A Very Happy Birthday to Me

I just wanted to express what a good day it has been! Today I am 45 years old, and it has been a darn good day! First, I got to go to work on my birthday, not a big deal. I am thankful for my job and my career. Patti was lucky enough to get her birthday off for most of her life, being born the day after Christmas. I however was born in the beginning of November, so I get a birthday off about every 7 or 8 years. I don't know the math, but it works out about like that.

November 6th 1963. John F. Kennedy was in the last few days of his presidency before his assasination 16 days later. The song "Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs was #1 on the charts. U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam war was still a couple of years down the road. I was born at Irwin Army Medical Center, in Ft. Riley Kansas a little after 10pm.

It has been a good 45 years, and a lot of water has definately gone under the bridge Since then.

Today Patti gave me a cake to take to work and share with the people I work with. It had decorations from the movie Madagascar... Well it was cute. She also ordered a bunch of ballons for me with some healthy treats (and mm's). While I was at work I got a call from my dad and he sang "Happy Birthday," I usually don't take calls during instruction time, but when dad calls I answer. It was great... I at least didn't try to hang up on him saying "he talks to much," like Sam did last month. Ha ha.

When I got home Mom and Corky took us to dinner at the "Counrty Store" restaurant at the Flying J truckstop here in town. After dinner we went home for cake. Patti had another cake for me (chocolate), to have with Mom and Corky. Here is a picture of what is left of it.

During instruction time today I got another call, only this time it wasn't dad, it was mom. On their 30th aniversary (Oct 30th) Corky and Mom went to Silver City for Mom to get a CT scan. This was to see how her chemotherapy has been going. She had surgery to remove a tumor on Mother's day this year, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Well today she got the news that her CT scan found no trace of cancer. It has been a rough six months for her, but today makes all of that worth it. I could think of no better birthday gift in the world! I have plenty to be thankful for!

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1963: Headlines... Alabama Governor George Wallace vows "segregation now, segregation forever" in his inaugural speech. Alcatraz prison, off San Francisco CA, closes its doors. U.S. nuclear sub Thresher, with crew of 129, lost in Atlantic. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama during a desegregation drive, and Birmingham, Alabama police turn dogs & fire hoses on Civil Rights protesters. Astronaut Gordon Cooper completes 22.5 orbits of the earth aboard Faith-7, the last mission of NASA's Project Mercury. Alabama Governor George Wallace blocks entrance of state university to African-American students. He later backs down in the face of National Guard troops called in by President Kennedy. U.S. "Zone Improvement Plan" or ZIP codes are initiated. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech before a crowd of over 200,000 gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.. A Washington-to-Moscow "hotline" goes into effect, with an eye toward cooling Cold War tensions. Racist bombing in Birmingham, Alabama kills 4 little girls at the 16th Street Baptist Church.

New on TV was; Doctor Who, The Fugitive, General Hospital, Wild Kingdom, My FavoriteMartian, The OuterLimits, and PetticoatJunction.

At the movies was; The Birds, Bye Bye Birdie, Cleopatra, The Great Escape, The Haunting, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, From Russia With Love, Jason and the Argonauts, and The Nutty Professor

In baseball the Los Angeles Dodgers sweep the New York Yankees 4-0 to take the World Series. In football AFL Champs: San Diego, NFL Champs: Chicago, the Dallas Texans become Kansas City Chiefs, the N.Y. Titans become the N.Y. Jets and the Pro Football Hall of Fame is dedicated in Canton, OH. In Boxing 1963 World Heavyweight Champ: Charles "Sonny" Liston, who defeated Floyd Patterson in July 22nd of '63 to retain World Heavyweight crown. Liston would remain champ until February 25th, 1964 when he would be bested by Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali).