I can’t remember having such an enjoyable birthday like I did this past week. Lisa made me pancakes, we went out for dinner and we enjoyed the AGO’s First Thursday soirée for the first time – it was an awesome day. So many best wishes from friends and family – I feel loved! Being strangely intrigued by patterns in numbers, I can’t help but ponder the fact that I just turned 44. I wondered to myself how many more birthdays will I celebrate where the numbers are the same? My in-laws told me that they think I’ll make it to 111! I think 88 or 99 would be nice. At the very least, I hope I make it to 55!

When I was a kid, I used to watch Entertainment Tonight on TV (don’t ask me why:)). They had a short segment where they would list all the famous stars who had a birthday that day. I remember watching on one occasion on my birthday and I found it interesting that Gregory Peck had the same birthday as I do. Not sure why that’s stuck in my head all these years.

So I decided to dig a little deeper (thank you, Internet) to find other individuals I admire who were also born on April 5:

• Thomas Hobbes (English philosopher)
• Louis Spohr (German violin virtuoso and composer)
• Alexander Muir (Canadian composer of The Maple Leaf Forever)
• Booker T. Washington (American educator, author, and orator)
• Albert Roussel (French composer)
• Spencer Tracy (American actor)
• Bette Davis (American actress)
• Herbert von Karajan (Austrian conductor)
• Stanley Turrentine (American jazz saxophonist)
• Michael Moriarty (American-Canadian actor)
• Agnetha Fältskog (Swedish singer, member of ABBA)
• Everett Morton (Drummer in the band, English Beat)
• Diamond Dallas Page (American professional wrestler)
• Mike McCready (Lead guitarist, Pearl Jam)
• Pharrel Williams (Singer-songwriter, producer)

Although Facebook’s image has been taking a beating lately, one thing I enjoy about that platform is how they easily notify you of your friends’ birthdays. Before Facebook, I didn’t think many people shared the same birthday as I do. But now I’m shocked to see how many people I know also celebrate April 5 – that’s pretty cool!