Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: Best...Birthdays...EVER!!!

As a child, September 28th meant something different.  It meant dinner at Red Lobster back when the cheddar bay biscuits weren't the best thing on the menu.  It meant I could go right around the corner, hit up Toys "R" Us I didn't have to wait until Christmas to get those two Decepticon planes that combined to make one big plane.  (I Googled the heck outta that and I still don't know the names of either plane.)  It meant I had an excuse to eat a slice of cake every day for the rest of the week.  As an adult, I care less about presents and more about presence.  If I invite someone to a party or gathering, then I won't ridicule them for walking through the door empty handed as long as they come with a full heart of love and the readiness for whatever.  My birthday might be my personal holiday, but as y'all will see in a very special edition of the "Rave & Favorite Five" to help bring in 37 in a different way, one of the greatest days in human civilization is only as great as the fantastic times with family, friends and loved ones.  So cue the Black folks version of "Happy Birthday", pour a few shots and walk with me down memory lane...

Scribbler's Rave & Favorite Five: Ninetysomething Days of Summer, #1 Summer of '97

Whereas the summer of 1995 was a little more about life-changing experiences, what made my final summer as a "teenager" the greatest of all was how much fun I had with my friends and family.  Sure, those 93 days were part of one of my biggest transition periods from high school graduation to attending college and being away from the nest for the first time.  However, as much as I was excited about this new journey, I gladly put my next chapter on hold as I continued to enjoy the last months of my adolescence.  Much like the previous four summers on this countdown, 1997 provided a great soundtrack--a lot of which 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. supplied in bittersweet fashion following their tragic murders.  Another honorable mention were the summer blockbusters as I distinctly recall going to see Face/Off, Batman & Robin (which wasn't really that good, but still), Conspiracy Theory, The Fifth Element, Nothing to Lose (which I saw like three times), Money Talks and How to Be a Player.  Even with so many good tunes and flicks on deck, they weren't enough to outdo the plethora of fantastic voyages sans the pirate hats and the land of funk.  So as I round out the "Ninetysomething Days of Summer" edition of my "Rave & Favorite Five", I unveil the five reasons why the summer of 1997 is king of the hill...