60.

It's my 60th birthday tomorrow, and sadly, I've had to settle.

My dream milestone birthday celebration was going to be an echo of my 50th birthday - a trip to London, a visit to the Doctor Who Experience, followed by some souvenir shopping (I do like a t-shirt) and a pint at a classic English pub, all enhanced this time by the company of my lovely wife Karli.

However, given the current state of international travel during the pandemic, I regretfully decided that it just wasn't practical right now, and downgraded my expectations.

It's going to be an interesting birthday regardless.  We're still going on a trip:  Karli found us a pleasant looking Airbnb in Ucluelet, a small town on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and we'll be leaving later this morning to catch the ferry. It won't have the same geek gratification as the Doctor Who Immersive Experience in London - in fact, I'm not aware of anything geek-related in our itinerary - but you know, it's surprising how often something unexpected makes an appearance, and I'm quite looking forward to our little one-week getaway.  All other issues aside, I think it would be impossible for me to have a bad vacation with Karli, who has proven herself to be a fabulous travel companion.

I haven't completely abandoned my hopes for a trip to England and the Doctor Who event, but I'm aware that the window is getting smaller and smaller.  But, if science fiction has given me anything, it's a well-developed ability to believe in the impossible.  As I've said before, the horse may still learn to sing.

- Sid

P.S.  By the way, I'm impressed beyond words (no pun intended) by the Merriam-Webster definition of the word "Sixty" - I mean, they're not wrong, but I somehow feel that they've missed the mark - and I have to wonder if there's a different Sixty that's defined as a number which is equal to five time 12.