It's my birthday, yo.

And this is what I look like today.Not much has changed except the additional padding and gray hairs, which you can't see thanks to Miss Clairol. I tried to do some eye makeup today for a glamour shot, but my left eye decided to be all sensitive and teary, so all my efforts were washed away. Hence, the not-so-close-up photo that makes me look cross-eyed in the sun, with my ghetto-fabulous work neighborhood in the background, as seen from P4 parking. But it's a lovely day today, as it always is on my birthday.

Just want to give a few Shout Outs:
Thank you, Mom, for not being satisfied with just one daughter and trying again. Thanks for teaching me to be crafty. Thank you for the sacrifices you made to keep us safe and sound and for everything you've done to get me this far in life. You're a keeper, Joanie.
Thank you, Dad, for the sense of humor you instilled and for my knowledge of tools and home repairs. Because of you I've been able to impress the shit out of several men with my ability to do basic electrical work. Sorry about all those folding rulers I ruined.
Thank you, Kate, for sharing a room with me all those years, for waking up to turn the bathroom light on because I was afraid of the dark and for talking me through the nightmares. You're my hero.
Thank you, Roy Sr, for being my rock through the hard times (you know what you did) and for having the infinite patience to teach me how to drive a stick. You succeeded where others failed.
Thank you to all my siblings and my best friend Joann for having beautiful children and making me an aunt many times over, thereby alleviating the pressure for my own procreation, which, let's be honest, is never going to happen.

And a very special thanks to all of my friends, both personal and Internet-based, who enrich my life in so many ways.