Today tis the birthday of my sister, Nancy, turning a sweet 16 today. And how will she celebrate it? School and another colorguard performance. So the big party has turned into a big weekend extravaganza. Included in that will be Red Dragon, which is getting battered by critics, not too bad but mixed at best.

In some ways, I don't believe she's 16. Being the youngest, she's very spoiled. She asks for help with homework as much as any of her siblings did not. She hasn't passed the first leg of the driver's license test process, always the rite of passage for 16-year-olds. And as a result, teen angst songs rule the house very loudly, dominated right now by Avril Lavigne, whose life seems to be so complicated by skater boys or somethin.

But she seems to be fearless, I'll give her that. So happy birthday, Nansi, or however you want to spell it these days.