Day 362: I know what you are likely thinking: "Paul, you just gave us your list of your Top 40 favorite songs. What is there left to say?" Point taken, but this whole project is building to my 40th birthday, right? It only seems fair to end with a Big Birthday Finish as the final chapter in this project. With that, I must admit today, is in fact NOT my birthday, and for the record, I do not like cigars. But, the big day draws near, I thought today was as good of one as any to mention the break-out first single, "Birthday" from the-little-band-that-could, Iceland's own The Sugarcubes. The song is a delightfully odd little number that is perhaps most famous for the vocal gymnastics of international free spirit Bjork. I must admit that I am not the world's biggest fan of Bjork, but she certainly has her moments, and if nothing else, I deeply and sincerely respect her weirdness. I would also be remiss not to mention the time at a party at Purdue that I asked my Icelandic lab mate Guðbjörg Oskarsdóttir what she thought of Bjork. It was slightly awkward as my question was something akin to "hey, you're from Iceland, do you like Bjork?" But, fortunately for me Bjork seems to be a bit of a national hero there, so I don't think I came off too weird myself. Finally, for the record, I like the swan dress. That's right, I thought that it was cool. Deal with it.
09/28/2015
Day 363: I suppose that in life we essentially are trained to think that aging is a step-wise activity. One day you are 39, and the next day you are 40, but you get to *stay* being 40 for an entire year. However, what today's song, "Older" from They Might Be Giants clarifies is that aging is in reality a continuous function. Next month you will be older than you are this month. Next week you will be older than you are this week. Tomorrow you will be older than you are today. By the time you finish reading this message, you will be older than when you started. There, doesn't that make you feel better? Don't blame me or They Might Be Giants for that matter, it's just science.
09/29/2015
Day 364: Some people really don't like birthdays. I can't count myself among those ranks, but it is certainly a feeling that is not unique or even rare. But, even if you don't like birthdays, most people will at least wish you well on your special day. Well, Morrissey is not most people. I am not sure how many gloomy songs are out there about birthdays, but today's selection, "Unhappy Birthday," by the Smiths, is certainly one of them. Morrissey is sometimes not the most subtle with his lyrics, but this one perhaps takes the cake: "I've come to wish you an unhappy birthday because you're evil, and you lie, and if you should die, I may feel slightly sad (but I won't cry)." Ouch! Tell them what your *really* feel! Well, tomorrow is the big day and there is only one song remaining. When it comes down to it, there is really only one song that I could have selected for tomorrow. I don't think it is that much of a surprise, and at least two of you out there should get it on your first guess. Tune in tomorrow to see if you are correct.
09/30/2015
Day 365: Well, today is the day that I turn 40 and it is the last day of this year-long project. I suppose that you could say that this project has been a lot of things. Some days it has been happy, some days it's been silly, some days it has been sad, and maybe even some days it has made you think. But at its core, this project is really just a bit self-indulgent. I am OK with that. But, I hope that it has also been a lot of fun. For me, it has been tremendous fun. With those two things in mind, the only song that I could use today is the super fun (and self indulgent) song, "Happy Birthday (To Me)" from Cracker. After all, I am "feeling thankful for the small things today." Perhaps my favorite memory of this song is when I sort of (but not really) crashed my friends Kimber and Al's (catholic) wedding reception with some actual orange crepe paper and Halloween candy. Fortunately, they were just happy to see my face at a time like that. Well, I guess that about does it. Once again, I hope that you all enjoyed these 365 days as much as I have. I think that I am going to go out and enjoy my big day. Thanks for listening.
10/01/2015
Day 366: (Epilogue) Really Morrissey? Really? You just couldn't resist being a downer, now could you? I know that I said yesterday was it, but what can I say… I lied. OK, that's it. I'm done. Peace out. God Bless.
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