This song is, once again, Aimee Mann. It's called "31 Today." Long story short, the song's narrator is facing her birthday realizing her life has been fucked up, is fucked up, and is going to continue being fucked up. Can anyone relate to that? Anyone? Other than me?
I turned 25 about two weeks ago now, and for some reason today I've been feeling what I felt then. When you're young (I'd argue up to the age of 21 when the last good thing that happens with getting older occurs), your birthday is the greatest day ever. Everyone makes a big deal, you have a party, possibly with funny hats and cake and/or copious amounts of booze and good friends.
Then, after a certain point, your birthday becomes a day of doom. A reminder of another year gone by. A reminder that all those dreams you have as a kid just aren't going to happen. Another year of mistakes, failures, and regret. At least, that's what my birthdays are like. Even when my friends are involved and I have copious amounts of booze.
Another year is coming. You make more promises to yourself that things will change, you're going to get out of here, finally have that success you want so badly. But you don't know how, or what to do. So instead, the bad habits resume. The drinks form a whiskey-mist that you cant escape from. You smoke too much as you worry about what your next step is. As you sit on the couch watching reruns of shows already in syndication you realize just how completely alone you are in this world, and how there's no one you can relate to who could understand because everyone you know is on their own god-damned Robert Frost-esque road that diverged from yours a long time ago in that stupid yellow wood, giving you yet another reason to hate nature and a desire to burn it all down so you rebuild.
Oh well. Another day, another year, another bad decision coming right up.
All right, I have to jump in here. First, 30s are seriously much better than 20s and, good Lord, teens. But, at the risk of sounding cheesy, they are what you make of them. Put on your big boy pants and make the changes you need to make. Go after what you want (but do it the right way). Stop watching reruns and other mindless shit that just drags you down, and make things happen. Sorry if you think I'm butting in, but you put it out there for everybody...so here's a dose of tough love (and I do love you...and your mom and your whole somewhat screwed up family).
Posted by: P. Main | 02/23/2011 at 04:41 PM