I used to wait all day for certain family members to remember my birthday, and then feel hurt when they forgot. What a waste of emotion. Now I just tell everybody and then, to make sure I get what I want, I ask for it.

Since money is an issue, and I really don’t need more things, I ask for time. I need help cleaning all the junk off my balcony so I can grow a proper little vegetable garden, so that’s what Robby’s giving me — when he gets his ass out of bed. As for Chris, I haven’t decided what to ask for yet. Maybe just a walk on the beach. That would be nice.

What are you going to ask for on your birthday?

April 24: Actress Shirley MacLaine is 72. Actress-singer-director Barbra Streisand is 64. Country singer Richard Sterban of the Oak Ridge Boys is 63. Drummer Doug Clifford (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is 61. Actor Eric Bogosian is 53. Actor Michael O’Keefe (“Roseanne“) is 51. Bassist David J (Love and Rockets, Bauhaus) is 49. Bassist Billy Gould (Faith No More) is 43. Actor-comedian Cedric the Entertainer is 42. Drummer Patty Schemel (Hole) is 39. Drummer Aaron Comess of the Spin Doctors is 38. Actress Melinda Clarke (“The O.C.”) is 37. Actor Eric Balfour (“Conviction”) is 29. Singer Kelly Clarkson (“American Idol“) is 24.

April 23: Actress Janet Blair is 85. Actor David Birney is 67. Actor Lee Majors (“Six Million Dollar Man“) is 67. Actress Blair Brown is 58. Actress Joyce DeWitt (“Three’s Company“) is 57. Actor James Russo is 53. Director Michael Moore is 52. Actress Judy Davis is 51. Actress Jan Hooks is 49. Actress Valerie Bertinelli is 46. Comedian George Lopez is 45. Drummer Gen (Jesus Jones) is 42. Actress Melina Kanakaredes (“Providence”) is 39. Drummer Stan Frazier of Sugar Ray is 38. Country guitarist Tim Womack of Sons of the Desert is 38. Actor Scott Bairstow (“Party of Five”) is 36.

TV producer Aaron Spelling is 83. Actress Charlotte Rae (“The Facts of Life“) is 80. Actress Estelle Harris (“Seinfeld“) is 74. Singer Glen Campbell is 70. Actor Jack Nicholson is 69. Singer Mel Carter is 63. Country singer Cleve Francis is 61. Director John Waters is 60. Singer Peter Frampton is 56. Singer Paul Carrack (Squeeze, Mike and the Mechanics) is 55. Actor Joseph Bottoms is 52. Actor Ryan Stiles (“The Drew Carey Show“) is 47. Comedian Byron Allen is 45. Actor Chris Makepeace is 42. Actress Sheryl Lee (“Twin Peaks“) is 39. Country singer Heath Wright of Ricochet is 39. Country singer Kellie Coffey is 35. Bassist Shavo Odadjian of System Of A Down is 32. Singer-guitarist Daniel Johns of Silverchair is 27.

Actor Charles Grodin is 71. Singer Iggy Pop is 59. Singer Paul Davis is 58. Actress Patti LuPone is 57. Actor Tony Danza is 55. Actress Andie MacDowell is 48. Singer Robert Smith of The Cure is 47. Guitarist Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies is 47. Actor-director John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”) is 43. Rapper Michael Franti of Spearhead is 38. Comedian Nicole Sullivan (“King of Queens“) is 36.

Actor George Takei (“Star Trek“) is 69. Singer Johnny Tillotson is 67. Actor Ryan O’Neal is 65. Keyboardist Craig Frost of Grand Funk Railroad is 58. Actress Jessica Lange is 57. Actor Clint Howard is 47. Actor Crispin Glover is 42. Country singer Wade Hayes is 37. Actress Carmen Electra is 34. Actor Joey Lawrence (“Blossom,” “Brotherly Love”) is 30.

Actor Hugh O’Brian is 81. Actress Elinor Donahue (“Father Knows Best”) is 69. Actor Tim Curry is 60. Singer Mark “Flo” Volman of The Turtles is 59. Hip-hop mogul Suge Knight is 41. Country singer Bekka Bramlett of Bekka and Billy is 38. Actress Ashley Judd is 38. Actor James Franco (“Spider-Man” films, “Freaks and Geeks“) is 28. Actress Kate Hudson is 27. Actor Hayden Christensen (“Star Wars Episodes II and III”) is 25. Actress Catalina Sandino Moreno (“Maria Full of Grace“) is 25.

Actress Barbara Hale (“Perry Mason“) is 85. Actor Robert Hooks is 69. Actress Hayley Mills is 60. Actor James Woods is 59. Country keyboardist Walt Richmond of The Tractors is 59. Country bassist Jim Scholten of Sawyer Brown is 54. Actor Rick Moranis is 53. Actor Eric Roberts is 50. Actress Melody Thomas Scott (“Young and the Restless“) is 50. Actor John James (“Dynasty,” “The Colbys”) is 50. Bassist Les Pattinson of Echo and the Bunnymen is 48. Actress Jane Leeves (“Frasier“) is 45. Talk show host Conan O’Brien is 43. Actor Eric McCormack (“Will and Grace“) is 43. Actress Maria Bello is 39. Singer Trina of Trina and Tamara is 32. Actress Melissa Joan Hart (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch“) is 30. Actress Alia Shawkat (“Arrested Development”) is 17.

Composer-musician Jan Hammer is 58. Actress Olivia Hussey is 55. Singer-guitarist Pete Shelley of The Buzzcocks is 51. Actor Sean Bean (“Lord of the Rings“) is 47. Singer Maynard James Keenan of Tool is 42. Actress Lela Rochon is 42. Actress Kimberly Elise is 39. Singer Liz Phair is 39. Rapper-actor Redman is 36. Actress Jennifer Garner (“Alias“) is 34. Singer Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls is 32. Actress Lindsay Korman (“Passions”) is 28. Actress Dee Dee Davis (“The Bernie Mac Show”) is 10.

Singer Bobby Vinton is 71. Singer Gerry Rafferty is 59. Actress Ellen Barkin is 52. Singer Jimmy Osmond is 43. Singer David Pirner of Soul Asylum is 42. Actor-comedian Martin Lawrence is 41. Actor Jon Cryer is 41. Actor Peter Billingsley (“A Christmas Story“) is 35. Actor Lukas Haas is 30.