My birthday is Saturday. I’m sure that it will be a much more low key affair than it was last year, when I turned 30. 31 just isn’t as exciting.

I got to thinking about another birthday party I had, I think it was my 7th or 8th birthday. At that time, my parents, along with another couple, owned a small ice cream shop on Patricia Avenue in Dunedin, FL. If you ever went into Gee Whilikers (it might have been spelled G. Whillikers, I’m not sure) around 1983, or 1984, I was probably there. When you’re that age, having your birthday party in an ice cream store that your parents own is pretty darn cool. My parents gave us unlimited credit on the video games, which were Centipede, Tron, and Ms. Pac-Man. We had a coloring contest and ate a lot of ice cream.

The store was never a big hit, and it was a lot of work, so they sold it pretty soon after that. I’m happy I got at least one party there, and it’s probably why I still prefer ice cream cake on my birthday!