Birthday announcement

I interrupt this blogging of “The City’s True Name” for an announcement.

The announcement is:

Today, November 20, 2012, is my 55th birthday. 

That means that, as of today, I have survived:

55*365 days + 14 leap-days  =  20,089 days; 

which equals

20,089 * 24  =  482,136  hours

482,136 * 60  = 28,928,160 minutes

28,928,160* 60 = 1,735,689,600 seconds.

One point seven three gigaseconds old! Time sure flies.

I am having a minimalist birthday today. I figure that I don’t have to do anything to turn 55, other than survive the day, so I’m taking it easy. I’ll have my usual Tuesday lectures and office hours; once home I’ll share a cake with my wife and daughter. No big birthday party; I hate the stress. I’d rather treat a birthday as a milestone rather than as a deadline.