The View From Wisconsin

Well.

I am now Jack Benny's age.

Funny thing about birthdays: most people dread them as a sign of getting older. However, because of how my mom treated my birthday, I've always had this look of anticipation for today.

Of course, when doctors tell you you might not live to see your next birthday, as they did in her case, I would reckon that they're important reminders to you of how well off you have it.

I always like the little things about birthdays - the cards, the cake, the occasional gifts, the people who acknowledge that it's your birthday. Those are great.

Of course, not everyone gets with the program on your birthday. I mean, most people think of today as the day that Anwar Sadat was assassinated.

Or, at the very least, a day after my beloved hockey team took a dump on the ice... to the Blackhawks.

That's rule two of life: not everything turns out the way you want.