Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes. In addition to all of your much-appreciated posts, my inbox was full of e-cards and personal notes, and my voice-mail held some truly memorable messages. My favorite was from fellow Exec Producer and writer Carl Binder who I kind of raked over the coals last week as he prepared to head back to California for a month, strongly suggesting his presumed trip home was just a clever ploy to make me think he was leaving so that he could surprise me on my birthday. Well, this morning, I received the following voicemail message from him:
“Hey, Joe it’s Carl calling. I’m, uh, here at the office wondering where you are. I just wanted to wish you happy birthday and so I thought I’d come in and surprise you but you’re not here. So, um, I guess I’ll just head back to the airport and fly back home. Anyway, hope you’re having a great day. See ya. Bye.”
As a matter of fact, I am having a good day. The dogs, perhaps sensing its significance, didn’t wake me up at 8:00 a.m. sharp and actually allowed me to sleep in until 9:15 a.m. I worked out, had my shake, worked a little on my super, secret project (I have three full pages that I’ll no doubt rewrite ad nauseum between now and then), enjoyed a leisurely dim sum, gave some thought to the SGA movie and the horror movie pitch (I need a title!) and read. Tonight, Fondy and I are headed to (where else?) Fuel for an extra special birthday dinner.
Oh, for those of you interested (which, I assume, is all of you), on this day in history:
1311: Council of Vienne (15th ecumenical council) opens. It eventually withdraws papal support from the Knights Templar, the mime guilds, and a local hosiery wholesaler notorious for its ill-fitting tights.
1427: George-Louis Hevin invents the library fine.
1513: Explorer Ookie Bumgarden, correctly assuming no one will ever name anything after him, officially changes his name Ferdinand Magellan
1741: Ludovico Morretti invents the bicycle, parks it in a sketchy neighborhood, and has it stolen. Fifty years later, some guy in France invents the bicycle. He also invents the bike lock, thereby securing his place in history.
1793: Marie Antoinette beheaded in France.
1824: First murder on record in which a pince nez is used as a murder weapon.
1861: Confederacy starts selling postage stamps. Their initial line includes the very popular Young and Old Alexander Stephens collector stamps.
1867: Alaska adopts the Gregorian calendar. Before then, Alaskans would have to check with their southern neighbors to find out what day it was.
1869: Hotel in Boston becomes the first to have indoor plumbing.
1985: Intel introduces the 16 MHz 80386 processor.
1992: After decades of hard work in self-imposed isolation, industrious members of a Luddite colony invent liquid paper, the Frisbee, and Velcro, only to discover they’ve already been invented.
2008: Madonna and Guy Ritchie announce their divorce. I ask you: If someone like Madonna can’t make her marriage work, what hope is there for any of us?
I’ve always been fascinated by the different ways the same holidays are observed all over the world. So, out of curiosity, how are those of you in Europe, Australia, and South America celebrating my birthday? Let me know.
Well, that’s it. I’m off to get ready for dinner. Pictures tomorrow and, if you’re nice, some of the behind-the-scenes snaps I’ve been sitting on and saving for a special occasion.
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