Friends, I hope you had a good weekend. Thanks to MySpace.com and Facebook, I've recently been able to reconnect with high school friends such as Ray C. and Frank D. after many years.

In addition to my birthday festivities, my boss took our unit out to a tasty lunch at the British Beer Company pub last Thursday. We've still been busy with at least one member of our five-person team out on most weeks this month, and I've also had some writing assignments.

On Saturday, 18 October 2008, I had to spend most of the morning at Boch Honda in Norwood, Massachusetts. While the repairs to my gas cap, tail light, and hood weren't too costly, they still required a lot of time, and I've begun thinking about replacing my vehicle. We had brunch at the International House of Pancakes, and I stopped by the so-called auto mile's big new Newbury Comics (the chain is better known for CDs, DVDs, and tchotchkes than for comic books).

The next morning, I skipped my supergroup's usual City of Heroes online game to go with Janice to the Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Shopper's World. We ate burritos at the new Chipotle, then attended an entertaining book signing by author Brian Jacques, who is best known for his "Redwall" children's fantasy novels.

Speaking of fantasy and role-playing, while Dexter V.H. has missed several D&D3.5 "Vanished Lands: Holy Steel" teleconferencing sessions lately, Beruk A. may be joining him and Byron V.O. in that adventuring party. The face-to-face D&D4e "Vanished Lands: the Faith-Based Initiative" group misses John C.M., who moved to Maryland, but Greg D.C.'s friend Dave C. has just joined us.

Later on Sunday, Janice and I met Thomas K.Y. at the sprawling Natick Collection shopping mall for an early dinner. We ended up at the Met Burger Bar, which we liked. Thomas and I have organized nongaming activities for the Boston-area social groups, but I'm disappointed that relatively few of our acquaintances are interested in celebrating Halloween (my favorite holiday) this year.

Coming soon: Comic book and genre television roundups!

As most people who read my blog know by now, I've been a longtime fan of space opera. Entertainment Weekly recently released photographs of the upcoming Star Trek reboot movie.

While I might have preferred to continue stories in Gene Roddenberry's shared universe from the end of The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine era, I do think the cast, costumes, and sets of J.J. Abrams' film look promising. Of course, the plot and script matter most, and I'm cautiously optimistic that Roddenberry's idealistic, humanist vision of a "wagon train to the stars" will be revived.

Live long and prosper…

Thanks again to all who sent birthday wishes! I appreciate them all, and middle age doesn't (yet) feel different from being in my 30s. Thanks to Janice, I'll be feasting on lasagna and chocolate cake tonight!

My first decade (1968 to 1978) was spent in the bosom of my family, forming who I am in terms of temperament. I lived in Manhattan and the Bronx, making me forever a New Yorker. I went to Roman Catholic elementary schools, became an omnivore, and traveled the world. Yes, I wore bell bottoms, but I was never a fan of disco.

My second decade (1978 to 1988) was spent in Yonkers, in Westchester County. I got eyeglasses and braces, and I developed my interests in science fiction and fantasy entertainment and role-playing games. Most of my pop culture knowledge and musical tastes (classic rock, heavy metal) are from this decade. As the recent 40th birthday bash demonstrated, I've been fortunate to hang onto several friends since high school in White Plains.

In my third decade (1988 to 1998), I was very active in student organizations during college in Upstate New York. After a year in Queens, I went to graduate school for international relations in Washington D.C. I got married, and much of my family and friends also moved to Virginia. Although I didn't get into the grunge movement, I did briefly grow a goatee.

In the past decade (1998 to 2008), I moved to the Boston area, found a career as a copy editor despite economic uncertainties, and have enjoyed watching my nieces and nephews grow up. Who knows what the future will bring?

I'm sad to report the passing of my aunt Josefa, or Tita Sepa, after illness in the Philippines. Janice's and my thoughts are with my mother's side of the family there. On a happier note, Happy Birthday to my nephews David and Joshua, fellow SUNY-Binghamton alumni Kim A.G. and Ben P.S., and gamers Atilla C. and Patrick D'H.! Thanks, friends, for the early birthday wishes.

Speaking of birthday celebrations, on Saturday, 11 October 2008, Janice and I drove out to Zipango, a Japanese restaurant in Worcester, Massachusetts, for a surprise party for co-worker April O'C. The food was good, and we had fun talking with April's husband Todd and their friends Craig, a reporter, and Nancy, an educator. Co-worker Steph F. also attended the party, and I hope to hang out more with our designers outside of the office in the future.

While out west, Janice and I also stopped in at comic/game shop That's Entertainment, walked around Elm Park's scenic bridges, and visited the large Borders on Route 9 East. In addition, we took advantage of the nice weather to finally put our living-room air conditioner in storage for the winter. Soon, we'll be raking leaves.

On Wednesday, 1 October 2008, my younger brother Peter and his wife Kelly arrived from Virginia, by way of friends in metropolitan New York. From Janice's and my second duplex in Needham, Massachusetts, we walked through scattered showers to our local library, which my nieces Ava and Lili enjoyed running around in.

As with all my nieces and nephews, I've enjoyed observing the different temperaments and talents of Ava and Lili. Janice prepared a feast of chicken enchilada casserole, the first of many good meals this past weekend. After Peter & Kelly watched the droll Pushing Daisies for the first time, we managed to find sleeping accommodations for everyone.

On Thursday, we took the commuter rail into Boston. Although they were apprehensive at first, the children were fine for their first time on a regular train. We visited the New England Aquarium and had lunch at Faneuil Hall. I got food from Steve's Greek Cuisine in Quincy Market, which rivals the dining halls of Manhattan's Grand Central Station or Washington D.C.'s Union Station.

Upon our return, we took advantage of the clearing weather to let the girls play on a swing set in our backyard and to toss around some Nerf balls. I had worried about child-proofing our place, but the kids were well behaved, and we had enough toys for them to play with. For dinner, Janice prepared spaghetti and meatballs, my all-time favorite dish, and we later watched Smallville and the vice presidential debate.

On Friday, my parents Luke and Dominga arrived, and we had lunch at Blue on Highland, a bistro in walking distance of Janice's and my apartment. We celebrated my 40th birthday early with Janice's chocolate frosted, chocolate-chip brownies! My parents returned to their hotel after some chicken soup and homemade rolls, and we watched the series premiere of the SciFi Channel's Sanctuary, which was predictable but promising.

Peter and his young family left on Saturday, and Janice and I took my parents to the Needham Harvest Fair, where we enjoyed samosas, hamburgers, and the "Soup Bowl," a competition among local eateries. On our way back home, we stopped at the local library's book sale. We also had good conversations about politics, overseas relatives, and the upcoming holidays. After eating so well for the previous few days, all we could manage was some leftovers for dinner.

After Janice's usual volunteering stint at an animal shelter in Dedham, Mass., we met my folks for Sunday brunch at the Courtyard by Marriott in Natick, where they were staying. I also showed them my office nearby before they began their long drive home. We spent the rest of the weekend catching up on recorded genre television, e-mail, and sleep. I'll also be busy with work and gaming in the coming weeks.