21 for 21: #1—R.E.M., "Automatic for the People"

21 days, 21 CDs—it's June 21, my 47th birthday, and in what should not be a surprise to anyone who knows me, my favorite CD in my collection is "Automatic for the People" by R.E.M. It's been my favorite CD since I bought it in December of 1992, and it remains that way until today.

The album reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, produced six singles, and sold more than 18 million copies. It's not a perfect album—I can do without track six, "Sweetness Follows," and I always skip track nine, "Star Me Kitten," but the other ten tracks on the album are absolute masterpieces, each and every one.

The first four tracks, "Drive," "Try Not to Breathe," "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite," and "Everybody Hurts" are R.E.M. at the pinnacle of their career. Each song blends the country-infused instruments with Michael Stipe's trademark nasal croon to brilliant effect. "Monty Got a Raw Deal" and the political primal scream of "Ignoreland" anchor the center of the CD, and then the ending...oh, the ending.

Track ten is "Man on the Moon," a tribute in part to the brilliant insanity of Andy Kaufman. What follows are simply the two best songs R.E.M. ever recorded. #11 is "Nightswimming," just a piano, a string arrangement, and Stipe's voice. #12 is my favorite song on the whole album, "Find the River," an elegiacal metaphor of the journey of life. Stipe and the band take us down a river where bergamot and vetiver, ginger, lemon, indigo mark the places on the bank, flowing eternally and inexorably to the ocean, the very image of life ending in one kind of death—the end of the river—but another kind of life, the endless ocean.

This album also means so much to me because it marks the beginning of my sobriety, now extended into its 23rd year. I heard "Drive" on the radio many times in those first tenuous days of sobriety, before I even knew what it meant or where it was going to take me. This album was my constant companion in those early days, and it's been with me ever since, and it's easy to see that it will always be at the top of this list. It's my most cherished piece of music I own.

21 for 21: #2—The Cure, "Wish"

My silver medalist at #2 in my countdown of my top 21 favorite CDs is "Wish" by The Cure. I simply love this album more than words can say, but I'll try. Released in 1992, the album made it all the way to #1 in the U.K. and #2 in the U.S. It's four-star review in Rolling Stone included this quote: "For its cult of millions, the Cure offers the only kind of optimism that makes sense."

That's what I love most about this album—the balance between slow songs that mourn lost love and sing of the sadness of loneliness and the absolute joy that love and friendship brings. Both the guitars and Robert Smith's masterful vocals express this tension and balance.

Each song has a primary melodic theme that is carried by the lead guitar—think about that unforgettable opening riff on their poppiest, peppiest single ever, "Friday I'm In Love"—da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dum! Each song has a central riff like that, and it ties the whole album together thematically.

The songs are a balance between the jarring, dissonant chord-crunching alternative sounds of songs like "Open," "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea," "Wendy Time," and "Cut," to the quiet introspection of ballads like "Apart," "Trust," and "To Wish Impossible Things," and finally, to that pure, blissful optimism that the Rolling Stone reviewer wrote about in "High," "Doing the Unstuck," and "Friday I'm in Love."

However, the true pinnacle of the album is the song that puts all three together, "A Letter to Elise." It's a break-up song that laments the end of love while, at the same time, celebrating it's sublime beauty. Smith's voice is at his most emotional, pleading, plaintive, and finally, bittersweetly accepting that all things must end. The lyrics build to what I think is perhaps the most beautiful, soaring, aching guitar instrumental I've ever heard. It's not unusual for this song to bring me to tears; it's that beautiful.

21 for 21: #3—Kate Bush, "The Sensual World"

I've finally reached the medal platform, and earning the bronze in my #3 spot among my favorite CDs in my collection is "The Sensual World" by Kate Bush. Released in 1989, it was her sixth album. It climbed all the way to #2 in the U.K. and made it as far as #43 in the U.S. It's also one of the most wonderful pieces of music I've ever owned.

I think it was in an article at Cracked.com that I first read this quote, and it's one of the most true statements I've ever seen: "There are two types of people: those who love Kate Bush, and those who are wrong." This was actually the second CD I ever purchased (trivia: "Broadcast" by Cutting Crew was the first). I was late to the CD party, not wanting to give up on vinyl until it was too late.

I already was a fan, having seen her videos for "Running Up That Hill" and "Hounds of Love" late at night on MTV when they played the weird stuff. I also had her entire "Hounds of Love" album on cassette when "The Sensual World" was released. At the time I bought the CD, the only song I knew was "This Woman's Work" because it had also appeared on the soundtrack of John Hughes' movie "She Having a Baby."

Every song on the CD is just amazing, so I won't bore you with a detailed breakdown, but here are a few highlights. The opening track, "The Sensual World," draws from the Molly Bloom chapter of James Joyce's "Ulysses" to weave an enticing, erotic spell on the listener from the outset. Next comes the driving beat of "Love and Anger," which also features Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour.

Some of the other notable tracks are "Reaching Out" and "Heads We're Dancing," along with, of course, Kate's vocal virtuosity on "This Woman's Work." My absolute favorite song on the whole CD, however, is "Deeper Understanding." Kate was decades ahead of Spike Jonze and Joaquin Phoenix's wonderfully melancholy film "Her" in her musical story of a lonely woman who falls in love with her computer. Featuring haunting background vocals from the Trio Bulgarka, female vocalists from Bulgaria, it's one of the most beautifully emotional songs ever recorded.

21 for 21: #4—Depeche Mode, "Violator"

As I reflect on this list, it occurs to me that a more honest title should be "Best CDs from my time in graduate school," since 1990-1992 is the era of release for most of these albums. Perhaps none captures the bliss of this era for me more than tonight's #4 pick, "Violator" by Depeche Mode.

This is the second appearance by the British alterna-synth quartet, and far and away their best work of their career. "Violator" was their first top ten album in the U.S., making it as far as #7 on the Billboard charts. It's sold more than 3 million copies to date in the U.S. alone. Listening to the tracks is almost like going back in time.

Grad school was a kind of magic time for me in a lot of ways. I had successfully completed journalism school at Mizzou, but instead of jumping into the profession, I wanted to get a master's degree in English to work toward my eventual goal to become a novelist. Grad school gave me a limited number of fun and interesting classes, a teaching appointment, and ample free time to write and hang out with my friends, who were all still in college during my first year.

To make things a bit more interesting, I also had a girlfriend for a few months, something that hadn't happened since my junior year of high school. I had, quite literally, zero dates during my undergrad years in college. In retrospect, no romantic attachments are certainly conducive to making good grades, which I did. But grad school was different. I was dating, my apartment roommate (Wags) was dating, we had mutual friends who were dating. Result: we hosted dinner parties.

I had learned a little Italian cooking from another friend (and previous year's roommate), so I started working on big pasta dishes—mostaccioli, stuffed manicotti, lasagna. "Violator" was on the CD player whenever I cooked. "World in My Eyes" played during prep. The sauce started with "Sweetest Perfection" and simmered through "Personal Jesus" and "Halo." By the time "Enjoy the Silence" began to play, I put it all together, and put it in the oven by the end of "Policy of Truth."

Our girlfriends and our guests all enjoyed the meals, and I enjoyed feeling like I might actually make a semi-decent grownup. I still like to cook Italian for special occasions, sometimes with friends, usually with the family I have with the wife I met three years after I left grad school. "Violator" is on my iPhone instead of on my CD player, but it still makes for a great cooking album. Here's my favorite song off the album—bon appetit!

21 for 21: #5—Nirvana, "Nevermind"

Coming in at #5 on my list of my favorite 21 CDs in my collection is probably the most important, the most influential, the most game-changing album of my lifetime, "Nevermind" by Nirvana. A Billboard #1 album, it has sold 30 million albums worldwide and is regularly recognized as one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

In 1991, pop music was stale and predictable, with pop staples like Michael Jackson and Madonna putting out familiar music and glam hair bands like Warrant and Winger getting their videos played in heavy rotation on MTV. My sister, on the other hand, was sending me tapes with music from bands I had never heard of like School of Fish, King's X, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nirvana. I liked everything she sent me, but I wasn't prepared for the Nirvana tape she gave me in Fall of 1991.

I was working on the layout for the latest issue of Stir magazine, the Mizzou student creative magazine founded by my friend Mike Tucker. I was working in the student organization offices in the basement of Brady Commons, and this afternoon, I was alone as far as I could tell. I had just received the new Nirvana tape from my sister, but I hadn't listened to it yet. I dropped it into the boom box tape deck and heard this:

If you weren't there at the time, I can't really describe the effect that this song and its attendant album had on music at the time. I stopped working midway through the first chorus and just listened to the song. When it was over, I rewound it and listened to it again, then I listened to the rest of the album. Then I put the tape back in and listened to it again.

Nirvana is such a part of American culture now that it's difficult to exaggerate how much influence they had on us. They almost single-handedly killed hair metal. Bands like Poison and Warrant, which had been selling out arenas, found themselves playing county fairs and small clubs again, if that. Nirvana opened the door to make other grunge and alternative bands not just marketable but dominant, especially on MTV. They even affected fashion, and young people rushed out to buy flannel shirts and Birkenstocks.

Of course, a supernova experience like this couldn't but help to burn out too soon and too quickly. Frontman Kurt Cobain couldn't handle the pressures of fame, and he fell into drug addiction, despair, and eventually, suicide. But their legacy lives on with the genius of drummer Dave Grohl, who went on to form the Foo Fighters, a great band in their own right.

There are few artists who can really be considered world-changing: Elvis Presley; Bob Dylan; The Beatles...who else is there? Who else had such an impact on our culture that things changed in a way that they would never change back again? Certainly Nirvana is to be counted among these others, not to mention just how unbelievably good "Nevermind" is, and continues to be almost 25 years later.

21 for 21: #6—Pearl Jam, "Ten"

Just missing out on the top five is my #6 pick for my 21 favorite CDs in my collection, "Ten" by Pearl Jam. They were, of course, part of the grunge wave of the early nineties, and not surprisingly, the one band out of that group of meteors flashing across the musical sky to still be around today.

"Ten" is just an amazing piece of work, primarily on the strength of the first six songs on the CD. It was their debut album, making it's way all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 200. It's sold 13 million copies to date, and it made Eddie Vedder both a superstar and a household name. "Ten" is still the most successful CD of their long career as a band.

Look at those first six songs, though: "Once," "Even Flow," "Alive," "Why Go," "Black," and "Jeremy." Each song bristles with raw emotion and energy, Vedder's voice flying from a mumbled whisper to an impassioned scream in the space of a few distorted guitar chords. The lyrics are just as raw, speaking of loss, depression, and despair. And with all that, it just rocks, man, plain and simple.

Pearl Jam is one of the best bands I've never seen live. My sister simply adored this band when they broke big—she was already well-connected to the Seattle music scene as a subscriber to Sub Pop Records—and we stood in line for almost two hours to buy tickets to one of their St. Louis concerts, only to be told within two or three people between us and the ticket window that the concert had sold out. No Stub Hub to appeal to in those days, either; you had to take your chances with a scalper and hope he wasn't a police detective.

It was one of the most disappointing music experiences in memory; I'm not sure if my sister ever got over it, but I hope she did. I've always said if I ever had a chance to get tickets to one of their shows and take her, I would. I also said I'd jump at the chance to see the band Rush in concert, too, until I found out their recent stop in St. Louis featured nose-bleed seats starting at $90. Who has that kind of money to see a band play live? Not me, and probably not a lot of other people, either. Sometimes an opportunity missed will always be an opportunity lost.

Jules and I used to like to scream along with the radio when this one came on, so this one's for you, Toad:

21 for 21: #7—Metallica, "Metallica" (aka "The Black Album")

Oh, for heaven's sake, it's the title of the blog! Coming in at #7 on my top 21 favorite CDs from my collection is Metallica's self-titled 1991 monster smash, often called "The Black Album" due to its cover art. This was Metallica's first #1 album, and it spawned five hit singles, including the one for which this blog is named, "Enter Sandman." It also happens to be my theme song.

Or at least it would be, if I were someone famous. I don't really want to be famous—not any more, at least—but I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't be amazing to have a late-night host announce my name, the curtain opens, then I walk out onto the stage with that driving percussion and ominous guitar proclaiming my arrival.

Why is this my song? That's a story in itself. Although it seems rather obvious, considering my last name is "Sanders," I was given the nickname "Sandman" by a young man from St. Louis named Lou Viviano when I was a freshman at the University of Missouri. Living in the dorms was like the army in that you didn't get to pick your nickname; it was given to you. "Sandman" stuck, and it's stuck for almost 30 years now.

My friends from college still answer to these names...Mike Wagner is "Wags," Mike Tucker is "Tuck," Joe Daus is "Joe Dog," William J. Williams, Jr. is "Ditto," and PhD in nuclear physics David Rainwater is "Super Dave." One of my proudest moments was walking across the stage at Mizzou in 1992 to receive my master's degree in English and hearing Wags and Ditto shout out from the crowd, "Exit light! Enter night! Take my hand! We're off to Never Never Land!" It's the closest to walk-on music I'll probably ever come, so thanks, guys!

The album is amazing, of course. I was never a big fan in high school—metal heads were a weird, frightening group—but I liked the MTV single "One" enough to buy their "...And Justice For All" album (#23 on my 2013 list of favorite vinyl albums), so I was familiar with their music when "Metallica" came out in 1991.

The traditionalists condemned the band for "selling out" because their music was more acceptable to a mainstream audience (like me). It's definitely less prog-thrash (no more 15-minute long tracks) and much more emphasis is placed on lyrical and melodic structures. But it's certainly no less hard and no less metal. There's more than enough thrash to go around, even if they did include a power ballad ("Nothing Else Matters").

Sorry, I need to go now—they're playing my song:

21 for 21: #8—The Cure, "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me"

Now we're getting into some rarified air as we closer to the top of my 21 favorite CDs from my collection. These are all classic albums, any of which could appear at the top of anyone else's collection. My #8 pick is 1987's "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" by The Cure.

This was their first top 40 album in America and the first one to get heavy prime-time airplay on MTV, mainly on the strength of their singles "Why Can't I Be You?" and "Just Like Heaven." This was the album that first brought The Cure to my attention, and although I enjoyed their songs, I wouldn't really appreciate this album until the nineties.

I was too immersed in MTV pop and hair metal in the eighties to truly appreciate the genius of The Cure. This is not a perfect album by any measurable standard; there are a few throwaway tracks, but that's to be expected on what was originally a vinyl double album. But the classic tracks are so good, they make the whole album a magnificent work of musical artistry.

The album opens with the dissonant, screeching guitars of "The Kiss," then transitions to the mellow bounce of "Catch." "Torture" gives more high-energy guitar work, then it slows down again with the Middle-Eastern flavored exotica of "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep." Robert Smith's unique vocals, that screechy whine that still resonates with power and passion, governs it all with skill and assurance.

The album kicks into high gear with the brassy horns and bebop syncopation of "Why Can't I Be You?" Next comes the second-best song on the album, the French-flavored ode to a lost love and their magical day in Paris, "How Beautiful You Are." Two track later is the best song ever recorded by humans, "Just Like Heaven."

This song is a perfect miracle, building so simply with just acoustic guitar and drums, layering each instrument one by one until the guitar theme plays ahead of Smith singing, "Show me, show me, show me how you do that trick..." Found within its three verses is the perfect song of love and loss. It is, quite simply, my favorite song of all time.

Last of the best tracks is "Hot Hot Hot!!!", a strutting, preening peacock of a song that could be the cure for every empty dance floor in the world. Smith's vocals on this track sound like a snake charmer's invitation, and the balance between the bass line and the funk guitar gives the song it's perfect tension.

You can listen to the rest of the tracks if you like—they're basically a bunch of B-sides (go ask someone old enough to remember vinyl singles if you don't know what that means)—but just the songs I've mentioned are strong enough to justify the number eight spot for me. "Just Like Heaven" alone would have put it in the top ten. Robert Smith said he considers "Just Like Heaven" to be one of the band's strongest works, and called it "the best pop song The Cure have ever done." Who am I to argue with genius?

21 for 21: #9—Queensryche, "Empire"

My first (but not my last) repeat artist is the progressive metal band Queensryche with their 1990 release "Empire." This band previously appeared at #20 with "Operation: Mindcrime." "Empire" is their biggest commercial success, with the album reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 200 on the strength of their monster #1 single, "Silent Lucidity."
As I mentioned before, college friend Michael Tucker and I saw the band perform live in St. Louis on their tour in support of this album. As much as I like "Operation: Mindcrime," "Empire" is not just more accomplished musically, it's a more personal and accessible album. The songs have more to do with relationships, and the overall attitude is much more positive than the gloomy, ultimately futile mission of the protagonist in "O:M."

Queensryche is one of the few "progressive metal" bands in existence, combining the artistic and musical sophistication of such prog-rock bands like Rush and Yes with the guitar- and percussion-driven instrumentation of heavy metal. I think they perfected the genre with this album. As before, the combination of Geoff Tate's vocals with Chris DeGarmo's songwriting and guitar is what sets the band apart and makes this album so memorable.

The personal nature of songs makes this album particularly appealing to me. The opening song, "Best I Can" is about a young man paralyzed in an accident who is determined to walk again. "The Thin Line," "Jet City Woman," and "Another Rainy Night" are all about the challenges of making a relationship work. "Empire" is about the struggle of inner-city residents in the face of the violence associated with a powerful drug empire.

The magnus opus, however, is "Silent Lucidity," a song about lucid dreaming, which is the ability to actively control one's dreams while within the dream world. Many books have been written about this ability, but as far as I know, it's the only song about it. It's without a doubt one of the most beautiful songs recorded in popular music, and it's no surprise it was their #1 hit.

21 for 21: #10—George Michael, "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1"

I know many of you at this point are thinking, "Has he lost his mind? George Michael? The Wham! guy? This is a joke, right?" Absolutely not, although I certainly thought so before I listened to the CD that kicks off the top ten of my top 21 favorite CDs in my collection, George Michael's 1990 masterpiece, "Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1."

I went through the whole thing with Wham! in the 1980s, from digging their earworm-infested pop ("Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," and don't deny that you listened to it over and over again) and soulful ballads ("Careless Whisper," still a great song). But by the nineties, the group had broken up, with Andrew Ridgeley forgotten and George Michael a punchline.

Then something miraculous happened—Michael, in an attempt to be taken more seriously as a songwriter, wrote one of the best albums of the past thirty years. Every song on this CD is just amazing. Michael's voice is as strong as ever (don't believe me? He's the only singer who ever came close to matching Freddy Mercury's strength when he performed "Someone to Love" at the Mercury tribute concert), but it's the songs themselves that are a true revelation.

Sure, you've probably heard "Freedom 90," the biggest hit single from the album. It's the rest of the songs that reveal the true artist living underneath the pop star exterior. In retrospect, it was still considered career suicide to come out as a gay man in 1990. With the (not at all surprising) truth about Michael's homosexuality now in the open, the songs on this CD are a plea for understanding and acceptance.

Just look at the titles of the tracks: Praying for Time; Freedom 90; They Won't Go When I Go; Something to Save; Cowboys and Angels; Waiting for that Day; Mother's Pride; Heal the Pain; Soul Free; Waiting. George was telling us something for sure; we just weren't ready to listen.

Well, listen (without prejudice) now:

21 for 21: #11—Michael McDermott, "620 W. Surf"

Making its way just on the cusp of the top ten in my "21 for 21" countdown of my 21 favorite CDs from my collection is one of my most personal and sentimental favorites, "620 W. Surf," the debut album by Chicago singer-songwriter Michael McDermott. I've owned this CD since 1991, and after hundreds of listens, it still hasn't grown stale.

McDermott was hailed as the "next Bob Dylan" when his album hit the charts. His music definitely has that same folk rock feel as Dylan, and he plays a mean harmonica, but McDermott's voice is light-years better than Dylan's ever was. Stephen King himself was a fan, writing, "Not since I first heard Bruce Springsteen singing 'Rosalita' had I heard someone who excited me so much as a listener, who turned my dials so high, who just made me feel so (expletive) happy to have ears."*

He's not kidding. This is a great album. Every song tells a story, and every tune is appealing. The music encompasses folk, rock, blues, and country, all played with confidence and assurance. The sad thing is, McDermott threw away a promising career by succumbing to the rock lifestyle of booze and drugs. By his own admission, "By the time I was 24, I was over.*

But along the way, he got married and had a kid, kicked his cocaine habit and backed off on his drinking, and he's back to making music, which includes playing live and reprising the songs from his debut album. I saw McDermott play live at The Blue Note in Columbia. There weren't many in the club that night, so I stood next to the stage for most of the show. I've been a fan ever since, and the album is another of my go-to discs for when I write fiction. His storytelling inspires my own.

Here's his 2011 live performance of the opening track (and biggest hit) from the album, "A Wall I Must Climb." I still get excited when I hear those snare beats that kick off the song.

* quotes taken from a Chicago Tribune article by Mark Caro

21 for 21: #12—Enya, "Watermark"

If I were counting down my most frequently played CDs, this would easily be at number one. As it is, it charts at #12 on my top 21 favorite CDs in my collection. It's the Irish new-age artist Enya with her 1988 classic "Watermark." Even if you think you've never heard of Enya, chances are you've heard her music in a movie, on a commercial, or in an office or elevator.

I first discovered Enya (real name: Eithne Ní Bhraonáin; yeah, let's go with "Enya") as I did much of the music on this list...on MTV with her biggest single, "Orinoco Flow." It was unusual because 1988 was the age of Madonna and Van Halen; what was this strange Irish lady with this weird song doing on MTV? As it turns out, her album made it as high as #25 on the Billboard Hot 200.

I think it was college roommate Mark Grossman who first bought a copy of the CD, and it became regular background music for marathon study sessions as well as study break games of Pente. I don't know when I bought my own copy, but I've had it forever and have played it maybe more than a thousand times.

The music is just wonderful. Most of the songs are quiet and low-key; even the more upbeat songs won't really raise your pulse rate much. She uses mainly keyboards with some backing percussion and the occasional Irish pipes. Her voice is ethereal and beautiful, like a faerie from the mists of Irish legends. Some of the songs are sung in her native Irish, and this only intensifies the other-worldliness of the music. Other songs are in English, some are instrumental, and one is in Latin. Not exactly your mainstream pop album.

I love this album and listen to it constantly for one primary reason: it's my background music for when I write my Llanfyllin novels. Both books, Dylan's Treasure (finished in 2005) and The Springs of Llanfyllin (currently under construction) are set in my imaginary medieval version of Wales, and the female protagonist of the books is Irish. Enya's album is the perfect soundtrack for these stories, and when I'm writing, chances are this is playing on the stereo.

Here's the song that started it all, but you really should listen to the whole album; it's an amazing experience that has never stopped for me for more than 25 years.

21 for 21: #13—Third Eye Blind, "Third Eye Blind"

How's it going to be?

My 13th favorite CD from my collection is the self-titled debut album from the band Third Eye Blind. Released in 1997, it reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 200 and spawned three hit singles, all of which form the basis for my affinity for the band and this album. I absolutely love these three songs; the rest of the album is certainly worth listening to, but these three songs are inspired alternative pop-rock, especially indicative of music in the nineties and the pinnacle of the band's career. I'll let the songs justify themselves.

Semi-Charmed Life

A happy little ditty about meth addiction.

Jumper

Please don't commit suicide.

How's It Going To Be

An emotionally devastating break-up song.

So, so, so good.

21 for 21: #14: Depeche Mode, "Music for the Masses"

I'm taking a ride
with my best friend...

Well, it took seven previous CDs, all from the nineties, to get us back to the eighties, but my #14 pick for my favorite CDs in my collection is the Depeche Mode masterpiece "Music for the Masses." The album debuted in 1987, where it peaked on the Billboard Hot 200 at #35. This album is definitely one of DM's darker offerings, and it pays off in dramatic fashion.

I first discovered Depeche Mode on MTV with their hit single "People Are People." I was a big proponent of '80s synth-pop, and DM was one of the pioneers of this style of music; they were famous for years for not even having a drummer on stage, a fact they used for dramatic success when I saw them on their mid-nineties "Songs of Faith and Devotion" tour, when they made a big deal about having a drum set on stage (and playing the heck out of it, as well!).

The album begins with the glorious, soaring wail of chords that sound like warning alarms with "Never Let Me Down Again," and ode to the heroin addiction that had taken the life of a friend (the same addiction that almost destroyed lead singer Dave Gahan). Track three is the most danceable song about S&M sex, "Strangelove."

The collaboration between Martin Gore's songwriting talent and Dave Gahan's deep, piercing vocals was one of the most productive pairings of the eighties and nineties. The production of this particular album is also masterful—the levels of sound seem to go down to infinite levels on some tracks; on others, the sparseness of sound leaves you feeling adrift alone on an ocean of sound. Still others are just strange and experimental ("Pimpf," "Agent Orange").

This album is not for everyone, and it's certainly not entry-level work for anyone unfamiliar with Depeche Mode. I didn't buy this album until the mid-nineties, when I was already well-versed with their music. But for those who appreciate that great music can come from a place that doesn't contain guitars or drums, this is an album to be experienced over and over again.

21 for 21: #15: R.E.M., "New Adventures in Hi-Fi"

Their last great album

My #15 pick in my CD collection is one of the more obscure offerings from R.E.M.'s later career, "New Adventures in Hi-Fi." Released in 1996, it was also the band's last album with original drummer Bill Berry, who soon after left the band, in part due to a brain aneurism he suffered on tour in 1995. They really were never the same band after that, so I consider this disc their swan song.

It's not really that much of a stretch to call an R.E.M. album "experimental," since their entire career was a mixture of radio-friendly pop songs interspersed with unusual, innovative, and bizarre sonic experiments. Even so, this album has an experimental feel throughout, with the band embracing many of the alternative music qualities of mid-nineties innovators like Radiohead.

Many of the tracks are sparse and introspective, with lead singer Michael Stipe's nasal, cracked lyrics interposed upon isolated guitar chords, slow percussion, or electronic beeps. The louder tracks have an urgent, sometimes furious intensity, and the emphasis is on instrumental distortion and feedback. It's a moody, brooding, sometimes dark album, and the fact that it both sounds like R.E.M. and doesn't sound like R.E.M. at the same time is part of it's appeal.

As usual with this list, it's one of my favorite CDs to write with while it's playing in the background. It's continued unfamiliarity is part of it's appeal, and it's certainly the last great R.E.M. album of their storied career. Here's the video for one of my favorite songs from the album, "Bittersweet Me."

21 for 21: #16—Enormous Richard "Answers All Your Questions"

I'll be shocked if anyone has even heard of the band and the album at #16 on my list of top 21 CDs in my collection. Enormous Richard was a local St. Louis band who achieved the peak of their local notoriety in the early 1990s. The album "Answers All Your Questions" was bought at one of their many live performances that I attended in the summer and fall of 1992.

I graduated with my Master's degree from the University of Missouri in May of 1992 and got a job doing graphic design work for the United Way of Greater St. Louis. The woman who did video production in my department is the sister of Chris Bess, who sang and played accordion in the band. She invited me out to see one of their shows, and I was instantly hooked.

The genre of music they played is hard to describe—they called it "skuntry," supposedly a mix of ska and country, but in reality, it was a style all its own. The songs are a mix of St. Louis area experiences ("Planet Granite," "The Hill," "Been to the Fair"), relationship songs ("Support System," "People in Pairs," "Freezer Full of Meat," "Hole in My Record Collection"), and strange personal confessions ("My Morbid Self-Absorption," "The Chemistry Song," "I Feel Crummy").

What was best about Enormous Richard (other than the dirty joke worthy of Shakespeare himself) was their live performances. I probably saw them most often at the Hi-Pointe Café near Forest Park, and it was always a great show. The places they played were mainly cramped bars, so they were just a few feet away from the audience.

There's just something about a local band that hasn't made it big and moved on from neighborhood gigs; whether you know the band personally or not, it's like they're your friends. I should add that the last night I went out for a few (read: many, many, many) drinks, it was to the Hi-Pointe to see the band. I saw them sober a few times after that monumental night, and was thrilled to discover they were just as much fun as before—no alcohol required!

I couldn't find any decent quality videos on the intertubes, but I'm including a link to a webpage (CLICK HERE!) that provides audio tracks for the whole album. I recommend the whole album, of course, but if you only listen to one song, choose the subtly hilarious "The Chemistry Song." Anyone who has ever suffered through a college level chemistry class (college bud Bill Williams used to regularly question his existence after Organic Chem) should be able to relate to this little gem. Enjoy!

21 for 21: #17—Sara McLachlan, "Surfacing"

Just skip track #7.

Number 17 on my top 21 favorite CDs from my collection is "Surfacing" by Sara McLachlan. Before she became fodder for comedians and responsible for the music used in the most emotionally manipulative advertising campaign ever ("Angel" used for the ASPCA, set behind video footage of the most pathetic dogs and cats ever filmed), she won a Grammy from this album for the song "Sweet Surrender" and saw the album rise all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart.

Like her fellow Canadian chanteuse at #18 (k.d. lang), McLachlan has the kind of voice that sounds like melted caramel tastes. My reaction to listening to her sing is similar to the reaction Prince Eric had when he first heard Ariel sing in "The Little Mermaid." However, since I'm already happily married, I'll just stick with the CD, thanks.

This album contains three absolute masterpieces singles—"Building a Mystery," "Sweet Surrender," and perhaps one of the best songs of all time, "Adia." The last of these three is so transcendent I often have doubts as to whether a human voice actually recorded this; it may very well be the work of angels. If this were the only song on the album worth listening to, it would still be part of my list. However, the whole work is well worth your time—even the poor doggy and kitty song.

It's also worth noting that Sara McLachlan also sings the song "When She Loved Me" on the Toy Story 2 soundtrack. It's the song playing when Jessie the Cowgirl remembers the days when her child Emily still loved her, before she forgot her and tossed her out like an old shoe. That was that moment in the theater when you realized that a cartoon was making you cry like a toddler. Her voice has the power to do that (except when urging you to give now to the ASPCA).

If the trend of Canadian female singers continues, it's statistically likely that Shania Twain and Anne Murray will show up somewhere in the next 16 discs. But you'll have to keep checking in to find out just what is next. In the meantime, here's the voice of an angel:

21 for 21: #18—k.d. lang, "Ingénue"

Not Brent Spiner

I don't even really remember how I came to possess this CD; I may have bought it myself, but it may have ended up in my stuff after my last romantic breakup before I met my wife. In either case, my #18 favorite CD in my collection is k.d. lang's "Ingénue" from 1992.

Her biggest single from the album, "Constant Craving," won her a Grammy Award in 1993. The album itself was her biggest commercial hit, making it as high as #18 (how ironic!) on the Billboard Hot 200 charts. "Constant Craving" was also in high rotation on MTV, which is how I first came across it.

While the single is my favorite song from the album (it's an amazing bit of pop music craft), the entire disc is an absolute masterpiece. The title reveals exactly what you would expect to find inside—an intimate set of subdued yet passionate songs accompanied an eclectic mix of instruments—piano, guitar, violin, accordion, vibraphone—but at no time detracting from her silky, sultry voice.

lang was always a pioneer, and like yesterday's band Toad the Wet Sprocket, about a decade ahead of her time. She was first associated with country music because pop didn't know what to do with her, but she was also one of the first musical artists to be honest and open about her sexuality—she's (spoiler alert!) lesbian—and unapologetically androgynous in her appearance. I always thought she should have appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Data's twin sister.

Separated at birth?

The whole album feels like it was recorded in an obscure French café, and it's another one of the CDs I've used on many occasions as background music for fiction writing (which is going to be a common theme on this countdown). There are few voices in music to this day that can compete with k.d. lang's. If you're not already a fan, give this album a listen. Here's a sample:

21 for 21—#19: Toad the Wet Sprocket, "Fear"

Name chosen by Eric Idle

Number 19 on my "Countdown to June 21" list of my 21 favorite CDs in my collection is by a group that made a big splash in the early nineties thanks to a strange name and a collection of folk-inspired pop tunes: "Fear" by Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Inspired by a Monty Python skit, the band's name attracted as much attention as their music. "Fear" was their third studio album, released in 1991, and the album that made them nationally famous for the requisite 15 minutes. The biggest hit was "All I Want," which made it as high as #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Their music was really out of time for the era of their fame. It's certainly not grunge, and it's definitely not late-eighties hair metal. You could call it college alternative, but it doesn't really fit the bill there, either. They were ideally suited for a decade later with radio-friendly bands like Matchbox 20 or the Goo Goo Dolls.

"Fear" was one of my most-played discs back in the era before MP3s and satellite radio. Favorite tracks include "All I Want," (of course!), "Walk on the Ocean," and "Is It For Me." They really remind me the most of the contemporary Christian band Jars of Clay, and their music has a similar feel to it.

The band played several shows in Columbia, MO, at the Blue Note on their way to the commercial success of "Fear." Unfortunately for me, their live shows in my college town were before I had heard any of their music, so their concert posters stapled around campus made no more impression on me than causing me to think, "That's a strange name for a band." I'm still sorry I missed them.

Here's their biggest hit—enjoy!

21 for 21—#20: Queensryche, "Operation: Mindcrime"

I had never heard of the band Queensryche until their huge hit "Silent Lucidity" from their album "Empire" was a ubiquitous presence on rock radio and MTV. You see, kids, the terrible cable channel MTV used to play just music videos. This was in the fall of 1990, and on the strength of that one single, I bought the CD. It's a fantastic blend of hard rock and sharply intelligent lyrics, and I was instantly hooked.

One of my best friends, Mike Tucker, was already a big fan of the group, and he turned me on to the band's epic 1988 rock opera, "Operation: Mindcrime," which comes in at number 20 on my countdown of my top 21 favorite CDs in my collection.

Rock concept albums are a tricky business. You have the great (The Who, "Tommy") and the not-so-great (Styx, "Kilroy Was Here"). "O:M" definitely falls into the first category. It tells the story of a disaffected drug addict who falls into the clutches of a manipulative revolutionary who turns the man into an assassin who thinks he's going to change the world for the better. (Spoiler alert: he doesn't.)

The album has all the proper elements of a successful concept recording: each song clearly advances the story forward, yet each song stands alone on its own merits of quality. Listening to the album today, the best aspects of late eighties metal-rock stand the test of time, most particularly Geoff Tate's sinister, soaring vocals and Chris DeGarmo's guitar virtuosity.

Even better, Tuck and I saw the band live in St. Louis during their "Empire" tour in which they performed the entire "O:M" album live on stage, with live characters and a full-stage concept video screen behind them. To say it was amazing really doesn't do the show justice. To top it all off, I caught DeGarmo's guitar pick at the end of their encore.

The band eventually broke apart, with DeGarmo leaving and the remaining members eventually firing Tate, who sued "Queensryche" for the rights to use the name "Queensryche." As a result of the lawsuit, the original members kept the name, but Tate still has the rights to perform "O:M" live. I can't imagine another singer telling this story. All of the tracks are worth listening to individually, but to truly experience the album, you should listen to the whole album from beginning to end. Thanks to YouTube, all you have to do is click below!

21 for 21—#21: John Barry, "Dances With Wolves"

Today is June 1, and in 21 days, I'll be 47 years old. To commemorate yet another year of living without dying, I'll be sharing with you my top 21 CDs from my music collection. Just as I did with my top 25 albums from a couple of years ago, I'll be explaining why each CD is significant and what the music means to me.

#21: Tatonka...Buffalo

First up tonight at #21 is an unusual pick—a fully instrumental movie soundtrack score, John Barry's "Dances With Wolves." I was in my first year of graduate school at the University of Missouri when the movie came out. The young lady I was dating at the time, Amy Katz, wanted to see the movie. A three-hour western? No thanks! She persisted and I relented. That was the fastest three hours I had ever experienced. The following Spring, "Dances With Wolves" won a ton of Oscars, including one for Best Original Score for Mr. Barry.

This soundtrack was a staple on the stereo at my college apartment, a regular background score to hours of studying, reading, and writing. Over the years, it's been in regular rotation during fiction writing sessions, and it's playing on my stereo now as I write.

Of course, Barry is most famous for creating the signature "James Bond" theme, created for the first Bond film, "Dr. No," and still one of the most recognizable musical themes in cinema. He scored 11 Bond films and won five Oscars, as well as numerous other awards during his career.

His music is always recognizable, with soaring strings, powerful low brass fanfares, driving percussion, and an ever-present dramatic intensity. Listening to the soundtrack is almost like watching a silent version of the film; the music tells the story without any images or dialogue. Watch this clip from the beginning of the movie and you'll see just how integral Mr. Barry's music is in telling the story. As long as I'm still writing, I'll still be listening to this soundtrack.

Give Us Your Top Ten List

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58771/27-offbeat-college-essay-topics
Essay #8 of 27

In recognition of the winter storm that is just getting started outside tonight, here are my top ten most memorable winter weather experiences.

1. Ice Storm of 2009
Two days of freezing rain. No power. Tree branches falling all around the house. Trying to ride out the storm by cooking in and sleeping by our fireplace. Leaving home after the water ran out, leaving our pets in a freezing house and taking 45 minutes to traverse 10 miles of city roads to get to Amy's mom's house. Spending two days at my mother-in-law's house, who still had electricity. Two weeks off of work and an entire semester of school disrupted. Hands down, the most epic winter storm I've even been involved in.

2. Winter of 1979
Eighteen inches of snow with drifts up to three feet. I built snow tunnels in my front yard and fell into drifts along the drainage ditch in Bacon Park that were over my head. Still the most snowfall at one time that I've experienced.

3. March 1988
I had tickets to see Def Leppard live for the first time in St. Louis while I was a sophomore at Mizzou. One problem: eight inches of snow on I-70. Actually, no problem. I just drove 25 mph until I got ahead of the weather. Great concert, but now, another problem. The storm moved through St. Louis, and now I can't find my car. Or the road. We rolled safely back into Columbia around 3:30 a.m. Totally worth it.

4. Christmas, some time in the late 1970s
I don't remember what year this was, but I think I was around 7 or 8 years old, which would have been 1975-76. We were driving to St. Louis to spend Christmas with my mom's parents, and the snow started falling around Greenville. By the time we got near I-55, the roads were covered, we couldn't see more than 50 feet ahead of the car, and when Mom told me and my sister to be quiet and let my dad drive, we actually believed her. It was a scary trip, but we made it safely, and it was a fun White Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa's.

5. Winter of 1984
We missed about a month of school due to snow, which led to the infamous "Saturday School" experiment at PBHS. Attendance was less than 20 percent, and they gave up after two weeks. Summer vacation didn't start until June that year. In the meantime, my best friend and I spent most of January sledding down Big Davis hill.

6. Thanksgiving, somewhere around 1978-1980
Another trip to St. Louis, and another year I can't remember for sure, but I do remember that we arrived on the day before Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house in heavy snowfall, and by the next day, more than 10 inches of snow were on the ground. This was one of the earliest heavy snows and definitely a fun Thanksgiving playing in the snow with my cousins.

7. Christmas 1993 in Iowa
I had been dating a young woman for about a year at this time, and we spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at her parents' house in northern Iowa. That Christmas Eve was the coldest night I've ever experienced—the temperature was 20 below zero with wind chills exceeding 40 below. I bundled up in four layers and went outside around midnight. I felt a lot like an astronaut.

8. March 2014
Last year, we experienced an unusual amount of snow for southeast Missouri, but the biggest storm started with about 4-6 inches of sleet with another foot of snow on top of that. We spent the entire week out of school, and we constructed an epic snow slide on the east side of our house. In excess of 200 feet, it went from our front yard and ended deep in the woods on the south side of our house. We sledded day and night, and even had a bonfire in the snow. (This is the video in my Facebook post announcing this blog!)

9. Winter 1979-1983
This isn't one particular memory but a collection of days and nights spent on "Big Davis," the steep hill on Davis St. next to what is now Hendrickson Park in Poplar Bluff. When I was a kid, the city street department closed that road when it snowed and allowed kids to sled down it. I lived about a mile away from Big Davis, and I spent entire days and a good part of some nights sledding down and hiking back up. Best memory: my dad and I rode down the hill tandem on one sled—when we reached the bottom of the hill, an Irish Setter was crossing right in our path. My dad expertly steered us between the dog's legs, and we slid right under it's belly. The dog was startled, but no one was hurt!

10. Ice Storm 1993
Same girlfriend in Iowa as #7, and I was on my way to visit her for the weekend. I lived in St. Louis at that time, and she was still in school at University of Iowa. By the time I crossed the Missouri-Iowa border, the sleet was coming down so hard I could only see 30-40 feet ahead of me, and my windshield only had a porthole-sized opening to see through. It took me more than two hours to travel a stretch of highway that usually only took 30 minutes.

In the midst of writing this, I had to go pick up my son from his job at Steak 'n Shake; we didn't let him take his own car because of the winter weather forecast. The roads were already ice-covered, and the sleet and freezing rain poured down on my car, freezing my windshield up almost at once. The college is already closed for tomorrow, and if the snow falls as forecast (up to 12 inches predicted), this week may end up cracking my top ten as well.

You have 150 words—take a risk

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58771/27-offbeat-college-essay-topics
Essay #7 of 27

Despite all that philosophy has accomplished to discover regarding the nature of reality and the true meaning and purpose of life, I’m going to risk ridicule by claiming that I’ve discovered what it’s really all about. It’s nothing new, nothing ground-breaking, nothing anyone else has never heard before, but amidst all the noise, somehow we missed the whole point.

So here it is, definitively, once and for all—The Purpose of Life:

a) Overcome Fear

b) Get Smarter

c) Love

That’s it. That’s our purpose. So what is The Meaning of Life? Equally simple:

Jesus Christ.

Only by trusting Jesus can we overcome the fear of this sinful, temporary existence. Only by understanding the logos by which meaning itself was created can we be granted the knowledge that leads to true wisdom. And since God is love, by loving Jesus, we experience true love that transcends both life and death.

What sets your heart on fire?

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58771/27-offbeat-college-essay-topics
Essay #6 of 27.

I almost never met her. My best friend from high school was getting married on a Saturday afternoon, and I was just minutes away from deciding not to make the drive from my apartment in St. Louis to my former home town of Poplar Bluff. At the last minute, my sister reminded me not to be selfish about it and just go. With little time to spare, I put on my best suit and headed south.

I arrived at the church less than ten minutes before the wedding was to start. Although the church wasn't that full, I still sat near the back. A young woman sat about 5-6 rows ahead of me. When she turned, I noticed how pretty she was. When we arrived at the location for the wedding reception, I couldn't take my eyes off her, although I forced myself to do so, lest she think I was a creepy stalker.

I lacked the courage or self-confidence to approach her cold; I had to wait for my friend, the groom, to arrive. He told me her name and walked me over to her table to introduce us. We talked for a while, danced a few times, then spent the next three days getting to know each other. I had worn only my suit because I had no intention of staying the night. I had to go to JCPenney's for a few shorts and T-shirts to get me through the next few days.

That Saturday was July 1, 1995. I went back to St. Louis on July 4, only because she already had plans with her parents for the holiday. By the end of the month, I was making plans to break my apartment lease, quit my job, and move back home to be with her. This year, we will celebrate 20 years of marriage.

My heart still burns for Amy. We're still in the process of raising four of our six children, our two oldest daughters now married themselves, the eldest with two children of her own. We've gone from newlyweds to grandparents in the blink of an eye. She knows me better than I know myself, and we make each other laugh.

She's the first person I see in the morning and the last person I see before I go to sleep. If I have to run errands in town, I ask her to come with me just so we can hang out. We like to hold hands when we walk, and it still makes me smile to kiss her.

My teenage and college years were mostly lonely, and I didn't meet her until I was 27. I was beginning to get myself used to the idea of living alone. Because of her, I know I will never be alone for as long as I live. She's my best friend, the love of my life, and she still sets my heart on fire the way she did the day we first met.

What do you hope to find over the rainbow?

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58771/27-offbeat-college-essay-topics
Essay #5 of 27.

Dead leprechauns.

The Movie of Your Life

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58771/27-offbeat-college-essay-topics
Essay #4 of 27.

"In the year 2050, a movie is being made of your life. Please tell us the name of your movie and briefly summarize the story line."

The Nothingness of Time
In 2021, Mark Sanders, a philosophy professor from a small Midwestern community college publishes an article in a national philosophy journal entitled, "The Nothingness of Time," in which he provides a logical argument claiming the nonexistence of time as a realistic construct. Unexpectedly, the idea is picked up by a number of media outlets and becomes a worldwide viral sensation, sparking debate among people of a variety of beliefs. Prof. Sanders finds himself at the head of a worldwide movement that advocates the existence of the present moment as the only observable reality. As the movement grows, people throw off the burdens of the past and their fear of the future to embrace living in the present moment. Prof. Sanders continues to write and lecture worldwide, eventually winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2042.

Write a Haiku that best represents you

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58771/27-offbeat-college-essay-topics
Essay #3 of 27.

Mark: Novel Writer,

Father, Drummer, Professor,

Husband, Disciple.

What Outrages You?

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58771/27-offbeat-college-essay-topics
Essay #2 of 27.

America's health care system outrages me more than anything else on earth at this time. The part that outrages me the most is that the solution to the problem of the most expensive and inefficient health care system on the planet is so simple, so obvious, so ridiculously apparent, and yet corporate propaganda and unlimited greed ensures that people like me (and probably any of you reading this) are likely to spend most of our lives burdened by crippling medical debt.

The CEO of Coventry Health Insurance company.

Look, the answer is this simple: universal single-payer. What does this mean? Instead of companies and individuals paying for-profit health insurance companies too much money for not enough coverage, everyone pays a little bit more in taxes (that dirty word) in return for all reasonable and necessary health care expenses to be paid in full.

Look, we all know that this is the reality of health care in America today: you get a job that pays benefits, and these benefits are really expensive for the company that provides them. If you're lucky (and I am in this respect), the company pays your insurance premiums for you. However, almost all health insurance plans have significant deductibles (money you pay before insurance pays a dime), plus "co-insurance" (usually 20% for the individual) that you have to pay even after you meet your deductible.

It's worse if you have a spouse and children on your company health insurance plan. That comes out of my paycheck. Here's the reality. It costs me $900 a month to insure my wife and kids on a plan that has a $5,000 annual deductible (this is what I have to pay before insurance pays) and another $5,000 "maximum out-of-pocket" for co-insurance. If you're doing the math, that comes to an annual health care bill of $20,800 per year.

I'm Superfly TNT—I'm the Guns of the Navarone!

Outrage? Think "Jules Winfield cleaning up Marvin's brain" in the third act of "Pulp Fiction" angry.

What infuriates me is that what these outrageous expenses go toward are primarily the profits of the health insurance company. So what's the solution? Single-payer. If you assessed a five percent tax on my gross income for last year, my share of a national health-care system would come to around $4,000. Even if you don't count my deductible and co-insurance, I'm saving $6,800 right off the top.

Don't let the right wing fool you with horror stories about "socialized medicine." A national health-care system would let doctors make medical decisions instead of insurance company accountants who only care about their bottom line. We already have the system in place—it's called "Medicare." The only people who would suffer are the insurance company CEOs.

By the way, this is essentially the speech that medical collections clerks get from me when they call to jack me up for that extra profit that the hospital gets by charging $3,000 for an MRI or $1,500 for an ER treatment. The most outrageous part of all is that the health care billionaires can afford to buy hours of media propaganda to convince us that this expensive, frustrating, infuriating, outrageous system is the only choice available to us.

How Do You Feel About Wednesday?

http://mentalfloss.com/article/58771/27-offbeat-college-essay-topics
Essay #1 of 27.

Wednesday. Hump day. Trash day. Church night. How do I feel about Wednesday? Wednesday is in the middle. It's hard to get excited about the middle. We hear about middle child syndrome, like there's something inherently wrong about having both an older and a younger sibling. I've got six kids, and they're all both wonderful and ridiculously idiosyncratic at the same time, and all in completely different ways. Everyone except the oldest and the youngest is in the middle. Blame biology. Blame fate. Just don't blame your mother—she's the best.

How do I feel about Wednesday? It's unsexy. Sunday is the Lord's Day, a day of rest, a day filled with football, family dinners, afternoons in the park. Monday is manic, filled with promise and expectation, inspiration of songs of derision and praise. Tuesday's the day to go shopping when all the stores are practically empty, the energy of the weekend sapped and Monday's desperation already passed.

Thursday's almost the weekend. Thursday is comedy night. Thursday's the day before Friday, and Thank God It's Friday. Friday is the day it all ends for a couple of glorious days off. Friday is filled with possibilities. Saturday is for sleeping late, for playing games inside and out, for finally getting the yard mowed so fine it looks like the 15th fairway.

Wednesday is the middle.

Everything happens in the middle. Life takes place in the middle. The middle is where all the exciting, glorious, frustrating, infuriating, hopeful, joyful events of life happen in between "Once upon a time" and "They all lived happily ever after." Wednesday is not just the middle, it's the center. It's the point of moderation, the Golden Mean, the happy medium, the "just right" between "too hot/too hard" and "too cold/too soft."

How do I feel about Wednesday? The same way I feel about being middle-aged—it's where everything happens.