On a lighter note, my friend and colleague, Maribel, is celebrating a milestone birthday today...in Portland... away from her family.  To top it off, her birthday will now forever be marked as an anniversary of Michael Jackson's death (which, btw, she seriously almost shed a tear for earlier this afternoon).  Very unfortunate, but what are you gonna do, right?  Maribel just rollls with the punches, though.  What a trooper.  Several of us went out to dinner tonight and acted as her surrogate family for a mini celebration.  Happy birthday, Maribel!