April 19

Today as I was going through my planner I glanced at the date at the top of the page -- April 19. A day of infamy. I promptly checked CNN.com to see if there were any catastrophe's taking place in the world. There were none -- so far so good. Then I picked up the phone to wish my father a happy birthday.

As one born on Friday the 13th, I am accustomed to doom and gloom on my special day -- a plane sliding off the runway in Washington D.C. into the Potomac River, a circus train crashing, etc.

The father though had a benign birthdate -- April 19. But now it is associated with the Branch Davidians fire in Waco and the Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh. That being said, I have good reason to check the news before wishing him a happy birthday.

My father is responsible for my motorcycle gene - he was the hell raising biker from the wrong side of the tracks that got caught up with the spoiled little rich girl. My mother sprung it on him one weekend that she wasn't really 18 but 15 and since he seemed to handle that info with relative calm, she sprung it on him the next weekend that she was pregnant.

I think he's still shell shocked from that news.

Anyway -- another disaster free April 19th!