on this day numerically i advance another year of life. aging, that relentless unstoppable force. i don't feel old per se (although the extra weight i put on during these winter months might make me reconsider that statement), it's just that everything around me seems younger and younger. the key is to not look old. that way, whenever i'm meeting new people, i always have a magic trick up my sleeve. "you're how old?" they asked incredulously when i tell them my real age. the day people stop thinking i'm younger than i look is the day i know i'm officially old.

my sister picked me up this morning to get some new glasses at 241 optical in harvard square where her friend michael works. i know nothing of fashion and am a creature of habit when it comes to my glasses. basically i just use them to see, and i prefer people noticing me first rather than my eyewear. i browsed around and ended up picking a frame almost identical to my current glasses. since everything in the store is 2-for-1, i went with a simple black plastic frame for my second pair. michael said they'd be finished around noon but i told him there was no hurry and i'd come back later in the afternoon to pick them up.

back at home i toasted a bagel for lunch while watching the start of another tuesday primary coverage on television. my mail-order seeds arrived: it came in a very official looking envelope, stamped with some USDA seal of approval usually reserved for livestock.

i went back to harvard square around 4pm but michael wasn't done with the glasses. i browsed a book store before he called me back in half an hour to let me know they were finally finished. he adjusted them for me and when i asked him how much, he said my sister came back earlier and already paid, courtesy of my mother as a birthday present. i walked back home in a new pair of glasses, seeing the world a little bit clearer.

how my family celebrate birthdays is with food. given a choice as to what i wanted to eat, i asked for some buffalo wings (i'm a simple man with simple tastes). my parents closed up shop a little early and came over to my place along with my sister. my father had been in NYC since monday and brought back a birthday cake from the new york chinatown. we watched the primary coverage on MSNBC, as barack obama won 3 more primaries for another tuesday night sweep. that's probably the best birthday present i could ask for, an obama nomination. and after tonight things look especially good. i heard his speech in wisconsin after the results. although it was a good speech, a lot of it was old stuff i've heard before. if he really is a rock star, i want to hear some new material! as for hillary, the prognostication is that she won't be able to beat obama in the number of total pledged votes by the time all the states have been counted. in the end, neither candidate will have a majority to win so it'll be up to the superdelegates. the clinton strategy is if they can be close enough to obama by then, they can get enough superdelegates to swing the numbers their way. the obama strategy is if he can win more states and has more pledged delegates as well as the lead in the popular vote, it'd be difficult for the superdelegates to vote against the consensus of the democratic majority. with 2000 and 2004 still fresh in people's minds, the democratic elite couldn't possibly consider stealing the election from one of their own. but all of this is pure speculation at this point, and anything said by the talking heads i take with a grain of salt.

i gave away that climbing cardinal climber to my father so he can train it in his grow setup. i was reluctant to see it go, having raised that plant from just a seed. the good news i still have plenty of other cardinal climbers, and now that my seed order has arrived, i can start growing some genuine cypress vines as well.