My brother loved Calvin and Hobbs growing up. He was such a big fan, he started creating his own Calvin and Hobbs Christmas cards. He’s been sending them out to family and friends for over 25 years, each with a new message for the holidays. His comic strip illustrations have become pretty good and we … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Einstein on the Beach – The Counting Crows
Episode 8 is the final episode of Ripple. A final quote and a song. It’s a curious thing, this idea of timing. We move in and out of each other’s lives. Sometimes by choice, and sometimes you don’t get to choose. We may never know or understand why. This quote made me think of a … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Perfect – The Smashing Pumpkins
Episode 7 of Ripple. Another quote and a song. Tell me. What’s the meaning of life? It’s not what you’ve done. It’s who you are. It’s your heart. That’s the whole point of living, isn’t it? My heart scare sparked the first time I thought about my mortality. I’d never dwelled on it before, but … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Rainbows – Kacey Musgrave
I’m on Episode 6 of my second time around with Ripple. Here is another quote and song. Faith is bigger than salvation and damnation. It’s about the love and joy that we find in each other. Faith is community. Lifting each other up, that’s what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter what you do or … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: The Returner – Allison Russell
Episode 5 of Ripple, the second time around. Here is a quote that spoke to me. Nobody wants to hear they can’t handle life alone. Maybe we shouldn’t try to. It’s kind of what it means to be human. After putting in sixty hour work weeks, I used to go out for drinks to let … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Human – The Human League
I finished Episode 4 of Ripple. Another quote and a song. A rainbow’s good luck you know… This reminded me of a double rainbow I saw on my way home from work one day. I took a photo of them while driving. I thought my dirty windshield would have made the photo a bit hazy. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Broken White Line – Kris Delmhorst
I’m on Episode 3 of rewatching Ripple. Here’s a quote and a song from the episode. No matter what you’re struggling with, the world keeps going on around you like everything is normal. When things get bleak, you just have to focus on the things that bring you joy. Look Up is from Episode 3, … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Look Up – Joy Oladokun
I’m on my second go around watching Ripple. I just rewatched Episode 2. I found a few lines that caught my ear. Why do people feel like they always have to fill in the blanks? It’s OK to say nothing sometimes. And do nothing. How I would love to say and do nothing with someone. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Cry – The Sundays
Wishing you peace, love and joy this holiday season! I looked for a Christmas song this morning and had many choices. I chose a Gen X staple that I haven’t heard in years. I remember the U2 version more than the original by John Lennon. Here is U2’s cover of Happy Christmas. – For a … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Happy Christmas – U2
I watched this series on Netflix – Ripple. I binged it and recommend it to a friend. My friend recently said she was on episode five and loved it. At that moment, I tried remembering the plot and drew a complete blank. I’m not sure why. I just remembered the show made me feel. So … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist – Another Story – The Head and the Heart
I’m not sure what’s going on. I’ve worn pants everyday for the past few weeks straight. For those of you on the east coast, you’re probably scratching your head. It’s winter. What’s the big deal. But the weather here has ranged from the high 60’s to the low 80’s. Even at that lower end, I … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Variations on the Kanon – George Winston
Matt from iMartist did a Music Tag post. You randomly play ten songs from your playlist and write down your favorite lyrics from each song. This sounded fun so I thought I’d give it a try. Thanks for the idea, Matt. Here goes. Girlfriend in a Coma – The Smiths Only Morrissey could write and … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist – Music Tag
I made the drive into Los Angeles for a quarterly meeting. One of the speakers shared she started each day with a mantra. I can’t remember what it was, but it was a feel good positive phrase. I’ve never been open to these kinds of things in the past. My unspoken mantra was to put … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Dreams – The Cranberries
Here were a few things I think I was good at as a kid. Keep in mind, sometimes reminiscing unintentionally allows you to take creative license on the past. We used to play a game with our baseball, football and basketball card collections. We’d each lean ten cards against the wall that were up for … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: One – U2 & Mary J Blige
I’d been away for a short while and was catching up on blogs while listening to Spotify. I came upon justrojie’s post about CDs and the combination with my playlist in my ear got me thinking about making mixed tapes when I was younger. There is an art to a good mixed tape. Some are … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Sunday – The Cranberries
The other day I was scrolling through Instagram and I finally understood what doomscrolling was. Until then, I’d heard the term but didn’t really get it. I thought it was this over exaggerated term the youngsters say. But for some reason, that day I felt the anchor around my neck dragging me down. There’s so … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Blinded by the Light – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
I saw a random ad for a fire sale on used vinyl and CDs. It’s been a long time since I bought any kind of music. Since I donated my turntable years ago, I went to check out the CDs. Surprisingly, this sale drew a decent crowd. The demographic was on the greyer side. That … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Running to Stand Still – Darius Rucker
I used to love reading. I got the bug early. As a kid, we used to go to the library on a regular basis. My mom would put a limit on the number we could check out each week. It was too difficult keeping track for all four kids. She always had to figure out … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes) – Book of Love
When I was on sabbatical, I discovered a coffee roaster by chance. I was running errands and was looking for a place to chill between appointments. I stumbled upon this place and fell in love with the vibe. I’ve mentioned on this blog that I’ve always wanted to open my own coffee house. If I … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Circle – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
My uncle lives in Northern California and we see him once every few years. When he was down visiting last time, we got to chatting about his military service. Growing up, I remembered seeing a picture of him in uniform. I’d never thought to ask him about it until now. I was curious to know … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
When I have trouble sleeping, I put a podcast on to distract my thoughts. Usually that does the trick and puts me right to sleep. I was listening to This American Life the other night. This time I tried staying awake to listen all the way through. This episode was about a boy who went … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: The Lucky One – Alison Krauss and Union Station
In three years I’ll be right around 60. That will be my first checkpoint on possible retirement. It’s not guaranteed I can jump in, but there is a sliver of hope. Realistically, it’s more likely retirement will be five years instead of three. Until then, I’ll feel fortunate to be working. I know there are … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: I Know It’s Over – The Smiths
I’m not exactly sure when the shift occurred. When I first started this blog, it triggered rays of nostalgia and reminiscence. It’s easy to get wrapped up in its comfort and wanting to stay in its warmth. When I read the prompt, I figured I’d fall back on my obvious choice. My twenties. Technically an … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Why – Annie Lennox
When I lived in Japan, a friend made a comment that it was a strange revelation living as a minority. I remember him saying that everyday was difficult. It wasn’t only because he didn’t speak the language, but he also felt the impact of being different. Admittedly, he didn’t experience any negative actions or words … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Big in Japan – Alphaville
I was enjoying a cup of coffee on a quiet morning. I was reading the news, watched an episode on Netflix. I wanted the weekend to last forever. My wife slept in that morning. When she appeared, I asked her what she would like to have for breakfast: pancakes or omelets. She perked up but … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Daysleeper – REM
MyGenXerLife 