I was reading an article about an outbreak of measles in Texas. I was surprised but not surprised at the same time. My first reaction was how in the world? We have a measles vaccine, don’t we? But then I remembered that we live in different times. When Covid first hit, I couldn’t understand why … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: How to Save a Life – The Fray
I was reading an article about something called the Costanza Strategy. For those Gen Xers who watched Seinfeld, you may recall the episode when George Costanza realizes that trusting his instincts never was a successful strategy. Maybe doing the opposite would yield better results. Jerry Seinfeld: “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Secret – OMD
We’re getting ready for our annual camping trip. We spend four days in the mountains, roughing it in tents. For years, I used my backpacking gear. At the time, it didn’t make sense to buy another set of gear for non-backpacking trips. It wasn’t only because of cost, it was the storage as well. Especially … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: A Campfire Song – 10,000 Maniacs
I read an article about parents breaking out their Gen X slang only to receive blank stares in return. C’mon, really? Some of our slang was pretty good. Here are a few that brought back memories. “I said something about ‘making a run for the border’ referencing the old Taco Bell commercials to my 19 … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Cool Places – The Sparks with Jane Weidlin
A few years ago I discovered YouTube videos of people listening to new (to them) music. It was interesting watching people reacting to music I grew up with. I don’t know why, but for awhile it was easy to go down rabbit holes. It was a little addicting. It started out with The Bee Gees. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Monsters – James Blunt
We met friends for brunch on Saturday. Someone suggested dim sum and we were all over it. I discovered dim sum after college and wondered why I wasn’t introduced to it sooner. I never get tired of it. We were talking about restaurants over brunch and Tommy’s came up. The Original Tommy’s is an iconic … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Jenny (867-5309) – Tommy Tutone
For a while, you couldn’t go two seconds without seeing the former Astronomer CEO all over the news. Who gets caught cheating on a kiss-cam? You can’t write a better script for TV. I later learned he lived not too far from where the Coldplay concert took place. Pretty brazen to be cheating in public … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: You Oughta Know – Alanis Morisette
I am a fan of Going Down the Road and Feeling Grand. It chronicles a wife and husband’s life on the road to explore this magnificent country. They’ve been traveling in an airstream for the past five years. So cool. Recently, they decided to put a pause on their nomadic life and set down roots. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Summer Breeze – Seals and Croft
My wife once was contacted by a television producer. She shares the same name as a television star and they were creating a reality show where people who share the same name, switch places and are filmed living the other person’s life. My wife was a good match with the TV star. Both were the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Carolyn’s Fingers – Cocteau Twins
Recently, I’ve found ironing to be therapeutic. Go figure. Before business casual, I dropped off my dress shirts to be laundered at the dry cleaners. Back then, it cost $0.99 per shirt. I tried all different starch levels, eventually settling on medium. I appreciated a crisp clean shirt, especially if I had to wear a … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Crimson and Clover – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
A Graceful Life wrote a post about her home of twenty years. She never intended to stay that long, life helped make that decision for her. I liked how she described the little things that made her house a home. when i look back, i see so many small moments that made this place ours: … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Behind the Wall – Tracy Chapman
So, this new car is teaching me a few small lessons. Nothing groundbreaking, but there are always lessons to be found if you look hard enough. After I bought my car, I decided to sell the old one. I looked up the Kelley Blue Book value and it ranged between $3,000 to $6,000. Not bad … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Carolina In My Mind – James Taylor
I was at Dick’s Sporting Goods yesterday and saw a sweatshirt with my high school’s logo. That made me chuckle. I moved back to the city I grew up in five years ago, but never really gave much thought about my high school years. I almost bought it. I know people who are good about … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Turpentine – Brandi Carlile
I really enjoy 50 Happens’ blog. A recent post discussed sunsetting some of things you always envision doing when you were younger. I’m sure there are lots of people out there that start wonderful new adventures at age 60, but I think, for most of us, that feeling that the path is wide open is over. That … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Landslide – Bush
I had insomnia last night. I was lying in bed in the dark. Funny how your eyes eventually adapt and the space no longer seems pitch black. I could see the smooth surface of the ceiling. I stared at it wondering what it was thinking. It was quiet. It got even quieter as the hours … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Bad – U2
I was grocery shopping the other day and found myself in the cereal section. I don’t normally eat cereal for breakfast but I passed by corn flakes and it reminded me of my grandfather. When I was a little kid, I remember eating cornflakes at my grandfather’s house. It was either that, or he’d cut … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Cornflake Girl – Tori Amos
I saw a movie the other night that showed a short clip of La Tomatina in Spain. Whoa. What the hell? I immediately added it to my bucket list. A small Spanish town with its streets running red with tomato pulp, and thousands of people joyfully taking part in the world’s biggest food fight. It … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: What Becomes of the Brokenhearted – Joan Osborne
I had a conversation with a young woman who works at one of the top consulting firms. Although she is doing extraordinarily well in her career, she confessed she experiences bouts of imposter syndrome. You wouldn’t know it if you met her. She is smart, confident, accomplished. She’s also able to mask moments of self … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Knife’s Edge – The Alarm
Absent any new WordPress daily prompts, I pulled one from thecoffeemonsterzco. If you could choose not to sleep without any consequences of sleep deprivation, would you stay awake forever? If you asked me this as a kid, the answer would have been No f-ing way! Well, I didn’t cuss as a kid, so that’s not … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Sleep to Dream – Fiona Apple
We finally pulled the trigger and bought a car. And no, we didn’t buy a Tesla. My wife was biting her tongue when I was considering it. Ultimately, my conscious wouldn’t allow it. Part of the struggle deciding on a car was agreeing who was going to drive it. I wanted the car for my … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Fight to Keep – Monsters Calling Home (Run River North)
I was at the mall recently and came across a Doc Martin store. I remember when I was younger wanting a pair, but it didn’t quite fit my budget. I eventually bought a pair of boots and over the years, they’ve become worn and comfy. They’re still in decent shape and I haven’t felt like … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: London Calling – The Clash
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend about her recently graduated son who was trying to figure out his next steps. It can be difficult to know what you want to do at that age. I’ve been in his shoes. After graduation, in the midst of this unknown grey, I left the country to … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Only the Lonely – The Motels
We went to an Angel’s game the other night. We are having an OK season so far. I don’t have any grand illusions of a World Series. I just want to be good enough to make the wild card slot and enjoy some post season play. We’ve had a pretty long drought and yes, that … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Only a Lad – Oingo Boingo
My oldest bother was the first in my family to get married. He had a pretty big wedding, around 300 guests. At one point, he brought out his guitar and serenaded his wife in front of the whole crowd. It was pretty romantic and I remember looking around and seeing a lot of teary eyes. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now – Smiths Covered by a Random YouTube Guy (Elliot Smith)
My sister has been chatting with my mom about distant relatives and began sketching out our family tree. She has different drafts on various pieces of paper. I’d been meaning to sign up for Ancestry.com for awhile, but my good intentions remained just that. After a recent family gathering, I told myself to look into … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: One Tree Hill – U2
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