A [Birth]Day That Shall Live In Infamy

Yep, Elie was born 44 years ago today, exactly 20 years after the infamous Pearl Harbor attack. For better or worse, my English birthday will forever be linked with that grim anniversary. On the Jewish calendar, I fared far better, as my Hebrew birth date was 29 Kislev, the 5th night - and thus the very middle - of Chanukah. But it always made more sense to me, from a "celestial" standpoint, to celebrate on the English/solar date, when the Earth is in the same position as when I was born. (Note that even in Jewish law certain seasonal rules are based on the solar calendar, as we demonstrated earlier this week.)

Some of the well-known people who share my birthday include baseball Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench and basketball superstar Larry Bird. On the music front, there are soulful rocker Gregg Allman and the late, eclectic balladeer Harry Chapin, best known for tear-jerker Cats in the Cradle, though my favorite song of his is Taxi. At the other musical extreme - albeit much better known to my daughter - is teen heartthrob Aaron Carter. In Hollywood, co-12/7'ers include Eli Wallach, Ellen Burstyn, and that lovable idiot anchorman of Mary Tyler Moore fame, Ted Knight.

What any of these people may or may not have in common with yours truly is a question best left to the philosophers, astrologers, and other people with way too much time on their hands. But in any case, happy 12/7 everyone. Send those congratulatory electrons hither, and have a virtual round of drinks on me!