive, and being alive is fantastic!" Every time such a thing happens, you're part of the Circus of Dr. Lao."