I celebrated my birthday by first hiring some dudes to take down a dead pine tree in my backyard. The tree died about a year-and-a-half ago, and ever since it’s looked more and more threatening. Like it was just aching to fall on my house every time the wind whipped through my neighborhood. I thought about cutting it down myself, but after watching the pros in action for six hours, I knew I would’ve been seriously unequipped for the job.