my oldest friend turns 21 today. hip hip hoorah! even tho she's too far away to hear. in my own small way i celebrated by drinking bourbon with my father and playing a cut-throat game of scrabble, my first in a while. i was taking it too seriously; i needed a break. really, this was no holds barred and the way we bluffed as much poker as scrabble. he played "nonquam" on a double, i countered with "zoom" on a triple. he put down "toxic" -- an hour later i made it into "toxicity" for another triple. i won by about 50. the sole accomplishment of an otherwise lazy day. that "toxicity" made me mighty pleased. i debased myself to every deity i could think of for that "ity". anyway, the point is, happy birthday, liz.