There was a time when the only two liquids I mainly drank were coffee or alcohol. OK, maybe throw in an occasional ice tea for lunch. I thought liquids were liquids and surely I was still being hydrated. Wrong. This went on for over a decade. No, not very healthy and no, not recommend. Good … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Have A Drink On Me – AC/DC
This past weekend we went to an open house in our neighborhood. We aren’t looking to move or buy a new place. We were curious about our neighborhood’s real estate market and wanted to check it out. As we perused the house, we bumped into another viewer who confided that she lived down the street … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Hands – Jewel
Before business casual, choosing a pair of shoes for work was easy. Black dress shoes. If I wore a suit for a client meeting – black dress shoes. Slacks and a shirt to the office – black dress shoes. Regardless of the color of my pants, black matched everything. When one pair wore down, just … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield
The first time my father shook my hand as an adult was one of my favorite days. The handshake was more than a transition from a father/child to father/son. I felt acceptance, equality, respect and love. Thereafter, whenever I’d see my father, we would always greet and say goodbye with a warm handshake. These were … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Most of All – Brandi Carlile
When I was younger, I used to think that debt was a part of life. I had multiple credit cards, student loans and a car loan. I also had rent, insurance and enjoyed going out with friends. Let’s not talk about my Vegas runs. More was going out the door than coming in. I felt … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Money (That’s What I Want) – The Flying Lizards
I remember as a kid, we used to say the pledge of allegiance every morning at school. It was a big deal to be the one assigned to lead it. It’s funny, because all that kid had to do was stand in front of the class and say, “Ready, begin.” But I guess at that … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Near Wild Heaven – REM
Mine is a pretty unremarkable story. I don’t lead an exciting life of crime. But I remember a time I unknowingly broke the law…a tiny bit. I was making a grocery run, stocking up on food during the Covid lockdown. Once as I was loading up my car, I noticed a taco seasoning packet at … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: I Confess – The English Beat
I sat here giving this some thought. I bounced a few titles off the walls, but none of them seemed quite right. Nothing seemed to stick. I think the hesitancy is I’d like to live a bit more before putting pen to paper. Ask me again in another ten years. I think I’ll have something … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Story of My Life – Social Distortion
My parents were always busy, but found some relief when they finished putting four kids through college. My father was still running his small business and playing basketball and tennis on the weekends. My mother had her hands full teaching third grade. Both were not grandparents yet, but that was right around the corner in … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: She – Green Day
We need to make necessary changes to reduce gun violence. I’m not advocating drastic changes that remove guns altogether. I’m just asking for common sense changes that put some guardrails down. Are there any changes that will solve the problem of gun violence? No, probably not. But there are some that will have an obvious … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Glycerine – Bush
I’ve always been interested in Eichler homes. Joseph Eichler was a developer that built Mid-century modern homes in California between 1949 and 1966. His designs were inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. Eichler homes are examples of Modernist architecture that has come to be known as “California Modern”, and typically feature glass walls, post-and-beam construction, and … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Back to the Old House – The Smiths
I’m going to Disneyland! In 1987, New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms was the first to say the now-famous phrase after beating the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. It wasn’t spontaneous. Both Simms and Denver quarterback John Elway agreed to say it on the field if their team won … in exchange for $75,000. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Dizz Knee Land – Dada
I miss playing poker with the guys. Back in our twenties, we’d have card games once or twice a month. Drinks, junk food and shit talking until the wee hours were all on our all-you-can-eat menu. It was more about hanging out with the guys and less about the poker game. The memories bring a … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Creep – Radiohead
I didn’t always have a sweet tooth. It wasn’t until we moved three years ago. Our first Halloween, we bought two Costco bags of candy. That year we didn’t have any trick or treaters. We figured Covid kept people at home. Next year would be different. The second year, we bought two Costco bags of … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Lips Like Sugar – Echo and the Bunnymen
This is the first time in a long time that I can say, “No, thanks. I’m good.” Maybe for the obvious reason of already being on a break. But this is a recent feeling for me and I’ll gladly savor it. How long has it been since I’ve felt this way? Decades, if I had … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: A Long December – Counting Crows
Rotary phone. Touch tone phone. Digital phone. Cordless phone. Cell phone. Flip phone. Blackberry. Smart phone. Man, phones have changed during my lifetime. It’s not only the phones, but also the different ways we’re able to communicate at the tips of our fingers. Phone calls. Emails. Text messages. Tweets. Video calls. The majority of the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: South Central Rain – REM
There is just something about Friday after a long hard week or the anticipation of weekend plans. A trip, an event, a date with that certain someone. Those types of Fridays are best. I wish I could have them every day of the week. The Cure released Friday I’m in Love in 1992. It’s an … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Friday I’m In Love – The Cure
I was reading the blog Song of the Day For Today yesterday and he hit on a topic that’s been on my mind the past few years. Time. Once I hit the big five-oh, I began to realize the time ahead was shorter than the time behind. When you really do a deep dive on … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Time in a Bottle – Jim Croce
I have a good friend from college who grew up old school. His father was from the greatest generation and a no nonsense kind of guy. Naturally that rubbed off on him. If there was something that needed to be done, do it. It’s really that simple. Excuses? There’s no room for them. He doesn’t … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: It’s the End of the World As We Know It – REM
Having a favorite thing to cook would first imply that I enjoy cooking. I’m not a stranger to the kitchen, but I’m not a great cook, either. I can cook to survive – meaning, I can put something together that is fine for a work week dinner, but I wouldn’t serve it to guests at … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Mayonaise – Smashing Pumpkins
We didn’t grow up with a computer in the house. It’s not because we couldn’t afford one. It’s because they simply did not exist. This fact probably would shock the young folks that I work with because their lives have revolved around technology since they can remember. Growing up, we had to play the old … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: And It Stoned Me – Van Morrison
My career has been in risk management. My role is to anticipate risks, quantify their financial impact and then work with clients to navigate forward. While this process is helpful for clients, this also leaked into my personal life. Upside: I try to be prepared for all outcomes. Even worst case scenario. Downside: I try to … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Lust for Life – Iggy Pop
Oh man, it’s so easy to get in the rut of complaining. It’s like a weed. It begins to grow and suddenly, it’s taken over the entire garden. The infestation can take over your daily conversation. The trick is to tackle it before it spreads. Or have a good friend tell you some unabashed, hard truths. When I was in … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: What Do I Get? – Buzzcocks
I started playing basketball when I was 6 years old. All of my siblings played, too. Both of my parents played in high school and my dad played in leagues until he was almost 70. Over the years, dad was the coach and mom was the team mom. You can say we were a basketball family. I played until … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: He Got Game – Public Enemy featuring Stephen Stills
A woman I worked with once started an office collection for lottery tickets. The lottery hit some astronomical amount and she thought it would be fun for the office to play together. I watched people come by and give her a few bucks to sign up. It was a pretty steady flow throughout the day. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Price Tag – Jessie J
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