40 Things to Do When You Turn 40

When I first bought this book my intention was to do each of the 40 things and then post about them, but after reading just one, I've revised my plan. I'll commit to reading each essay and posting on it, but I'm not going to commit to doing each thing.

I'm jumping around and the first essay I up was out of Section Five - The Substance of Style; David Tutera's "Throw Yourself A Fabulous Party". The opening directive, "plan a celebration, large or small with the people who mean the most to you in a location that is special..." was universal and great advice. But, that was pretty much the end of the relatable portion of the program. The rest chronicled the 40th birthday party David threw for himself in Tuscany. The celebration kicked off with hors d'oeuvres poolside followed by dinner in wine cellar and included a tour of Sienna, shopping and dinner in the town's piazza and culminated on the final night with a banquet at twelfth-century castle which included fireworks. The party truly sounded fabulous, inspired and I'm sure the guests had a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

While the piece did offer some translatable advice like "remember to touch all five senses" and "capture the imagination of your guests", I can't really say it left me inspired, a little bit jealous, yes, inspired; not so much. No offense intended, David, but I don't need advice on how to throw myself a party with a budget well in to the six figures. I'm quite confident I could knock that one out of the park. Practical tips applicable to those of us without black American Express cards would have been a lot more useful. I guess I'll have to buy one of your books for that. (After checking out your web site, I probably will buy the books, they look fantastic.)

Fortunately, for me, my friends threw me a fantastic 40th birthday party. I have promised to fly them all to Italy…right after I win the lottery.