You got a gift to open remember? 
Unlike some others I may have the patience to wait until my birthday to open my presents but I certainly wouldn't fail to remember them
Yours was the first I opened and I had my Mum (I was at her place today) take a picture of the solemn moment:
Thank you very much Adam
You really put some thought into this and I am looking forward to our next chat when I will have some further questions as to the history and what remains of it at your place. I must really say that Mr. Johnson got in my good books for the "Get any books you want, now and always, and send the bill to me. I count the expense mighty little compared to the benefits which are so abundant..." statement
Thanks to all of you who have congratulated me here and thanks also to you Ariel for congratulating me via PM*
I have had a very nice celebration with my Mum, grandma, my aunt Imme, my uncles Thomas and Andreas, and my cousin Tim today. It was really cheerful and uplifting and my grandma said with such conviction that she believed that things would get better soon that I am feeling a bit more positive myself about everything
The past year has not been a very good one for me. Early in the last year I lost some very precious data of more than 7000 photos of microfilmed newspapers from 1860 to 1865. I cannot say this for certain, but I'm afraid that the loss of this data may partly be responsible for the fact that I have not written and published a book by now. I still hope that the day will come on which the data from the damaged hard drive may be recovered
I sent out very many applications but are still on a very minor job only not so much because of the qualifications I was worried about last year but for general lack of job offers in any of the fields where I have been applying. My ill feelings expressed in last years birthday post about the government elected a few days before have pretty much become true and these days they manifest in record low opinion pol results for the ruling parties. I hope that the strong opposition to some of the really bad late decisions of the government (especially with regard to nuclear energy) may result in those decisions being overturned by overturning of the government by early elections over here and... err well right, this is a birthday post thread
Not everything has been bad about the past year of course and it is with great appreciation and gratitude that I look back to those days in the last year which I could spend in the company of fellow GOF members who visited me at my place. Really, you are awesome and brightened up this year quite a bit for me
Now I hope that the next year will have more of this to be so grateful about and especially that it will not continue with frustration caused by the lack of success in my applications and the absence of a the focus in life that a good job provides.
Thank you all!
Year number 27 here I come and I hope that we will get along so well as we could
* And to you Katie. I just saw the congratulations you send me via MSN
