Forty years ago today, The Mastandreas crowded around the heatpipe at castle 1526 (no doubt sipping coffee and eating thawed Baby Watson Cheesecake) to celebrate the arrival....of a very large head...and that very large was attached to the tiny infant frame of our our beloved Dr. Sfingi. So we down at Spumoni Gardens send our warmest birthday wishes to Berea Rose on John's Big 4-0. So on this important day, I was reflecting on the inevitable march of time (just 11 days till Frylock hits the Big 3-0) and the curious and amusing way history repeats itself. For example, 35 years ago, Uncle Vito would be sitting on the couch with a glass of wine watching the baseball game while his two baby-genius sons raced back and forth like a pair of wild tornadoes. Sound hauntingly familiar? All thats missing is a 19" monitor and DSL. Or how myself, at 29 had enormous trouble coping this holiday season with having a non-revolving christmas tree...it felt so inherently wrong....almost disrespectful. Thirty years from now, will I own 50 pairs of sneakers and a stereo system that holds 6,000 CDs? Facing 30 has been a bit tough, I'm forced to evaluate once again what I have and have not done in my life...and realize my biggest accomplishment is finishing the one pound burger at "Cheeseburgers and More". In our prior generation, at thirty years old you were expected to be halfway to your pension, own your home and have all three kids in catholic school....and I'm planning on spending my 30th birthday by inviting all my friends and family to a rollerskating rink (!) But the question remains: is it bad? Is it bad that we're staying younger longer? It can't be...and just know that our kids will be staying younger even longer...so if kids leave home now at 25, our kids will be staying till 35...and I think thats just fine. History will continue to repeat and repeat...mark my words: in the next decade John-Paul, Mojo and Ellexa will be throwing a frisbee around the front yard doused in lighter fluid and set on fire.....you know to see it better. Anyway, I can go on yapping about this forever but duty calls. So once again Happy 40th birthday, Johnny-cat!!!