I used to like having a late April birthday. Most years I got a party in school, with cupcakes and such, and then I got to have friends over for a party one day and relatives over on another. The weather in NJ had always turned irreversibly to spring by then, and usually by my birthday the leaves had just come onto the trees. A late April birthday was the best time of year to have one, I always thought to myself.
Until law school. Now it's terrible, coming in the heat of exam preparation. Or worse, the finals themselves! Last year I spent my 30th birthday taking the Con Law final. What a crummy way to mark that occasion. As if one's 30th birthday isn't depressing enough. Of course, it's not like simply worrying about and studying for finals is a huge improvement either, but that's how today was largely spent. And I fear that's how next year's birthday will be observed as well.
It isn't right. Today should be my SPECIAL day. A holiday, if you will, in honor of me.
Fortunately there are people in my life who understand that. I got some calls, some cards, a few presents, and then my friends took me out to dinner. These are proper birthday activities. Not the running around the law school doing a thousand errands. That is not a proper birthday activity, though I did that too.
After dinner then one of my friends and I went to Copynight in Cambridge. Copynight is a chance for those who are concerned about the commodification trends in copyright law to meet up with other like-minded people. Meetings happen on the same evening in a whole bunch of cities. I think the first Copynight had been last month, but this was the first one done in Cambridge.
Anyway, Copynight this month had extra significance since WIPO has declared April 26 to be World Intellectual Property Day. Its intent is clearly to use the day to further brainwash the populace to submit to the copyright cartel's rhetoric.
But for me, intellectual property maven that I am, I can't help see it as a personal call to arms. Think of it, they picked MY day to be World Intellectual Property Day. Of COURSE my future career will be in this area. It's clearly destiny!