Today is Lyman's older son's birthday. He is 39.

Last night's celebration dinner was champagne (not Perrier Jouet), boiled crabs, Oysters Rockefeller and New Orleans style barbecued shrimp.

Chef Tony will complain that we didn't do the BBQ shrimp from scratch, but we've tried a half-dozen recipes that don't produce a product as good as this mix does.

Ben, a long-time friend of both sons came, and his sister E. later. Those handsome kids look alike, with exactly the same distinctive, and I think very attractive, Roman nose.

Well, E. wants a nose job. I think it's totally unnecessary and will actually reduce the quality of her looks, making her more average and less striking. She has a blonde Italian-type beauty. Ben is going into conniptions trying to talk her out of it.

"Come here," he pleaded to me. "Tell her, tell her, she doesn't need to change her nose."

I could only say that if I looked like her, I wouldn't change a thing. Silly girls.