Tuesday, March 4, 2008

I am 38 Today.......Two More Years Before the Dreaded 4-0

It is a rainy day here in Roanoke, Va. So far, I haven't received any gifts yet, but I'm going to try to talk my mother into getting me a cd from Rusisan-American punk band Gogol Bordello. I feel as if I am still 14 years old, except Gogol Bordello wasn't around back in 1984_ which was the year I got a profanity-laced Eddie Murphy record for my birthday.
There have been some rather troubling things which have happened on my birthday before. My father Mehmet Gokbudak died very suddenly on my 13th birthday, and my first stepfather Ralph Wright died on my 26th birthday after complications from a heart attack.
But, I did start a new job in Woodstock, Va., on my 29th birthday, and my since deceased Turkish relatives made a surprise visit to see me on my 8th birthday back in 1978 when we were living in the Black Sea town of Eregli, Turkey. And, I had one pretty cool party on my 18th birthday in 1988. Some cute girls who were high school cheerleaders even came over to the house, but of course they brought their fill-in-the-blank boyfriends with them.
As it turns out, I share my birthday with actress and "SCTV" alumnus Catherine OHara, who played the mom in "Home Alone" and crime writer James Ellroy of "L.A. Confidential" fame.
I want to thank my friend Jack Payden-Travers who works with the ACLU of North Carolina for sending me an e-card earlier today.
I only wish I lived in a place like Lubbock, Tx, today, so I could finally get a vote in for this darn presidential candidate selection process.
Needless to say, as much as I admire the man's tenacity, I would NOT be voting for Mike Gravel. The long, long-shot Democratic who gets about a thousand votes per primary is amazingly enough still in the race!


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was just at AOL Journals and your BLOG caught my eye as updated.  Enjoyed the read except of course your politics are wrong!  HA!!!  I probably lean to the more conservative but feel anyone of the candidates will do as good a job as they possibly can.  Will keep the two restaurants in mind you listed.  Not much on Greek food, some Turkish i like.  Don't know any names, I just point and say I will try that.  I have spent time in Turkey and Greece when our Ships pulled in.  I really do love the country there.  Take care.  Jack

Anonymous said...

OH YES!  AND HAPPPPPY   BIRTHDAY YOUNG FELLOW!  Jack