2/21/58 This day in history.

2/21/11

The symbol was designed and completed February 21, 1958 (my birthday!) The name “Generation Jones” has several connotations, including: a large anonymous generation, and a “Keeping up with the Joneses” competitiveness borne from this generation’s populous birth years. The connotation, however, which is perhaps best known stems from the slang word "jones" or “jonesing”, which means a yearning or craving. Jonesers were the people who as teens in the 1970s made this slang word popular, but beyond this historical claim, many believe the concept of jonesing is among this generation’s key collective personality traits. Jonesers were given huge expectations as children in the optimistic 1960s, and then confronted with a different reality as they came of age in the pessimistic 1970s, leaving them with a certain unrequited, jonesing quality.
Born in 1958: January 1 - Grandmaster Flash, African-American hip-hop/rap DJ January 4 - Matt Frewer, Canadian/American actor (Max Headroom) January 26 - Ellen DeGeneres, actress and comedian (Ellen) February 16 - Ice-T, African-American singer, songwriter, and actor (Law and Order) February 21 - Andrew Lerner, blogger. 2/21 - Mary Chapin Carpenter, singer February 26 - Susan Helms, astronaut March 5 - Andy Gibb, English-born singer (Shadow Dancing) (d. 1988) March 8 - Gary Numan, British singer (Cars) March 10 - Sharon Stone, actress (Basic Instincts) March 20 - Holly Hunter, actress March 21 - Gary Oldman, English actor (Air Force One) April 3 - Alec Baldwin, actor (30 RockApril 21 - Andie MacDowell, actress (Groundhog Day). April 29 - Michelle Pfeiffer, actress May 12 - Eric Singer, rock drummer (Kiss) May 29 - Annette Bening, actress June 2 - Lex Luger, professional wrestler June 7 - Prince, African-American musician June 8 - Keenen Ivory Wayans, African-American comedian, actor, and director (In Living Color) June 15 - Wade Boggs, baseball player July 8 - Kevin Bacon, actor (Apollo 13) July 20 - Billy Mays, infomercial salesperson (d. 2009) July 31 - Bill Berry, rock drummer (R.E.M.) August 16 - Madonna, American-born singer, songwriter, and actress (Material Girl) August 16 - Angela Bassett, African-American actress August 17 - Belinda Carlisle, singer (The Go-Go's) August 24 - Steve Guttenberg, actor (Police Academy) August 25 - Tim Burton, film director (Alice in Wonderland) August 29 - Michael Jackson, African-American singer and dancer (The Jackson 5) (d. 2009). September 6 - Jeff Foxworthy, comedian, actor, author (Fifth Grader?) September 6 - Michael Winslow, comedian, actor, voice actor September 22 - Joan Jett, musician October 5 - Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist (NOVA Science NOW). October 14 - Thomas Dolby (Thomas Morgan Robertson), English rock musician (She Blinded Me With Science) October 16 - Tim Robbins, actor November 22 - Jamie Lee Curtis, actress (A Fish Called Wanda) December 11 - Nikki Sixx, rock musician (Mötley Crüe) December 17 - Mike Mills, rock bassist (R.E.M.) December 31 - Bebe Neuwirth, actress (Frasier) 
Many years ago I received up to 12 birthday cards via the postal service. This year, I received one this way, 25 via FaceBook, 2 emails, one before by phone, one voice-mail, and one in person. Thank you to all of my friends that make my life worth living.
Thank you to these FB people, who are responsible for making my birthday happy: Linden Stricker Robin Matheson Dan Lerner Brittany M Dauzat Félix A. Noël Dan Homan, Chantri Waddoups, Arlynn Beyer Palmer, Nancy McKenna, Rachael Sibley, Philip Heffron, Chamier Williams, Bess Ortiz, Anna Lerner, Jennifer Jones, Darcy Galane, Dan Teixeira, Alan Lerner, Joseph Lyric Inforca Lerner, Melanie Lerner, Michael Horn, Jeff Wernick, Shari Rodway Beck, Nancy Goldfarb by voice-mail, and Catherine Parkes Latane by email. Elanor Matheson was represented in the gift card we used for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. (please read my review of our experience)