It was quite a busy week. I had the OTC (Offshore Technlogy Conference) last week, with all the standing, walking, glad-handing, and entertaining visiting VIPs that that entails. On Wednesday night, we went to the baseball game. (The Astros won, thank you very much.) As I was crawling into bed, totally exhausted, I for some unknown reason asked the Professor if he wanted me to take him to the game the next night --- since, gee, it was going to be his birthday. He thought that was a terrific idea.

On Thursday night, as we got to the stadium, it started pouring, and neither of us had an umbrella. We ran from the parking lot, but had to stop for a red light right before the stadium. I ducked under a tent for shelter, and it turned out to be a scalper's tent. Well, before I knew what I was doing, I bought two tickets on the 4th row behind the Cardinal's dugout. I would be embarrassed to tell you how much I spent for them; let's just say they were above face value. To give you an idea of how good the seats were, I'll mention that we were about 30 feet away from George and Barabara -- you know, that George and Barbara -- the former President and First Lady. It was amazing seeing the game from there. We saw what the batter sees. And of course I didn't have my camera with me. I am still kicking myself about that. The 'Stros won again; perhaps I am a good luck charm?

On Saturday I had the Professor's children and granchildren over to celebrate his 65th birthday. He told me if I made a big production of things, he would leave town, and since he left the country for his 60th birthday so I couldn't throw another surprise party like I did for his 50th, I knew he meant it. I had my mother come over, since she's known the Professor since he was 11, and Guppy, Stormii and the Little Angel, as L.A. and the Prof's youngest grandson have a really close relationship. I had to stiff everyone else.

(You know, a couple of years ago I did absolutely nothing for Prof's birthday, as he always requests. After dinner he started baking a cake, and as his kids called him, he told them he was baking his own birthday cake, since Gramma wouldn't do it for him!)

Anyway, I could hardly wait to get through dinner and dessert so he could open his presents. Long before I absent-mindedly invited him to a baseball game, I had ordered two light sabers. I'll let you decide if he liked them.


Even my 86 year old mother liked them!


The kids couldn't wait for it to get dark so they could really see the effects. We always have a lot of people walking by the house on the way to the dock, and they all had something to say -- mostly "I'm jealous!"