I'm 21! It's been a long time coming, but now I'm old enough to legally do some more things. Maybe by the time I'm 100, all the ridiculous laws in existence will have been repealed. I should be so lucky.

February 9 is not only my birthday, but also that of Adam Grauer (a brother in my fraternity, 22 today) and of Matt Dellibovi (a pledge, 20). I'm willing — and, I hope, able — to wait until young Bovi reaches centenarianship for the aforementioned justice to be served. But no longer.

I met my father at the airport and had dinner with him at his hotel. The occasion of his visit was business (a meeting in Cleveland tomorrow), but he came with time enough to see me. We were both pleasantly surprised by the quality of the chicken in the chicken caesar salad, and each enjoyed a beer with our meal. The waiter deduced correctly that it was a significant birthday and brought me another beer, gratis. My father and I sat together for quite much longer than I'd allotted, talking about his stint as a soccer coach in his hometown, my professional and academic interests, and the idea of moving to Israel. It was one of the best conversations I've ever had with him, untroubled by the imbalance of age, yet colored by the imbalance of wisdom. I felt rather more like his compatriot than his apprentice. This, I realize, has also been a long time coming.

The hotel shuttle whisked me to the airport, where I discovered that the RTA trains now stop running even more inconveniently early than before. Al was gracious enough to drop everything and give me a ride home, where I was way late to my own party. A lot of guests had come and gone by the time I arrived. I felt apologetic for having disappointed them, but not even slightly troubled by my choice to spend more time with my father.

My parents bestowed upon me Monty Python and the Holy Grail in honor of my aging process. This increases my viewable Monty Python holdings appreciably: from zero to one videocassette. It also increases my total videocassette holdings considerably: from two (Johnny Dangerously and Victor Borge's Funniest Moments) to three. A great gift.