column values do not return properly when column name called out specifically in select statement

I have a database with this table (version 5.0.95): > describe shift; +-----------------+--------------+------+-----+---------+----------------+ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra | +-----------------+--------------+------+-----+---------+----------------+ | id | int(11) | NO | PRI | NULL | auto_increment | | person_id | int(11) | NO | MUL | NULL | | | utc_date | datetime | NO | MUL | NULL | | | mins | int(11) | NO | | NULL | | | active_utc_date | datetime | YES | | NULL | | | active_mins | int(11) | YES | | NULL | | | absence_id | int(11) | YES | | NULL | | | updated_by | int(11) | YES | | NULL | | | updated_name | varchar(100) | YES | | NULL | | | updated_date | datetime | YES | | NULL | | +-----------------+--------------+------+-----+---------+----------------+ Sample of what it looks like is here: | 9502849 | 327037 | 2017-06-12 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-12 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | | 9502850 | 327037 | 2017-06-13 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-13 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | | 9502851 | 327037 | 2017-06-14 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-14 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | | 9502852 | 327037 | 2017-06-15 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-15 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | | 9502853 | 327037 | 2017-06-16 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-16 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | +---------+-----------+---------------------+------+---------------------+-------------+------------+------------+---------------+---------------------+ 940 rows in set (0.09 sec) I wanted to see entries with utc_date as just today: > select utc_date from shift where (person_id = 327037 and date(utc_date) = curdate()); | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | +------------+ 940 rows in set (0.08 sec) That wasn't great, because uct_date got changed to be curdate()... And now, anytime I try to look at utc_date, it always shows that same date: > select utc_date from shift where (person_id = 327037 and utc_date like '%2016%'); | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | | 2016-04-21 | +------------+ 940 rows in set, 1 warning (0.08 sec) But if I view the table with a *, I still see it as it should be: > select * from shift where person_id = 327037; | 9502849 | 327037 | 2017-06-12 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-12 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | | 9502850 | 327037 | 2017-06-13 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-13 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | | 9502851 | 327037 | 2017-06-14 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-14 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | | 9502852 | 327037 | 2017-06-15 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-15 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | | 9502853 | 327037 | 2017-06-16 11:00:00 | 540 | 2017-06-16 11:00:00 | 510 | -1 | NULL | NULL | 2015-01-01 00:00:00 | +---------+-----------+---------------------+------+---------------------+-------------+------------+------------+---------------+---------------------+ 940 rows in set (0.10 sec) So I know that it didn't change in the table - but for whatever reason, when I try to display the field by name, it seems to remember whatever caused it to display as today (presumably it took this as an assignment: date(utc_date) = curdate()). How do I undo that assignment?