To Sean on His 47th Birthday

It's 2:30am in Chicago, which means it's barely after midnight in California, so it's officially Sean's birthday, but don't wake him; he needs his, um, sleep. The new movie he directed opens in a month, so unless he's down in Venezuela or in the Middle East somewhere, making a slight show of himself but also sticking with his political convictions and using his money to achieve something real, let's assume he's making editing tucks or getting the press junket going for Into the Wild. I loved the book, and I like the trailer, so even though none of Sean's other directing projects has really jelled for me, I'm hopeful about this one.

I also still assume that, one day, he will call. I still mean every word of this. I saw The Assassination of Richard Nixon in the theater. I even saw All the King's Men in the theater. I make my students watch The Thin Red Line. I watched the Meta-Free-Phor-All with Stephen Colbert and Robert Pinsky, and I don't even get Comedy Central. I can be sweet. I can be lowdown. Please advise, etc.