It’s the early 1960’s. I’m visiting my grandmother. She has a calendar on the wall and I’m checking it out. I’m looking at the month of June. On the twelfth, I see something that excites me. CHILDREN’S DAY!!!

WOOOOOO!!!

My nine-year-old brain starts to work. My birthday is on June 11. I’m already thinking about how this could double my day in the spotlight….not to mention double presents. What could possibly be better?

When I get home, I tell my mother about my discovery. She looks at me and says “Every day is children’s day.” Killjoy!!

So even though my mom put the kibosh on all future double birthday celebrations, it started my obsession with wondering how people who have birthdays falling on holidays feel. My sister has her birthday on New Year’s Day and I’ve never heard her say anything about that…good or bad. My youngest daughter has a birthday that every few years falls on Mother’s Day. When that occurs, she usually has lunch or dinner with her mother. And now since she is also a mother, maybe her son will get her double presents? Hmmm…since the kid is only three months old, the pressure is off on that for a few years.

But what if your birthday falls on December 25? Christmas Day!! It’s the biggest holiday of them all!! Not only does everyone in the family get presents, but you’re sharing your birthday with Jesus. Wow! Talking about getting your thunder stolen!! Picture sitting in your living room, opening up one of your presents, getting excited over receiving exactly what you wanted and then your sibling gets a brand new bicycle….ON YOUR DAY!!!! That has to be worse than my mother ruining Children’s Day for me forever…..much, much worse.

I’ve only known one person who has had a birthday on Christmas and since she’s Jewish, the above scenario was moot. But, if you’re reading this and your birthday is today, and you’re pissed off that you aren’t getting double presents or being treated as if your special day is not really special, know that I’m in your corner. Solidarity my brother/sister. I wish you a Happy Birthday!

By the way, earlier this week I found out that Children’s Day, which is a real thing, Mom, isn’t on June 12. It’s on the second Sunday in June, so each year the date changes…kind of like a Jewish holiday. It matches up with my June 11 birthday next in 2023. I’ll be accepting double presents. Thank you in advance.

Related Post: Does it suck to have your birthday on Mother’s Day?

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Rolo and Twix are one-year-old, bonded male guinea pigs looking for a loving guardian together.

The boys get along and make wonderful wheeks and whistle sounds.

These boys are best handled by experienced pig lovers. They are not a good selection for small children.

Guinea pigs eat a diet of unlimited timothy and orchard hays – in fact, hay should be the majority of their diet. They can have limited pellets, and a variety of fresh vegetables daily including romaine, red leaf and green leaf lettuces, cilantro, carrots, and a little bit of fruit as a treat: oranges, apples, etc.

Guinea pigs like humans need a source of vitamin C in their diet which they can get from a one-inch square piece of sweet red pepper, kale, chard and other greens, or you can use vitamin C treats made for guinea pigs.

Please read up on guinea pig care and diet before adopting by visiting this excellent web site http://www.guinealynx.info/.

Most cages marketed for guinea pigs are way too small. And, these boys need a large cage. Guinea pigs need appropriate room to roam and separate spaces for a nest, bathroom area and food and water. No animal is meant to live in a cage all the time, so make sure to provide your pig with proper exercise outside of a cage with a romp around the home or exercise pen.

They would love a home with people who will handle them daily, keep them well fed, and keep their habitat nice and clean.

If you’re interested in meeting and possibly adopting Rolo and Twix, please fill out an adoption application at https://friendsofpetraits.com/guinea-pig-adoption-application/ and follow up by contacting [email protected] to set up an appointment to meet them.

They are being fostered in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood.

Their adoption fee of $120 as a pair benefits the Friends of Petraits Rescue. For an additional $75, we’ll include a starter kit of absolutely everything you need to care for them including a large cage, hay, litter, pellets, hidey huts and water bottle.

Chicago comedians in the news:

Congratulations to Prateek Srivastava whose album Nick and Sheila’s Kid debuted at #1 on the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts.

Chicago native Craig Robinson, who played Darryl in The Office among many other roles, hosts The Masked Dancer which premieres Sunday on channel WFLD-channel 32 at 7:00 p.m.

Comedians expressed their support for John Mulaney as he reportedly began rehab for cocaine and alcohol addiction.

Following is a sample of online comedy over the next week. Please confirm all details. New Year’s Eve calendar to come. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! Wishing you a happy and peaceful holiday!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

Joel Chasnoff

Christmas Eve for the Jews 7:00 p.m. Joel Chasnoff hosts Jessica Kirson Moody McCarthy, Ophira Eisenberg, sketch group Comedies Never Win and headliner Mark Normand. This event always sells out in New York and Chicago, but this year it’s all online! VIP upgrades and chats available before the show. Joel was kind enough to talk to me about the show here.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy 7:00 p.m. With Judy Gold, Alex Edelman and Lisa Geduldig.

KO Comedy 10:00 p.m. Free event produced by Sammy Obeid. Comedians include Myq Kaplan.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy 4:00 p.m. With Judy Gold, Alex Edelman and Lisa Geduldig.

Super Spread the Cheer 8:00 p.m. Celebrate the Annoyance Theatre way.

Piff the Magic Dragon 6:00 p.m. Interactive “Holliday Jolliday.”

Doug Benson’s Comedy Sesh 6:20 p.m. Livestream with Featuring Geoff Tate, Sean Jordan, and Amy Miller, plus chance for fans to chat with Doug.

Mike Birbiglia 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. “Working It Out Worldwide.”

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27

Mike Birbiglia 6:30 “Working It Out Worldwide.”

SciFi Comedy Presents 543 Jokes About Dr. Who 7:00 p.m. Hosted by Amanda Cohen who got her comedy start in Chicago!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 28

Monday Night Funnies 7:00 p.m. This biweekly show has been the silver lining of 2020. Producers Denise Medina and Mark Klaber put together an unforgettable show with comedians from Chicago and Los Angeles. Jessica Winther’s hilarious MC’ing and quick wit will help you forget everything stressful going on in the world. This show is the perfect 90-minute comedy recharge that we all desperately need. I would stay on all night if they would let me. Free (online) admission, but donations appreciated to a different cause with each show. This week’s show benefits The Actors Fund. Please consider a direct donation to www.actorsfund.org.

Writers of Conan 9:00 p.m. Brian McDaniel hosts Prateek Srivastava, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Lisa Alvarado, Robin Lakin, Taylor Tobin.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29

Victoria Day and Friends 7:00 p.m. “Not fancy. Just Funny.” Clean comedy show.

Talkin’ Funny 8:00 p.m. Sasha and the Noob are having epic conversations every Tuesday with famous (sometimes infamous) guests. Tonight: Judy Tenuta. Musical guest: Noah Ginex.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

The Plan 7:00 p.m. Second City’s “Black and white news.”

Godfrey 8:00 p.m. This very funny comedian grew up in Chicago.
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My partner died a few weeks ago. Let me clarify, he was a former professional partner, not a personal one. Dave and I spent almost 20 years working side-by-side, or at least office-by-office, part of a threesome in the Pathology Department of HFMC. He welcomed me in when I first started as a very green, eager but naive first-time pathologist. He showed me the ropes, warned me of the pitfalls, and boosted my confidence.

Dave was an Assyrian, of Iranian descent, with the somewhat cosmopolitan air of someone who had spent part of his life in Paris. His position at HFMC was engineered by his cousin, a busy surgeon at the hospital. The place wasn’t the biggest Med Center in the neighborhood and didn’t have the reputation of being the best, but had a loyal core of supportive physicians and satisfied patients. Dave fit into that culture well, and by the time I joined the staff, he was friends with everyone, quick to share a personal joke, a friendly slap on the back, or an obscure memory.

Dave and I frequently strolled the hospital halls together, heading to lunch, or the surgical suite for intra-operative consultations. Every afternoon found time for case review at our multi-headed microscope. With all that togetherness, the medical staff lumped the two of us into one, and we garnered the nickname of The Tweens–someone’s mispronunciation of the word twins.

Dave’s connection with Dr. S, our department chairman, was a less collegial one. Dave never felt the professional relationship with S matched what had lured him to HFMC, and never really fully trusted S. It was only following S’s sudden death that Dave and I both became financial partners in what became our 2 man group. That small group was quickly swallowed up by a large university practice following a hospital coup-d’etat. We were welcomed in as partners, though Dave, ever more cynical than I, whispered to me that our termination was always right around the corner. Ten years later, three years after his own retirement, Dave was proven correct.

Dave was diagnosed with prostate cancer 10 years ago. He gave me the honor of reviewing his pathology slides to confirm the diagnoses, which I sadly did. Dave and Dawn, the love of his life, relocated to Florida, where we visited them twice over the next few years. A few months ago he emailed to tell me he was beginning hospice care, and that he was entering a final phase. Just last week, right after we had sent our annual holiday card to Dave and Dawn, we discovered the obituary.

One of my favorite movie quotes is from The Maltese Falcon–hard-boiled detective Sam Spade discussing the killing of his partner “When a man’s partner is killed, he’s supposed to do something about it.” Dave, you were my partner, but all I can do I can do is write and remember. Your tween will miss you.

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