TODAY IS JONATHAN’S 50th BIRTHDAY!

Yeah, totally self-indulgent, but it is my blog and my birthday, so please cut me a little slack.

Earlier this morning, I got one of my first birthday wishes e-mailed from a friend of mine in the U.K.  Apparently, in the European style, today’s date would be written as 17/01.  THAT EXPLAINS SO MUCH!!!  (And the embarrassing part: in five decades, I never noticed that before!)

So on my big FIVE-OH birthday (which CBS was nice enough to design a logo for!), I would like to thank my amazing family for putting up with me blogging all the time.  And I want to thank all of you for reading what I write.  Even if you don’t agree with me all the time, it’s still fun to know that I’m not just shouting out into an empty vacuum.

As I turn 50 (and enter my SIXTH decade…oh, Jeebus!), I realize that I have so many blessings in my life.  I’ve lived at such an amazing time.  I grew up in a period where there were few enough channels and few enough media distractions that I could become a Trekkie (not a Trekker…I’m too far gone).

I came into awareness of music during some of the greatest years for the development of rock and roll (the 70s and 80s–don’t try to convince me there was or will ever be two better decades for music…except maybe the 60s).

And I was there in the mid-1980s as comic books changed forever.  I watched the dawn of mainstream sci-fi and the birth and conclusion of multiple Star Trek television series (with another one on the way!).  As a Trek fan, I’ve had the opportunity to walk the corridors of Deep Space Nine and the USS Voyager, to work as a professional Star Trek consultant for Paramount for eight years, to write an officially licensed Star Trek reference book, and to help in the creation of the Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas.  I even helped direct both Majel Barrett Roddenberry and John de Lancie on actual Star Trek projects.  Heck, I’ve actually walked around Gene Roddenberry’s house twice (before Rod sold it a few years ago).

I got to serve on the Executive Committee of STARFLEET, the Official Star Trek Fan Association, Inc., and of course, to meet an amazing group of Star Trek fan film producers as I write this blog.  I’ve even co-written and co-produced a Star Trek fan film!

I knew a world both before and after Star Wars, a world where only Han shot Greedo and when the words “No, I am your father!” was truly the biggest mind f*ck I had ever experienced!

I’ve lived through the weekly unfolding sagas and slowly-revealing mysteries of multi-year sci-fi epics like Babylon 5 and both Battlestars Galactica.  There’s no excitement quite like wondering what will happen next on your favorite show!  I’ve watched the development of the super-hero movie genre from pretty awful to pretty awesome (well, at least for Marvel) and the super-hero TV genre from “good try” to “good heavens, that’s fantastic!” (well, at least for DC).

I’ve been to Antarctica, I’ve worked for for and as Willy Wonka, I’ve owned two companies, I’ve authored a professionally-published book about a real bearded Santa Claus, and I’ve lived in two of the most exciting cities in the world (New York and Los Angeles).  I’ve also lived in the middle of nowhere (Ithaca, N.Y.).  I’ve hiked in Utah, seen a space shuttle landing in person, walked inside of a volcano in Hawaii, and stood under a meteor shower on a perfectly clear night watching 78 shooting stars in just one hour (I counted).

And most of all, I’ve been blessed with the most amazing wife, the most incredible son, the greatest family (both my and my wife’s parents are still married), and a fantastic and supportive group of friends.  I’m still close to two buddies I had back in high school and see one of them weekly for “geek night.”

In short, I just feel truly grateful for having lived such a wonderful life thus far.  It’s had its ups and downs–what life doesn’t?–but it’s also had some cherished moments, heartwarming surprises, and a whole lot of love.

I couldn’t have asked for a better fifty years.  Here’s to the next fifty!

42 thoughts on “TODAY IS JONATHAN’S 50th BIRTHDAY!”

    1. So far, so good. Jayden home from school with a cough, so there was some Nerf gun dueling for a bit. Then my ex-girlfriend came over to take Jayden and me to lunch (yes, it is possible to be friends with an ex…Jayden calls her Auntie Jojo). Then it was time for Jayden to have karate class. Wendy’s bringing home Cuban food for dinner. 🙂

      Actually, the real “celebration” will happen this weekend when Jayden and I fly to San Francisco for the weekend to meet Mommy (who leaves Wednesday for three days of deposition there). Jayden has never been to the City by the Bay (one of my favorite places), and I want to show him the future location of Starfleet Headquarters!

        1. Actually, Dave, we just decided tonight to postpone the trip. This weekend looks to be all rain, all the time…with T-storms on Friday when Jayden and I are supposed to fly into SFO. With those Siamese twin runways, one of them is bound to be closed when we’re supposed to land, which mean a 55-minute flight followed by two hours of circling the airport. Probably later in the year when the weather’s nicer we’ll return to the city that they built on rock and roll. (But hey, at least all this rain is helping the drought!)

          1. Well, you could always fly into San Jose or Oakland! 😉

            Seriously, though, I understand. Sightseeing ain’t fun in the rain! Let me know when you do, maybe I’ll take you guys on a tour in BB with the top down!

  3. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

  4. I’m surprised no one has wished you a happy birthday yet. So happy birthday from the land of ice and snow.

  5. Poor Dude! Wait until you hit the big 60! A very old friend of mine once said, “I’m falling apart like a cheap watch! Just call me Timex.” It was not until I hit the half century mark myself that I understood what he meant. I feel your pain Jonathan! Enjoy yourself! Happy Birthday!

    Tom

  6. As my spouse informed me when I hit the half-century mark the year after him, “50 isn’t old . . . if you’re a tree!” (Unless perhaps you’re the tree that Captain Archer had to ritually chop to bits after his dog Porthos committed a “faux paws” by piddling on it — season 1 of ST: Enterprise, I think . . .) Congrats, happy birthday, and keep up the good work!

    1. Parody is protected speech, George. Also, considering I’ll likely be making, if I’m lucky, $2 per shirt–and selling maybe 10 or 20, they’d be suing me over 40 bucks!

  8. Happy Happy Birthday! (Wow! Your summary makes ME feel fortunate to have what I have from my 66 years! lol) Also, having let my husband talk me into checking out deathclock.com, I can tell you that they consider an optimistic attitude to be just about the single most important measure to determine a long life. From your post it sounds as if you’ve got a good chance of making it that additional 50 years. May it be so!

    Thank you for sharing all your Trek (and newly won legal) expertise with the rest of us Trek and sci fi fans. Have a great time and enjoy yourself!

  10. Happy 50th my friend…welcome to the club… you’ll will discover you can get away with more, and it blame your age…..

    So, which fellow bloggers sent you the nicest card? 😉

    Sorry for asking… you see…I’m old….

  11. I hope you’re having a supremely happy birthday. I admit to a bit of jealousy reading about everything you’ve done. Somewhat to my surprise, this leapt out at me “walked inside of a volcano in Hawaii”. May the next decade bring you ever more joy.

    1. It was Diamond Head…not as impressive as it sounds. They even has a visitor center and bathrooms! 🙂

      I’m surprised you didn’t ask about working for and being Willy Wonka…or visiting Antarctica. (I also left out the fact that I’ve met three different astronauts in person and shaken two of their hands. And two of them were Apollo astronauts! Maybe I should go back and add that in…)

  14. A Very Happy Birthday, Jonathan! Many Happy Returns, too! Reading your blog entry for your birthday, I was struck by how many similar experiences we’ve had, but that could be because you and I are only two years difference in age (I am older by a year and a half)!

    We have indeed been given a tremendous gift to see so much terrific sci-fi. Whether in the form of movies, television, books or Internet, there has been a stunningly good amount of science fiction available to people “our age”. Blessed indeed!!

    However, I do find myself the slightest bit envious that you’ve been so directly involved in our beloved Star Trek…and you’ve even been in the presence of Majel Roddenberry AND John DeLancey! How lucky are YOU!?

    My envy aside, just think of all the wonder we (yes, us 50-somethings!!) have experienced and the “Treknology” we have seen: cell phone evolution, the Internet advent, the coming rise of electric cars, huge, HUGE TV screens just like on the bridge of the Enterprise, video on demand and in 3D, the very humblest beginnings of the transporter(!), the continuing evolution of space travel and exploration, renewable/clean power becoming so desired in our world and more. Can you imagine what we might see in the NEXT 50?!

    These are exciting times, truly, Jonathan and I’m glad to be a 50-something with you! Happy Birthday, again!

    1. Where are the flying cars??? They promised us FLYING CARS!!! (On the other hand, I did live long enough to see both the Cubs and the Red Sox win the World Series. Not that I’m a big fan of either team, but they deserved their day in the sun.)

      But yeah, we’ve lived though a lot, and it’s been incredible to have front row seats to how many things have changed for the better (and some for the worse). As for my trek through Trek, it really has been a very lucky journey for me. John de Lancie and I didn’t really “bond” so much as just work together for a day of voice recording, but Majel was a very interesting experience (also recording voice-over, as it happened). She started off by scaring the living shat outta me, but four hours later, it has been the most amazing experience for me…just a year or so before she passed away. She shared a bunch of stories with me that I didn’t know…including where the name “Andorian” came from. Someday, I’ll share that on Fan Film Factor. 🙂

  15. Jonathan,

    If you were born at 1 AM would that make your birthday (20) 17/01/17/01 ?

    🙂

    1. Sorry, I was born at 7:58am Eastern Time. Weighed in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces. I was the 7th grandchild of my father’s parents and the 7th grandson of my mother’s parents. The next grandchild to be born was exactly 7 weeks after me. And my student ID number at Cornell University was 293777.

      My lucky number is 4.

      No, I’m kidding!!! It’s 7. 🙂

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