Birthday greetings

With thanks to folkmew for the reminder: Happy birthday to another friends-list member whose presence in this world makes my world that much more full of knowledge, humor and song, namely hrj. Words fail me to express my delight that you were born into the world on this day, and may you stick around in it for many more decades to come.

What's your favorite song of hers? Post it here. Mine's probably "Animal Liberationist in Our Lab," but I also love "Dead Languages" and "Laptop Unit."

Real Life Heroes #5, 6 give a young leukemia patient the private screening of a lifetime

Just when you think the whole human race is no damn good, with all its war and greed and hate and bigotry and pettiness and short-sightedness, along comes a newspaper article like this:
AJC.com: Superheroes save a boy's birthday

Which is by way of announcing that Christopher James, general manager and Sarah Martinez, assistant manager, and the whole rest of the staff of the Park 12 Cobb Stadium Cinemas in Marietta, GA are as of right frakkin' NOW the newest names on my list of Real Life Heroes™, people who show us the best in humanity in a time when we are all too often confronted with the worst. They gave a local boy stricken with leukemia a private screening of Spider-Man 3 at their multiplex, plus a tour behind the scenes and snacks, all at no charge.

A lot of theater managers might have simply said "no" to Dan Peterson's request, or kicked the request upstairs to an owner or the chain home office. Not these guys; they just went and did it. What an amazing, touching, giving thing for a business, for the people in it, and for the owners of the theater, Georgia Theatre Company, to let them do for this child—and his anxious father, desperately wanting to somehow give his boy Justin a special birthday, despite a weakened body and a faulty immune system that will not let him be around crowds.

Now excuse me while I go wash my face and blow my nose. And sometime this coming week, after Songbird gets back from her vacation tomorrow night, we are going to see the movie ourselves...at this theater, and no other. Giving them your business is worth the drive if you live anywhere in northern Georgia.