I once jumped out of a moving vehicle. Granted, it was only going about 5 miles per hour, but I will never forget the sudden jolt when I hit the pavement. It was jarring even at that low speed. When I initially took this sabbatical, it was a similar kind of jolt. There is something … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Bang the Drum All Day – Todd Rundgren
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! A few fun facts. The confetti in Times Square has thousands of people’s wishes written on them. In 2015 “wishfetti” became a part of the tradition. People write their wishes for the new year and submit them to the Wish Wall in Times Square (or online) and those wishes … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Auld Lang Syne – Fiddler’s Green
When I was in my twenties, my buddies and I rented a three bedroom apartment in Culver City. Everything seemed to be a fifteen minute drive away: the beach, Westwood, downtown, Santa Monica, Pasadena. It wasn’t the best part of town, but it was central to everything and it was cool having our own place. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: These Are Days – 10,000 Maniacs
Living in a foreign country, I experienced many firsts. One first was a feeling of loneliness. Before I left, it wasn’t uncommon for me to do many things on my own. I was pretty independent and felt fine running around by myself. But being in a foreign country where you don’t know a soul, can’t … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Alone Again Or – The Damned
In 2012, University of North Carolina School of the Arts won the prize for the cheesiest mascot – the Fighting Pickle. The Fighting Pickle of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) has been named the “Cheesiest College Mascot” in the nation by Chester Cheetah, the mischievous spokescat for Cheetos. “Impressively, this … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Buffalo Soldiers – Bob Marley
I grew up in the conservative part of the state and attended a conservative university. It goes to show that I leaned conservative when I graduated and ventured out into the real world. That was my starting point. Like all other twenty somethings, I was green and my views had room to grow and solidify. Then, life. There’s … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke – The Alarm
I was an early adopter to Starbuck’s third place. I needed a place to relax, read and have a cup of coffee. It didn’t have to be at Starbucks, but they were practically on every other corner so it was convenient. Sunday morning reading the paper was a standing ritual for me. I’d recognize the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Plush – Stone Temple Pilots
When I was in college, I wanted a BMW 2002. It was a cool classic car that I would see on campus. If it was a convertible, even better. I was your typical poor college kid and couldn’t afford one, but I always thought it would be sweet ride. It’s only human to want things we don’t have. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Cars – Gary Numan
I’ve lived most of my adult life feeling the slight hint of a creative tug. Here I was, this straight laced professional. Conservative and analytical. But I’ve always wondered if there was a creative side to me. I’ve always been drawn to gallery showings, poetry readings, trying to view life through a photographer’s lens. I have an appreciation … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day
Wishing everybody a Merry Christmas! Here’s a little U2 for the holidays – Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home). Happy holidays! It’s ChristmasBaby, please come homeYeah(Christmas) The snow’s coming down(Christmas) I’m watching it fall(Christmas) Watching the people around(Christmas) Baby, please come home(Christmas) The church bells in town(Christmas) They’re ringing a song(Christmas) What a happy sound(Christmas) Baby, please … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) – U2
This feels like a prompt we’ve done a few times, maybe just repackaged in a slightly different way. I’ll use this as a get out of jail for free card and just play a song. INXS was a great 80’s band. Don’t Change was released in 1982. When this song came on, I always tended … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Don’t Change – INXS
The National Archives described 1968 as a year of turmoil and change. The Vietnam War, riots in Washington DC, the assassinations of MLK and Robert Kennedy. I wanted to find a brighter, lighter spot in this year. It’s trivial and minor, but I think found it. The Big Mac began selling nationally in 1968, for … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: There is a Light that Never Goes Out – The Smiths
I grew up in the suburbs, in a bubble. When I moved to LA to attend college, it was eye opening to say the least. It was also new and exciting. One weekend I ventured downtown. I wanted to wander around the city and soak up this new experience. I came upon a crowd congregating at the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Sixth Avenue Heartache – The Wallflowers
I love experiencing nature. Right now I’m spending time in Hawaii visiting family during the Christmas holidays. It’s the rainy season with scattered liquid sunshine throughout the day. This morning I awoke to find a beautiful rainbow outside our window. I could see the entire arc, from one end to the other. What a way to begin the day. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: River – Joni Mitchell
To say that COVID was a big disrupter is an understatement. We used to do a Vegas guys trip, but that had been put on hold for the past three or four years. We have been going to Vegas together the last thirty years. The frequency waned a bit as we got older, but we tried to at … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Go Daddy O – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
I’ve heard it said that you should shop on the perimeter of a grocery store. The processed foods tend to be on the inside. I’m not sure how accurate that is, but I’ve always remembered that. I once had a co-worker that claimed he only ate three vegetables. One of the vegetables on the list … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Just Can’t Get Enough – Depeche Mode
My grandfather was the glue of the family. He was a kind man and the family was drawn to him. He always smiled and was continuously positive despite a number of challenges in his lifetime. He had long bushy eyebrows that extended pretty far out. I’m glad he never trimmed them. It was part of … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel
I used to have a mental road map of my life. I think this was way back when I was in my twenties. Ah, to be young and naive. As I leaned into life, things started to happen and life seemed to veer away from the original plan. Life got in the way of . … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Once In a Lifetime – Talking Heads
We hosted Thanksgiving this year. There were a few unexpected guests and the head count reached 21. Good thing we had a big turkey and thankfully, I wasn’t on my own. I’ve heard of brining before, but wouldn’t know what it was even we said hello every morning over a cup at Starbucks. Thank goodness … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Superman – REM
I’ve recently been watching Restoration Road With Clint Harp. It’s a restoration show where they transport 200 year old aging barns across the country. They strip the old and worn outer shell and what they ultimately are left with is the interior foundation that’s used for the restoration build. These barns are restored into amazing … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
Somewhere I’ve heard it said not to be the antagonist in someone else’s story. That stuck with me. It’s not a difficult thing to do, but it’s made me pause a few times when my initial reaction was probably not the best. I don’t want to be the Eddie Haskell in anyone else’s show. That’s … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: You’re No Good – Linda Ronstadt
When I changed companies early in my career, I moved to a new apartment to reduce my commute. The weekend before my start date, I decided to clean myself up and get a haircut. Because I was new to the area, I just randomly picked a place to cut my hair. My hair is fairly … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Hairdresser On Fire – Morrissey
When I was in elementary school, I joined the chorus. I didn’t join for my love of singing. I joined because I thought it would get me out of a few classes during the week. I thought I was being clever and sly. That was until we had to perform in front of the entire … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Karma Chameleon – Culture Club
In high school, my track coach once told me to take the team on a two mile run. I competed in the field events and never was a fan of running, but what could I do? We ended up running to the nearest Thrifty’s, sat on the curb and ate ice cream in the hot … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Rocky Mountain High – John Denver
I used to work on a large national corporate client. We worked with our client contact throughout the year, but had an executive meeting twice a year with the CEO. What I remember most about the CEO was her grace. She was incredibly accomplished, yet she was down to earth and warm. She had class … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Tougher Than the Rest – Everything But the Girl (Cover)
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