Birthday No. 24: Best Lakers B-Day Ever

A purple and gold birthday cake, with an enromous No. 24, relieves painful anxiety of turning 24 years old. For much of the morning, it wasn't easy staying unflappable until my mother honked the horn from our driveway.  As usual, I trotted outside and expected to grab some items for the barbecue—instead, she surprised me with a Lakers birthday cake. Filled with elation, I wore an overjoyed smile and suddenly wasn't petrified of aging closer to my prime years. Before glimpsing at the purple and gold icing, I was tense and worried, unable to shed my terror by nervously envisioning an age difference and my erratic future. But anything relating to sports takes my mind away from reality. This year, a purple and gold cake of the Los Angeles Lakers has eased my anxiety. To me, it doesn't even feel like September. Sometimes it fee...