45

As of 2:41 AM this morning, I have now officially been wandering this Planet Earth for exactly 45 years. Yes, another birthday has fallen upon me.

I'm not doing anything particularly special today. My last "special" birthday was five years ago, my 40th. It was a milestone day, and as it turned out, a really special one. I almost didn't celebrate it, but a truly dear friend convinced me otherwise, and I'm certainly glad I did.

I turn 45 today, but I really don't feel that age. I can't believe I'm that age, but I do my best to remind myself: "it's just a number."

I remember my 25th birthday very well, as I had to work at Tower Records that day. My friends knew it was my birthday, and the moment I walked into the store, I heard the opening chords of the Beatles classic, "Birthday." I stopped, looked up toward the mezzanine, and saw a couple of my friends with huge grins on their faces as I realized it was no coincidence. I can't believe that was 20 years ago.

January 4th isn't a very popular birthday in terms of famous people. I share the birthday with Sir Isaac Newton, Louis Braille, Floyd Patterson, Jane Wyman, Dyan Cannon, Michael Stipe, Matt Frewer, Don Shula, and Jakob Grimm (of Grimm's Fairy Tales).

It's not a big day in history. Nothing incredibly earthshaking has ever occurred on January 4th. But among the notable events:

1885: Dr. William Grant performs the first successful appendectomy in Davenport, Iowa.

1896: Utah officially becomes the 45th state.

1954: Elvis Presley recorded his first demos at Sun Records and it included the song, "My Happiness."

1962: I was born. But you already knew that. New York City also debuted a subway train that ran without a crew operating it. (Did they ever bring them back?)

1970: The Beatles recorded their final song together, "I Me Mine," at Abbey Road Studios in London. It would appear on the "Let It Be" album four months later. And in Minnesota, the Vikings beat the Cleveland Browns, 27-7, to win their only NFL championship at Metropolitan Stadium (they lost the Super Bowl to Kansas City the following week).

1986: Thin Lizzy lead singer Phil Lynott dies in London at the age of 36 of heart failure and pneumonia.

1999: Jesse Ventura is officially sworn in as governor of Minnesota.

2006: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffers a second debilitating stroke, and turns power over to Acting PM Ehud Olmert.

If any of you out there reading my blog are celebrating a birthday today, I wish you a happy one today.

And no matter what age you are, just remember: it's just a number.