Oh, wow... thank you guys so much for your warm wishes. They mean a lot to me.
Two brief asides:
jekylljuice: Well, the love of retro and yesteryear is what I was raised on. One of my earliest memories is listening to a 45 LP (I think that's it... it's the smaller vinyl record) at home, back in southwest Ohio.
pitbullady: And thank from the land of... mosquitoes, unending snow and akutaq! (ah-goo-tuck: a mixture of seal oil, berries and sugar; white fish optional. AKA Eskimo ice cream.) You're right-- not many Alaskans have eaten shrimp and grits. (And, in all honesty, I don't see them in my immediate future-- grits fans my parents are not!)
My birthday was quite satisfying-- I had a lasagna and sugar cream pie for my birthday dinner, and I got some very nice gifts: a pair of sapphire earrings, some drawing supplies, the soundtrack to
Memoirs of a Geisha and a few other things.
But one of the most meaningful things was an email from my friend Elizabeth. I'd written her a very emotional, self-drepreciating email the night before, and she wrote back and with a few very well chosen words managed to not only make me feel a lot better, but
cry-- tears streaming down my face cry. I owe her more than a lot; I owe her pretty much everything.
But in all, a very satisfying birthday.
Thank you all so much again!