A FEW MONTHS BEFORE I HIT THE ROAD, MY NEPHEW JOSH CAME UP FROM ORANGE COUNTY TO SPEND THE DAY WITH HIS UNCLE BOBBY. For some reason, he’s got it in his mind that I know all these famous people and I live a glamourous life. One day the kid will figure it out. Until then, the illusion lives on.

To perpetuate the myth, I took him to breakfast at the Newsroom, a healthy low-key celeb hangout and one of my favorite dining spots back when I was actually sleeping in the same bed every night and paying rent in lovely Beverly Hills Adjacent.

We weren’t at our table more than 2 minutes when Josh noticed a young kid at an outdoor table just outside the window from our indoor spot.

“Omigod,” he said like a ’60s Beatlemaniac, “that’s Hayden Christensen.”

“Who?”

“Hayden Christensen,” Josh said in an excited whisper, as if his teenaged Canadian hero might actually hear him through the thick glass window. “He played Anikin Skywalker in the last Star Wars movie. I can’t believe he’s here!”

Personally, I never would’ve recognized the kid. But Josh is a Star Wars freak. His bedroom is full of the toys, posters and action figures that helped make George Lucas a rich man.

In an attempt to score points with my young nephew—a great, sensitive kid who I see all too little—I walked over and asked Christensen if he’d take a picture with my nephew. We can stop by and say hello on our way out and you make a kid’s day.

And that’s how it played out. Josh got to meet one of his heroes. I got to take a couple more digital pictures. Our waiter got a bigger-than-normal tip. Hayden Christensen got his ego stroked by a 6th grader from Mission Viejo. Everybody was happy.

The reason I’m relating this story is because today is Josh’s birthday. And since I didn’t send him a birthday card, I figured I’d try to make up for it by posting a picture of Josh and the big movie star on my website. Even if it did take me 3 weeks after his birthday to post the damn thing.

Happy birthday, Josh. I’ll get you next year.