1. I am now the same age that Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain were when they died. Some astrologers connect this with the Saturn return, which happens approximately every twenty-seven years.

2. I share a birthday with Spike Lee and Mr. Rogers.

3. I am a Pisces, moon in Gemini. I think Gemini is my ascendant as well. I don't quite trust astrology, but my chart does reflect my personality fairly accurately.

4. This is what the twenty-seven-year-old version of me looks like, except less blurry:

5. I was born on March 20, 1975 at St. Anne's Maternity Hospital. I was adopted through a Catholic agency called Holy Family Services. My natural mother is now 51 years old. I wonder if she remembers that today is the birthday of the kid she gave up?

6. Can someone please explain that naked mermaid woman on The Chris Isaak show? The first time I saw her I thought she was plastic, and then she moved. She freaks me out. I don't get it.

7. I am dying of excitement over here. I just got a huge FedEx box of presents from my sister and some flowers from the fam. The flowers are gorgeous (my favorite: tulips) and I also got a couple of DVDs and a rad Picasso book and a gorgeous Jane Austen book: spoiled! I'm spoiled on my birthday! And I have the best sister in the world.

8. Did I just use the word "rad"? I guess my Valley Girl roots are showing.

9. She also sent me the pilot script for Firefly, Joss Whedon's new show, which she and Lucy are both working on right now. She got a promotion, too: she's an APOC, or Assistant Production Coordinator.

10. Okay, and the part of the gift that might actually cause me to have a heart attack and die: it's an autographed photo of Anthony Stewart Head. It says my name on it! It says "much love" on it! I am dying. I am going to carry this picture around with me for the rest of my life.

11. I got a birthday card from my dad. The P.S. says, "The Singles are meant to be Plural in this card. Boy you getting up there, don't you!! Just kidding." I get the second part (getting up there in age, he means) but "the Singles are meant to be Plural"? Is that like a Zen koan?

12. I went to get my bike fixed this morning (it will be ready tomorrow). Then I bought myself a bike rack and a Coke, and now I have to go to class. And that's how I'm celebrating my birthday.

13. My guilty pleasures are Seventh Heaven and Britney Spears.

14. I feel like a grownup in many ways. I also feel like a kid in many ways. I feel very content with the person I am. Age twenty-seven. It feels like a good age.

15. Depending on your perspective, I've had between eight and twelve lovers. Two were girls, four were bi, one was gay, one was married and three were named Mike. There you have it.

16. My favorite adjective is "shady" and I use it far too often, I think. Like at work. "This milk looks shady; we should throw it out." Or at school. "Shakespeare's dialogue in act three seems shady." I don't even know what it means anymore.

17. My middle name is Colleen.

18. I am terrible at remembering birthdays, but militant about making sure you don't forget mine. Now I have a birthday calendar, though. I am hoping this will help me be better this year.

19. E-mail declaring your love for me is a nice way to celebrate my birthday. I might even declare my love back to you-- and it isn't even your birthday! A win/win situation, right there.

20. I want to take my bike to Holland. I don't know how I would get it there, or how I would afford to go there, but I think biking among the tulips would be an incredible experience. Plus: it's flat!

21. I've been listening to this French CD obsessively. One word keeps appearing in different songs, and it sounds like "Ooh-blee-ay" (oubliette?) and I would enjoy knowing what it means. I know all the words to some of these songs and sing along, even though I don't know a word of French. But my theory is that if your name is Monique, you should be allowed to pretend you're French once in a while. Don't you think?

22. This is the most random list ever. But it's my birthday, so that's okay. I am allowed to be random.

23. My lucky numbers are 3, 13, 20 and 35.

24. See last year's list for ways to celebrate. I am sure I couldn't come up with 27 new ideas even if I wasn't pressed for time.

25. If you count a couple of email entries, I have been doing a pretty good job of updating every day.

26. I am wearing a pink satin G-string right now. I feel so naughty.

27. Today is the first day of spring. The vernal equinox. Flowers blooming and birds chirping. March twentieth. And it's my birthday! Then again, I'm sure you caught that already.

"3. Wear wrist fluffies. (You can create fluffies by purchasing a feather boa, cutting it in half and wrapping one half around each wrist.) Do the wrist fluffy disco. "