a fifty-something under-tall half-deaf school librarian in the jersey suburbs with two grown kids and time on her hands

Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.

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01-10-03

12:37 pm

**In 2 days I will be 50 years old**

It�s just past my lunchtime here at the high school, and I did it. I was starting to think that this was pretty weird, and that everyone would walk into the faculty room and see all the crap I put out there and just roll their eyes, but in fact, no. It was great.

As you can see, there were twinkies and hostess snacks galore, and scooter pies. There were little cups of ice cream with wooden spoons. There was milk with bosco, and ovaltine, and strawberry syrup. There was grape juice. The party hats were for decoration (nobody wore them) but everyone got a Dixie cup with a party blower, bubble gum, tootsie rolls, and a couple of other 1950s type candy. (I never had the time to order from oldtimecandy.com � I could have gotten wax lips there, too. But I was able to find enough locally to fill the cups.)

As the others walked in, one or two at a time, they looked around and were confused. And then they smiled. Every one of them smiled big and said �This is great!� They played with the blowers, blew bubbles with the gum, and drank grape juice and bosco. About half of the people there were in their forties and fifties, so they immediately got it that this was the kind of birthday party we all had when we were little.

Then, after about 20 minutes, my Chum and my Colleague came in with a great big sheet cake, and they even made sure that the decorations were purple. So then everyone had cake. First everyone in the room sang Happy Birthday and blew out their party blowers at the end. If there�s any left after the second lunch shift has at it, I�ll bring it home.

I just don�t get it when people get all bent out of shape over their birthdays. Being another year older means being another year still alive. Being 50 means you got all the way to 50! Does it really matter if you have gray hair or wrinkles (not that I have those things, oh no) or what � that�s what happens.

Okay, I�m a little incoherent now. So far, a really cool day for me.

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