When I Do Count the Clock That Tells The Time

I'll be 52 in 5 days. I like to make relative big deals at 0 and 5 birthdays, so this one isn't much of a milestone for me. Still...on Thursday, I had plans to meet D1, her roomie Alyssa with fine boyfriend Freddy, and D2's boyfriend for a little happy hour at my watering hole, Trulucks. Through a series of coincidences, it turned out to be a surprise surprise party -- with a total of 15 friends. I had been with my old dear friend Mirta earlier, and invited her to come, and she told old friend Steve, and Vince had called Steve about a traffic ticket, and so on. It turned out to be a terrfic night. Mike the piano player insisted I take a tequilla shot, and that set me partialy hallucinating, as usual. I rarely drink tequila anymore. Some of the number repaired to the sushi place next door, where we ate raw fish and had great talk into the night. Wifey was upset with D1 for not being invited, but it just sort of happened. So now I'm birthday celebrated out. Now Dr. Barry has a big one coming --his 50th. Since Barry serves others and never himself, he was going to just blow it off. But Eric and I wouldn't hear of it -- at least we're making him go to dinner in Weston next Saturday. Mike, my age, turns 52 tomorrow, but his wife planned a Keys get together. We may drive down next Sunday to take part in that. Meanwhile, the summer crawls on. D2 is loving life in Spain -- this weekend it's Madrid, and then back to Valencia. Her 5 week semester is half over. I can't wait to fetch her at MIA, and then August 5th go to D1's graduation from "Gradual School." We named it that because it took 3 years to get the Masters instead of 2. She picked up her 3rd cap and gown the other day -- high school, college, and now she's becoming a Mistress. I'm one proud rockin daddy in the USA. Still, into each life some rain must fall, and today the rain will be a visit to my increasingly diffucult mother in law. Poor Wifey -- the woman has her at wits' end. Wifey never had homicidal ideations until recently. Luckily they're directed towards her mother, and not me. I have to notarize an affidavit that my in laws are still alive, so the German government pays their Holocaust pension for another year. It's a task I rather enjoy -- my tiny part in making those bastards pay for what they did. So I'll be 52, and this year for the first time, I'm an orphan. People come; people go.