Hell, I like people on this forum better than some of my own family members!

My sympathies Mark. Birthdays are already kinda semi dark and melancholy anyway, in that they remind you of your own mortality and the passing of time.

And as you get older, if you live long enough, you can expect more loss. \:\(

Mark's situation should remind us all to let the people we care about know how we feel about them while we can, cause you just never know, you know?

"Art is making something out of nothing and selling it."
---Frank Zappa