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My Gen X Playlist – Mental Hopscotch – Missing Persons

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We paid 50 bucks for a retirement class. I’m hoping this next phase in life is not too far off and wanted to hear from a professional rather than relying solely on my own self study these days. There’s a lot to know and consider. The enormity of it can be a little daunting. Somehow sitting in a classroom with others in the same life raft was a little comforting. It’s times like these that I wished I’d skipped corporate America and found a good government job. A pension sounds pretty good right now.

Health care seems to be a big question mark that needs solving. Retiring before sixty five creates a gap in coverage that will need to be filled. Health care isn’t cheap for retirees under 65. I hear part time workers at REI qualify for health care coverage. Not a bad option. Plus, those workers seem like the happiest people on earth. I’d probably spend my entire paycheck taking advantage of the company discount. At least I’d have health insurance.

Long term care is a scary prospect. Who in the world can afford that? And memory care? Forget about it. Worrying about that makes my brain ache. More blueberries, my wife says. Not a bad solution for brain health. I just wished the organic ones weren’t so expensive.

When you’re a kid, the life cycle seemed so cut and dry. Graduate, get a job, get married, squeeze out two and a half kids and then enjoy your sunset years On Golden Pond. Easy peasy, right? Mine hasn’t quite fit that playbook so far. And whoever sketched this roadmap never fessed up how complicated and messy life can really be. Like this transition to retirement thing. It seems I still need to solve a few more puzzles before I can enjoy those golden years. So maybe this brain work will do me some good. That and my daily intake of blueberries might keep me out of the old folks home. Fingers crossed.

I asked AI about brain songs. Pretty broad search. Nothing came up with a tight connection. AI did send me Mental Hopscotch by Missing Persons. This was an iconic 80’s hit. The link to my post is almost nonexistent but I don’t really care. I loved this song when I was in high school. And right know my fifty something brain can still do a mental summersault and sift through the cobwebs back to the 80s. I’ll take that as a win.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Sometimes you say you will sometimes you say you won't
You always keep me waiting waiting hesitating hey yeah
At times I think you do at times I think you don't
My mind is rollerskating, skipping, jumping rope, and fading

Mental Hopscotch
Why must you treat me this way
Mental Hopscotch
Ready or not I'm going away

Why can't you be like this why can't you be like that
I don't know where I am, or where or where I'm at
So now you got me up and now you got me down
You won't be walking you'll be talking
Watch me now it's crazy

Mental Hopscotch
Why must you treat me this way
Mental Hopscotch
Ready or not I'm going away
Mental Hopscotch
Cover your eyes and count to 10
Mental Hopscotch
Don't do a 'em up till I say when

So now you get me up and now you get me down
You won't be walking you'll be doin' what you love baby
You don't think twice about what I might say
I follow you around and play an play an play an play

Mental Hopscotch
Why must you treat me this way
Mental Hopscotch
Ready or not I'm going away
Mental Hopscotch
Cover your eyes and count to 10
Mental Hopscotch
Don't do 'em up till I say when

Mental Hopsctch
Do me dump me rill me rock me
Mental Hopscotch
Rollarskating skipping fading
Mental Hopscotch
Mental Hopscotch
Mental Hopscotch

17 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist – Mental Hopscotch – Missing Persons”

  1. I’m not familiar with the song, but I clicked on the link and was transported to the 80’s! Those synthesizers really capture the 80’s sound, don’t they?
    Retirement is coming too fast for me, but my husband is obsessed with planning and saving. I’m thankful that he already has a plan and we’re socking money away.

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  2. I’m not too far behind you there, as I’m starting to see retirement, creeping up behind me in the rearview mirror.

    Right now, my current retirement plan is death, so I’m gonna have to have a fallback strategy in mind

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  3. I don’t remember that song, but I definitely remember the sound of that band. (Do you hear me, Do you care?)

    We’re in the healthcare blackhole now and it’s an unconscionable. We’ve already spent over 25K this year on health. The premiums for even the “bronze level” plans for two people are about 1.5K/month and the deductibles and co-pays are outrageous. My husband can start the processing of signing up for Medicare in 3 months. And I’m gonna start taking my SS$ asap. And to think 🍊🤡 is spending billions of dollars of OUR money on ballrooms and arches and useless wars…😡

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    1. Let me first say, I loved the emojis! Orange clown triggered a hearty laugh this morning!

      When I was reading up on this song, I learned that the local LA radio station played this one a lot and it may not have gotten as much air play in other parts of the country. I received a few comments of others not knowing this song, so that tracks.

      Healthcare… it’s insane. Premiums through the roof for a high deductible plan. I’d like to retire early if I can, but trying to find a better solution for paying for healthcare before 65. My good friend just took SS at 62 to help pay for their healthcare premiums. I’m sure others are in the same boat.

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      1. That’s exactly what I’m doing. My SS should cover my health costs until I get Medicare. And did you know that Medicare is only for 65+ and spouses are NOT included? So my husband can get Medicare next year, but I have to wait 3+ more years.

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  4. GenXer, another classic SoCal slice of life vignette…

    I hear ya on the ObamaCare premiums. Like the little monopoly dude on the community chance card… “Assessments due on your property… pay $100 per house and $500 per hotel” and he’s falling backwards in shock, clutching his stovepipe hat…

    The best plan our broker got us was jaw-dropping. And there’s a kicker, it’s all based on your projected AGI. I stupidly decided it’d be fun to do DoorDash, drive around with my fav tunes, meet folks, make some mad money. BC of this and I sold some stock, the modest “green refund” number on TurboTax flipped to an alarming “red owe” number as soon as I entered the info on health care 😵🤨

    But other than healthcare, retirement’s a sweet gig… “six Saturdays and a Sunday.” 😎🏄🏻‍♂️

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    2. I appreciate the monopoly reference. That gave me a good laugh this morning!

      There’s no solution in sight for healthcare. I’ve read about AGI’s impact on premium. The problem is, healthcare is a big nut to crack no matter what your AGI is! I don’t have confidence in Washington DC with either party to fix this. Instead, I threw a little Hail Mary money (very little, haha) at a crypto etf to possibly help fund it and may have to go to church to say a little prayer!

      6 Saturdays and 1 Sunday sounds amazing. Reminds me of a line at the end of Fields of Dreams when the ball player asks, “Is this heaven?”

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  5. I’m beginning to understand how fortunate I am. We all moan about the waiting lists for the NHS over here but at least it’s free having contributed automatically through National Insurance ( NI) straight from our paychecks from the first day we started work.

    NI contributions also contribute to our OAP pension although the age for qualification goes up n up. Mine is currently 67.

    However company pension contributions were encouraged pretty much from the onset of employment too. I think I started mine when I was about 30. I took the whole lot out when I left my career when I was 52 and invested it. I retired at 55 and my husband continued to work n pay all the bills until he was 59 and then also retired.
    The only possible blip on the horizon is care home costs but I’ve told my husband that I have no intention of suffering with any incurable disease, spend some of the children’s inheritance and take me to Europe where euthanasia is legal!

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    1. I enjoy hearing stories of people figuring out their retirement. After all, we bust our butts for decades. We deserve a little R&R at the end! Wishing you joy and good health in your retirement!

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  6. Yep, we do the blueberries too. In some ways, I think the concept of health care is being used as a tool to keep people working longer, because there’s no other way to afford it. Ten more years to sixty five for me . . .

    Also, although it’s not the way you chose to go, this post really reminded me of The Godfathers “Birth, School, Work, Death.” Ubiquitous on MTV in the 80’s.

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    1. I’m probably going to wind down my career and find a less stressful job that offers medical benefits. We’ll see.

      I wasn’t familiar with that song. How have I not heard of this band? I’m going to have to go down a rabbit hole. Thanks for the recommendation!

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