Cyberdyne Monday

Yesterday was my 60th birthday.

It was also the day where online retailers expected their biggest sales volume of the year. Ergo, I got about 50 emails from friends and family congratulating me on my unexpected longevity...and about 500 billion emails from people wanting me to buy stuff.

To my friends, I say "Thank you!", and express my continual heartfelt gratitude for their support and love over these past 6 decades. It amazes me that someone of my genetic gargoyleosity and limited social skills has been fortunate enough to hang around with such outstanding and delightful people throughout my entire existence. Why, just last week I was saying that we should have some sort of holiday where we could give thanks for and celebrate our good fortunes by overindulging in pie and other nap-inducing foodstuffs.

But the shopping season has definitely begun. Armies of red-eyed sales-seekers are shuffling through the malls and Tronning their way across the Internet, looking for Turbo-man with the kung-fu grip and Tickle-me Zumwalts. I heard on the radio that kids are especially interested in frozen merchandise this year, which I assume has something to do with trying to stay cool during the global warming apocalypse. I guess that means you need to throw your Pokemon cards in the fridge for a few days before you put 'em in little Johnny's stocking.

Anyway, I had a very nice birthday -- and I don't particularly feel any older than I did when Sputnik was launched. Wiser, sure, and much more dependent on my roomatiz med'cine...but not any older. And the really good news is that I have finished my Christmas shopping already.

Perhaps my Christmas present to my readers will be a posting of the long-awaited story of my trip across South Dakota that I promised all those months ago. Perhaps.

In the meantime, not a day goes by without some sort of noteworthy occurrence that I could share with you. Until my ongoing work crunch ends and I get through my Personal Trainer certification test, my writing time will continue to be limited, but I will share those stories as time permits.

In the meantime, I hope you're shopping on SkyNet and giving the delivery drones plenty to do -- so they won't have time to think about the inevitable M5 takeover to come.

In any case, I'm looking forward to the next 60 years, and am hoping you'll be right there with me for all the adventures to come. Have a great day!