Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday dear Ste-eph.
Happy Birthday to you!

What can I say that hasn't already been said about Miss Steph?? (I've had a year, you think I'd come up with something new!!)

All I've got is that 'ya make me proud Kido!
When I grown up, I want to be as interesting and compassionate and creative as you are.
I hope you have a fabulous birthday, a super Christmas, a wonderful New Year, and a relaxing break.
(And if you haven't already - check your email!)

When a person is scared, a brain area called the amygdala becomes more active, laying down an extra set of memories that go along with those normally taken care of by other parts of the brain. In this way, frightening events are associated with richer and denser memories. And the more memory you have of an event, the longer you believe it took."

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This summer, the superduper cheap grocery store had Teddy Grahams on clearance for fifty cents a box.
I stocked up.
I really really really stocked up.

Five months later, and the last of the Teddy Grahams were eaten this afternoon.
I'm a little sad.
(And I think I might have gotten addicted)
How can a person not fall in love with tiny little graham crackers shaped like teddy bears?

I know the doubts and uncertainty stuff is no fun for you to live through - but it *is* fun for me to watch. (Not that I enjoy watching you struggle - but I do like watching you grown up - and I'd say this is most definitely a "growing up" thing!)

Do you remember about this time last year - when you were contemplating Northwestern and I was encouraging you to go the liberal arts route? This is why.

It's cool that once upon a time you wanted to do music ed.
It's cool that you devoted yourself to it fully and chased that dream.
It's cool that you are changing your mind as new options become available.

You remind me of a line from the old Baz Luhrmann song - -
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.

I'm glad that you've "resigned yourself" to just taking classes and learning stuff. College is all about trying new things - don't feel guilty for taking advantage of it! Everything you put into music is not wasted - it's made you the person you are and brought you to where you are today.
Major decisions (heehee a pun!) can wait until Fall 2008.
(And I promise your parents will love you, even if you don't get a music major. They might even love you if you went crazy and got a degree in something awful like accounting!)

Take Care Kido,
P.S. You were the first person to send me a Christmas Card (You Win!)
P.P.S. Someone from work went to your Christmas concert and reported back that it was fabulous! (Good Job!)