Happy birthday, Tom Brady.

Why not? I don't follow football and refuse to participate in the "hate Brady" memes. The New England quarterback shares a birthday with the New Albanian contrarian, and the date is today.

Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon needn't apply. My thoughts on celebrating 56 years of age center on martinis and fried chicken, though not necessarily all at once.

In posting, it is not my aim to draw attention to my inexorable decline into AARP eligibility. Rather, it is to thank all my friends who send birthday greetings each year. I may be a curmudgeon, but these mean a lot to me. Thank you.

Special thanks to Diana, who somehow tolerates my existence. She's the greatest.

Looking past Brady's name on the list of noteworthy people who share my date of birth, I see three that stand out: Rupert Brooke, Ernie Pyle and James Hetfield. It seems to me that the poet, war correspondent and musician are brought together in this song of Hetfield's.

It may be a tad somber for a birthday, but then again, this non-swimmer enjoys swimming against the tide.