Today was my 31^st birthday. I have no deep introspections to report, no profound musings on my maturational development or status in life. Just "Hey, everybody, I'm 31!". I didn't have a party today. We're having a shindig at our place tomorrow night (that is Thursday night- actually tonight I guess). By the way, you, yes you are invited! It won't be a big party, just family: My Mom, Ruth's parents, brother, and Aunt. The party will have a pirate theme. I suppose the Jolly-Roger flying from the mast of the Scout has been enough of a discussion item that piracy has become the thing lately. I must admit I am partial to ossified imagery. When I was little anything skeletal scared the stuffins out of me, but after I grew out of that, skeletons and bones have always just appealed to me. Pirates are cool, too! Captain Blood with Errol Flynn is one of my favorite movies.

I suppose I'll be getting some cool loot tomorrow night. I'm not much of a gift receiving person. I mean, I appreciate getting them, and I like to get neat stuff, but I am very hard to get gifts for because I usually can't think of anything I want someone to get me. If I want something, I either get it myself, or its too expensive to get or ask anyone to get me. Nobody is going to buy me a 12 G hard drive or a 24X/44X CD burner... I am really looking forward to seeing how the cake is going to turn out. Ruth is going to decorate it with a skull over crossed cutlasses. I know we'll all have a good time.

Isaiah is getting very big these days. He looks so cute when we dress him in a tiny t-shirt and jeans with his little ball cap on, but the other day when Ruth dressed him in a one piece romper like a toddler might wear he looked like a toddler! He's just under six months old, now. He has changed so much and so quickly since we first brought him home. It is challenging to me to remember him as a tiny new-born baby. Its so delightful to watch him develop a personality and motor skills. He has already learned some tricks. One evening I was drinking soda-pop and made the mistake, trying to be cute, of holding the glass to Isaiah's mouth like he was taking a drink. Well, he did! Now whenever he notices that I'm drinking something he reaches out to the glass to let me know he wants some of whatever it is.

Yesterday, Ruth's Mom's employer gave her free tickets to see the Cardinals play and gave them to us. Ruth and I (well, I, anyway) had a great time. Why is it that the same hotdogs I can buy at the grocery and cook myself taste so much better when I'm paying way too much for them at the ballpark? I had two of them and Ruth had one and we split a giant pretzel for dessert. The Cards lost, but we had as much fun watching people as we did the game anyway. The vendors are as funny as most of the crowd. Each one has their own distinctive yell. There was one funny looking one who was barely understandable as he shouted "bwu-lahhh..... bwu-lahhh". Another looked like Barry White. Imagine hearing in the deepest voice you've ever heard: "Peanuts! Oh, Baby, buy some of my sexy peanuts!" Then there was the militant guy, the only vendor that showed any hustle- "ICE. COLD. BUD. LIGHT...ICE. COLD. BUD. LIGHT..." My favorite, though, sounded like a peeping bird. "budlight budlight         budlight        budlightbudlight    budlightbudlightbudlight       budlight"

When we got home, I walked between the power pole in our front yard and the guy wire that supports it. I was rewarded for this action with a face full of spider web. Off the top of my head I can think of few things less pleasant than walking face-first through a big spider web. Why? Well, not only is it a really creepy sensation, but something made that web- and unless you can see it- it may be on you... Ruth did see it, though, and I was relieved. It was a big one! I took the picture of it holding a flashlight in one hand for illumination and my Mavica in the other. The neighbors were probably watching thinking "What is that goofy cat up to, now?" But anyone who knows me knows how much I care about things like that. The spider is probably about as big around as a quarter and he was doing his best to get away from the light so I was pretty pleased with how the picture turned out.

Happy Birthday to Me!