One of my favorite REM songs is South Central Rain. It was one of the first REM songs I’d ever heard. It tapped into an angst that I had no idea ever existed. I loved the lines: Did you never call? I waited for your callThese rivers of suggestion are driving me away The line … Continue reading Borrowed Words: South Central Rain by REM
I saw this photo and laughed. But in reality, the more I thought about it, the more I realized this is how I was feeling when I woke up this morning. It’s never fun staring down a big gaping hole knowing that I need to somehow propel my out of shape ass over to the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
We just learned a friend is going to compete in an Ironman Triathlon. For the record, that’s a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a marathon (26.2 mile run). Holy shit. He’s always been an outdoors guy, but this is ratcheting it up a level. The cool thing is, he used to be … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy) – Information Society
I stopped by my mom’s house the other day to help pick figs from her tree. This year’s crop was a bit sparse. I’m not sure why. Instead of an invasion of fig beetles, we had a bunch of crows feasting on the figs this year. We were able to pick only a basketful this … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Round Here – Counting Crows
So I found the soundtrack to Magnolia as I was sorting through my CD collection. The film is an epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. The script was inspired by the music of Aimee Mann. Wikipedia I watched the movie around twenty five years ago. I … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Wise Up – Aimee Mann
I was looking through captured videos from our Ring camera and was surprised to see a coyote snooping around. Coyote sightings are becoming more common these days. It still blows me away when I see one. It just seems out of place in the suburbs. But I suppose we have to learn to coexist. When … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Build – The Housemartins
When I saw family that I hadn’t seen in ages, they always said the same thing. Wow! Are you still growing? When I was in junior high school, I grew ten inches in one year. So if they asked me that then, I would understand. But I’d occasionally still get that same comment well into … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Tension Makes a Tangle – 10,000 Maniacs
I received an email for comped rooms in Vegas. How could I refuse free rooms? Well, technically they’re not really free. We still had to cover the resort and parking fees. Nevertheless, it was still a great deal and I booked it. My wife doesn’t care to gamble. And that’s probably a good thing. The … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Every Beat of the Heart – The Railway Children
I needed to call a California government agency the other day. I preferred to speak to a live person and not an automated call loop. While waiting, I was given the option to add my name to the list and they would call me back in the order that the call was received. Now, skeptical … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Call Me – Blondie
Don’t ruin a good today by thinking about a bad yesterday. Let it go. I saw this quote the other day and it really resonated with me. How many times have I allowed the past to invade my head? Too many times to count. I’m guilty as charged. Hopefully I’ll hear the whisper of these … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Sunny Came Home – Shawn Colvin
Don’t eat anything hard, crunchy or sticky for a few weeks. Bummer. I’ve really tried taking better care of my teeth over the past year. And I have. In my defense, the dentist told me a twenty year old filling eventually cracks and needs to be replaced. I had a temporary crown put in and … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Pulling Teeth – Green Day
I’ve lost touch with a friend a few decades ago. I met my friend Jim while teaching English in Japan. We worked for the same school and went through teacher training together. Both thrown into a foreign country, forced to figure out life as ex-pats. He was an attorney in the real world, a Berkeley … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Destination Unknown – Missing Persons
There was a knock on my office door. My colleague in the next office over came by after I’d finished my call. Hey, man. I could hear you through the wall. It sounded a little heated. You really fight for your clients. I had to fess up. I actually wasn’t negotiating on behalf of my … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Electricity – OMD
We had to go early in the morning so we wouldn’t get scorched by the sun. They swung by and picked me up just before 6 am and we were off. Hawaii is supposed to be for relaxing, but we heard about the Koko Head Stairs and were going to give it a try. With … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Running Up That Hill – Kate Bush
I washed our cars the other day. Not only that, but I even went the extra mile and vacuumed the interior and the trunk. I can’t remember the last time I washed my car. It’s been ages. When I was working, I typically went to a car wash to get it cleaned. I only had … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Let’s Go – The Cars
One of the great things about summer is watermelon season. I love watermelon. Growing up, we would occasionally grow watermelon in our backyard. It’s one of my favorite fruits. Choosing a watermelon is a mystery. I watch people pick it up, study the color, hold it up to their ear as they pat it, listening … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Rain In the Summertime – The Alarm
Laguna Beach has a thriving art scene. Every summer, they put on The Pageant of the Masters. Works of art are recreated on stage with people stepping into the frames. It’s done so well, you can’t tell there are live people in the paintings. A little taste of what it is like can be seen … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Fall On Me – REM
A friend was in town and we met him for dinner. The subject turned to daily stress and how it impacts regular sleep patterns. I mentioned we take magnesium and that seems to calm our brain a bit. Our friend had completely different remedy. He planted a moringa tree in his backyard. I’d never heard … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: I Go To Sleep – The Pretenders
I made pico de gallo the other day. I memorized the recipe before shopping for the ingredients. It’s a pretty short list. When I got home from the grocery store, I discovered I made a mistake. I bought a lemon instead of a lime. I looked up the difference between lemons and limes, wondering if … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Into the Heart of Love – The Mighty Lemon Drops
Not to put a damper on things, but I never really used to think about my mortality until I reached my 50’s. Maybe it’s passing the half century mark, or possibly the few health scares I’ve had to overcome. But the simple fact is, it crosses my mind. I’ll admit, it used to unnerve me … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: I Will Follow You Into the Dark – Death Cab for Cutie
For years I’ve thought about visiting Portland, Oregon. I’m no hipster, but the slogan Keep Portland Weird got me. How could you not want to visit with a tagline like that? A few weeks ago we jumped on a plane to check it out. Because I occasionally roast my own coffee beans, I was drawn … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Mexican Radio – Wall of Voodoo
Recently I read two articles about the desert on the same day. The first was sent to me from A Different Way about the Sahara Desert sands drifting into Florida’s airspace. First of all, how in the world? My initial thought was nothing good can come out of this. But of course, I was wrong. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Painted Desert – 10,000 Maniacs
I used to be that guy that wouldn’t schedule an appointment and just throw caution to the wind and do the walk in thing. I’m so glad I’ve changed my ways. The other day, LabCorp and the DMV were both crowded as hell. Both were total zoos. It felt like I was in a cattle … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Something So Strong – Crowded House
I had a few appointments that I schedule on the same day – my blood test for my annual physical and going in person to get my Real ID from the DMV. I tried to schedule both close enough to knock it out on the same day. In doing so, I had to go to … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Turpentine – Brandi Carlisle
When I first moved downtown, I used to explore the different neighborhood enclaves. Living downtown had so much variety and many places were becoming newly developed while others still held onto their old charm. The cool lofts in the Artist District, the flower mart in the Flower District, Santee Alley in the Fashion District and … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: 3 AM – Matchbox Twenty
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