Happy happy

Happy March birthdays to yet another great collection of guys: urso (Urso), smiley_kiley (Ed), burlyinthebay (Dave), jockbear (David), cowboygreg (Greg), mindplay (Kris), killerjoe (Joe), bearzoid (Humpfrey), explosivo (Mark), baybearcub (Bay), ponycub (Jeff), bigreddee (Donovan), texwriterbear (Sean), clifton_akil (Clifton), drewbearsf (Drew), jeffnuma (Jeff), huxbear (Huck), bleepkeeper (Dan), capy (Chris), paddbear (Steve), chukspace (Chuck), jrjarrett (Jim), owenthomas (Owen), quuf (Bill). And, as before, here’s some reasons why I wish you a happy day of celebration:

urso -- I have always admired your friendliness and your graphic design abilities. Your Japanese train design deserved to win, and I was very glad it did.
smiley_kiley -- Have only met you in passing a few times, but you seem like a friendly and intelligent guy. You would be a dream guest at an Oscars party.
burlyinthebay -- Seems odd that I’ve known you online for years, but only saw you once, across a crowded bar. I’d love to see a movie of your life, and how your work has affected others’ lives. You’ve really made a difference in the lives of many. Look forward to meeting you in person.
jockbear -- Your journal entries are consistently thoughtful and intelligent. I expect you are the same in person.
cowboygreg -- Wish you posted as much as you used to! I’ve always enjoyed your geeky humor and smarts. (Plus, you’re darn cute.) We’ll meet some day, since you only live a few hundred miles away, after all.
mindplay -- Fun to sit with you and Scott at IBR, and a pleasure to get to know you the past few years. And for all your complaining, I really envy you for your job!
killerjoe -- A pleasure to squaredance with you last year, and a pleasure to get to know you better through your journal! Also: darn cute.
bearzoid -- Don’t know you well, but you are … um … how can I say this … hot.
explosivo -- I really enjoy your top 40 listings! They’re like little snapshots of a time, and I always look through them to see which ones I knew (or liked) at the time, or knew or liked later in my life. And thanks for the Tremolo CD – their style of music is right up my alley.
baybearcub -- Have had limited contact with you, but you seem very nice!
ponycub -- I hope whatever it was that caused you to apologize to britbear recently has faded into distant memory. Without ever having met either of you, I like to think that I have a handle on what a good couple you make.
bigreddee -- Another dream guest at an Oscars party. Or an Emmys party. Or just any party. You bring the fun. (Next time I break my leg, be sure to visit, OK? Then you won’t have to apologize later.)
texwriterbear -- Sean, you’ve made two trips to Texas a real pleasure! Now it’s time for you to visit San Francisco again.
clifton_akil -- Glad to meet you at keanubear’s last year, and a pleasure to get to know you through your journal.
drewbearsf -- I think that every time I’ve seen you, you’ve been in a smiling, friendly mood. Obviously you know something the rest of us don’t!
jeffnuma -- When animbear came up to me at the first Hairrison and said, “I’ve met someone who has more CDs than yo do!” I found it hard to believe. But I bow to your CD-quantity-superiority, now that I’ve seen your impressive collection in person. (However, take out Gary Numan and Kylie Minogue, and I’ve got you beat!) You and Tim are just cool, sweet guys.
huxbear -- Don’t know much about you, but you sure are cute! And funny, too.
bleepkeeper -- Good writer (although not enough), and I admire your musical tastes. I’d say you’re cute but you might scowl at me. Still, “it’s a look.”
capy -- Have I ever mentioned how glad I am you started the monthly Bear Lunch? (Sometimes it seems like that’s the only socializing I get to do for weeks!) You’re just a great guy.
paddbear -- I remember chatting with you online, way back when, and I’m glad I discovered your journal. You have a pleasantly quirky sense of humor.
chukspace -- Great to get you know you better in the past year, and I’ll always be grateful for you and David coming over to cheer me up when I was confined at home. Play cards again soon?
jrjarrett -- Hard to believe we’ve known you for, what, eight years??! But when we see all the great changes in your life, I guess that’s a lot of living to pack in such a short period of time!
owenthomas -- Meeting you was one of the highpoints of last year’s Hairrison Street Fair! We need to hang out more often! You are smart and sweet, and fun with a capital F.
quuf -- I am in awe of your writing ability. You think much deeper thoughts than most.


As showmeonthedoll has proved, time and again, celebrity deaths occur in threes. The trio of recent ones all had personal meanings: Don Knotts starred in one of the first movies I ever saw, The incredible Mr. Limpet, and then starred in what was my favorite movie when I was 7 years old, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. (The haunted organ from that movie still gives me the creeps!) Darren McGavin starred in Kolchak, the Night Stalker, which was my favorite TV show was I was 14. And Dennis Weaver, as McCloud, well, when I was an adolescent, I thought he was just hot.

Recent LJ sightings: arthole, digibob, cadwallin and beg1n (right before his surgery) came by last week to hang out for a bit. Get well soon, Jeff! alpenhorn and sflonestar stopped by to show off Gregg’s new wheels: a Subaru Outback. (If you rebuild him … with a mullet … he’ll be the LesBionic Man.) And shprdbear came by on Saturday for a Kabuki outing and to watch some Oscar-nominated movies … OK, ones nominated for Best Cartoon, but we really enjoyed Wallace and Grommit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and enjoyed Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride a bit less. Both were movies we'd planned to see in the theater, but couldn't, due to my broken leg.

Come Oscar night, we’re rooting for the rabbit.