Thursday was The Girl's 11th birthday. She'd been on tenderhooks for the previous week with anticipation. The wish list was made, complete with illustrations. The comment "I just can't wait until Thursday" was her mantra. And then, Thursday came. And was quite boring. A lot of errands (can't help the usual goings-on). Then the presents trickled in. Two Avatar discs from Costco. A trip to Ben & Jerry's for the cake. A queezy stomach at dinner. The grandparents arrived, the candles lit, two little boxes appeared. Lo and behold - an iPod! The scream heard 'round the world! She never dared to hope she'd get one. Cost-wise, it was a lot cheaper than last year's Nintendo DS. There's nothing better than giving someone something they didn't even know they wanted.