Que pasa?

I had a great birthday weekend. Marcie's gift was amazing, even though the Cubs lost. Just being at Wrigley feels like home. Rockford was a blast. We got to spend quite a bit of time with my family, and spent most of Sunday with the Bookers. They're awesome. We talked, caught up, golfed, and ate a lot. It had been awhile. It was certainly refreshing to be able to just hang out and spend time with some really close friends. It is a beautiful thing, to have friends who love us. We ate at Dos Reales in Champaign on the way home, and they sang happy birthday to me in Spanish and put a 10 pound sombrero on my head (I had no idea those things were so heavy). It was a great birthday. I always love to spend my birthday with the people I love, and there are so many of them...more than I realize. And to those who do it so well, thank you for loving me.

In other news, I started reading Franny and Zooey last night, and could hardly put it down. I read 93 pages in the first sitting. It's excellent. I really connect with Salinger as a writer for some reason. Maybe it's because he seems to be able to put all my character flaws and tendencies into his characters in a way that makes reading his stuff seem very familiar. Anyway, some of you know that the first time I read Catcher in the Rye, I shaved my beard. I don't know if something that drastic is pending for this one, but it sure is good.