Today is Ann Nichols’ birthday, but there are some things I can’t tell you.

I can’t tell you her age, because then I’d have to kill you.  And there’s only a few of you I want to kill.

I can’t tell you how wonderful her use of the English language is, because you should already know that.

I can’t tell you that I consider her the OSer Most Likely to Write a Best-Selling Novel because she’s so busy that she may not get to it in the near future and therefore L.C. Neal might beat her to it.

I can’t tell you that I call her my “OS Childhood Sweetheart” because she was the first friend I made here, and I can’t tell you that I might no longer be writing here without the self-esteem boost I derived from her praise, because then you might come after her with torches and pitchforks.

I can’t tell you that, getting to know her offline, she is as intelligent, kindly and sensitive as you would expect, with a sly sense of humor, an endless curiosity about music and an unwavering commitment to being a good citizen, because then you’d want her for a friend too, and there's only so much of her to go around.  I’m greedy. 

I can’t tell you that she has a taste for a couple of trashy TV shows, because I prefer not to think about her few imperfections.

I can’t tell you that I love her about as much as I can love someone I’ve never met, because I'm cranky, dammit, and I refuse to sound like a little blushing schoolboy.

However, I can tell you that, as she turns age *cough*cough* I hope that the next year is the one in which she finds the right balance of creativity and happiness.

I can also tell you that she has a fondness for the band the Magnetic Fields, so I have a chosen to post a video of one of their songs, which even mentions her home area of Lansing in the chorus.  The video shows Marge and Gower Champion dancing with the elegance and grace I always see in Annie's words.  I hope she enjoys it.

Happy birthday, Ann!