The secret is out. My birthday was January 8 -- same day as Elvis Presley and David Bowie, which likely means something important -- and I turned 40. For some reason this number is considered an age milestone in US culture, although I don't get to drink anything new (21) or see any scarier type of movie (18) or drive any more dangerous sort of vehicle (16). We marked the event at my house with take-out from Sushi Box, a big homemade chocolate chip cookie, and a DVD of "Godzilla vs. Mothra" on loan from the public library. (The kids were rooting for Mothra.)

P.S. Instead of the customary expensive sports car, I decided to get a Wii in order to recapture my youth ... and a car-sharing membership.