E Pluribus Unum

That was the question baseball's immortal (and ageless) Satchel Paige asked the interviewer, turning the tables when he was asked to reveal his real age.

And since today is my birthday, I'll answer it: I feel like I'm 19. I guess I feel that way partly because the past 35 years (you do the math) have passed in a blur. It never ceases to amaze me that what seems like another age in the history books is just a couple of calendar pages in my own mind. I guess, like dpu says, "memory is the second thing to go."

Whatever it is, at this stage of my life I wake up every morning with a feeling of wonderment thinking, I can't wait to see what happens next.

(That's me in the middle, with my older sister and my mom. From the look on my face, it's apparently the first time I've ever seen a real cake -- and it was to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Click to see a larger image.)