Totally go to the birthday party. Slippers is right old timers love newbies. And it really is the more the merrier. Besides how can you turn down the thought of free cake? It also shows support for the person whose birthday it is. Down here it's always announced at meetings if anyone in any group has a birthday coming up, especially if it's one of the 5 year medallion years, and the expectation is that you want lots of people to show up. I go to a whole buch of different meetings so I'm really hoping lots of people show up for my one year in Nov. (assuming I make it).