B minus 6 days, P minus 10 days

I’m less than a week away from being thirty-five. The actual birthdate’s November 5th, Guy Fawkes Day, but the party’s taking place on Saturday November 9th chez moi. So far, 44 people have said “yes” to the eVite (and more than those who respond always show), so it looks as if this may be the record-breaking party for this house.

You don’t have to bring a present if you’re attending the party, but if you must, you can check my Amazon wishlist to see what kind fo stuff I like. If you can help me stock the bar for the party – beer, wine, or liquor — it would be appreciated. If you’re a musician, feel free to bring an instrument!

For my birthday, I’ve decided to adopt some new expressions: “Do an old man a favour” and “Make an old man happy”. As in “Do an old man a favour and get me a beer, please?” or “Make an old man happy and have dinner with me, won’t you?”

I rather like the sound of that.

Lyric time!

It Was a Very Good Year

Music and lyrics by Ervin Drake

When I was seventeen,

It was a very good year

It was a very good year for small

town girls and soft summer nights.

We’d hide from the lights on the village green

When I was seventeen

When I was twenty-one,

It was a very good year

It was a very good year for city

girls who lived up the stairs

With all that perfumed hair and it came undone

When I was twenty-one

When I was thirty-five,

It was a very good year

It was a very good year for blue-blooded

girls of independent means

We’d ride in limousines,

their chauffeurs would drive

When I was thirty-five

But now the days are short,

I’m in the autumn of the year

And now I think of my life as vintage

wine from fine old kegs

From the brim to the dregs

It poured sweet and clear

It was a very good year

For you young whippersnappers who don’t know how this song goes, you can check out this Windows Media file. It’s the Robbie Williams/Frank Sinatra version, taken from Robbie’s album, Swing When You’re Winning.