I turned 45 on Friday. Here are some of the things that have happened on June 12: Anne Frank was born, as was George HW Bush. On the day of my birth, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison. In 1986, PW Botha declared a state of emergency in South Africa that led to greater repression of the black majority (and eventually to the demise of Apartheid). In 1994, someone butchered Nicole Simpson. Last year, Ireland rejected the Lisbon treaty, although some of my Irish friends might see that as a good thing. And last week, Iran rigged an election.

But it was also the date around which many parties were held. Get a load of the party crowd from 1972. The kid in the two-toned pants? My brother, who along with the younger brothers of two of my friends were the lone boys at every party I had as a kid. Poor Danny Garcia and Jeff Mandel. And Allan. I’m in pink with the hat in the back. And that’s my friend Ms. Nerdseyeview.com just left of me in white with pigtails. The picture probably preceded a trip to the Straw Hat Pizza Parlor, to be followed by an ice cream cake from 31 Flavors. Fun, eh?

Other good things happened on my birthday, too: Raiders of the Lost Ark premiered on June 12, 1982, and it remains one of my favorite movies of all time. In 1967, the Supreme Court unanimously ended the ban against interracial marriages. In 1965, one of the best albums of all time, the Rolling Stones Satisfaction is released. And perhaps best of all, in 1907, the Yankees commited 11 errors and lost 14-6 to the Tiger. Any day the Yankees lose is a good day to me.

This year, before I got depressed about the stolen Iranian election, I enjoyed a nice meal with friends and family, ate some really great cupcakes, and went to bed surrounded by new books and a few magazines. I slept in on Saturday.

It was a good weekend overall, and maybe the will of the people of Iran will still be heard. That’s my birthday wish this year.