There was less than ten seconds left on the clock. It was the last game of the season of our senior year. If we won, we went on to the state playoffs. If we lost, our high school basketball careers were over. We were down by a point and the other team had two free … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: We Will Rock You – Queen
Absent any new WordPress daily prompts, I pulled one from thecoffeemonsterzco. If you could win a lifetime supply of something under $10, what would it be? I remember when a Big Mac Value Pack was under $5. Now it’s close to 12 bucks. That’s a sure fire way to encourage me to eat healthier. I … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Jeremy – Pearl Jam
My in-laws are in their mid-eighties now. We decided we needed to come home more often to spend time with them. Although I just started my new job, I was able to fly to Hawaii for a week and work remotely. One of the more meaningful holidays they celebrate is Chinese New Years. One of … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Ren – Moonpools and Caterpillars
Absent any new WordPress daily prompts, I pulled one from thecoffeemonsterzco. How do you decide what groceries to buy? Marriage is about compromise. My wife had been getting on my case to buy organic. It’s healthier, she would say. I always rationalized that I grew up not eating organic and didn’t have a third limb … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: We Can Work It Out – The Beatles
Absent any new WordPress daily prompts, I pulled one from thecoffeemonsterzco. What is your favorite cuisine to get takeout of? I used to live on the Westside in my twenties. I shared an apartment with a few friends. Cooking wasn’t as much of a priority. We often picked up instead of spending time honing our … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Voices Carry – Til Tuesday
Absent any new WordPress daily prompts, I pulled one from thecoffeemonsterzco. What do you think the world needs right now? I’m not totally into commercials, but this one is a pretty good one. It’s a longer version than I’ve seen aired on TV. In light of the challenges and insanity going on in the world … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: What the World Needs Now is Love – Jackie DeShannon
Mount Whitney is the highest peak on the continental US. We had been training for a backpacking trip to the summit and back. This would be a pretty big accomplishment for us city boys to tackle. We were looking forward to the challenge. Right before the trip, our friend’s father passed away. The trip automatically … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Fix You – Coldplay
Instead of watching national news, I’ve continued putting my head deeper in the sand. That leaves more time to go down YouTube rabbit holes. The latest was a guy and his girlfriend escaping the high housing prices in San Diego. His solution? Buy a small undeveloped island and build their house there instead. The kicker … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Coney Island – Liam Neeson
I was at Trader Joe’s shopping for groceries for the week. I picked up a package of green grapes without really looking at the label. It turns out they were cotton candy grapes. I scratched my head as I was washing them. What the hell are cotton candy grapes? I was in for a surprise. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: He Could Be the One – Josie Cotton
Right before I quit my job, we sat and crunched the numbers. My wife would still be working and we made a conscious effort over the years to live below our means and save for our emergency fund. What bigger emergency than my health. We knew we had to cut back if I took time … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: All That Money Wants – The Psychedelic Furs
Absent any new WordPress daily prompts, I pulled one from thecoffeemonsterzco. As a child, what dinner meal did you like the least? There was a rule at my house as a kid. Eat all the food on your plate. Period. If you are Gen X, your parents probably recited the old saying – There are … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Crowded Table – The Highwomen
Absent any new WordPress daily prompts, I pulled one from thecoffeemonsterzco. Does how you feel about your appearance affect how you act during the day? Prior to starting my new job, my barber had shoulder surgery and would be off for six months. It wasn’t initially much of a concern since I was still on … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Love Plus One – Haircut 100
Rebuilding Rob pulled an interesting daily prompt from thecoffeemonsterzco. I think I’ll give this one a try, too. If you could live in any city for two years, where would you choose to live? At one point in my career, I began to question what I was doing. I was grateful to have a job, … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Africa – Toto
Absent any new WordPress daily prompts, I pulled one from thecoffeemonsterzco. If you found a suitcase full of money in the middle of the street, what would you do? We had a new teacher start at our school when I taught English in Japan. As he pulled up on his first day, he recounted his … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Son of a Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
For the past few days, I kept tabs on the map. The map showed the expansion of the fire, areas that were evacuated and areas that were on evacuation standby. Although we moved further south, we lived in Pasadena for over ten years, so we still considered it home. A good friend had to evacuate … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Great is Thy Faithfulness – Carrie Underwood
I have to admit, I enjoyed the WordPress daily prompts. Sure, sometime the questions were questionable at best, but it still provided an avenue to write everyday. WordPress limited their daily prompts to a year and I blew past that a while ago. A kind reader suggested the daily prompts from coffeemonsterzco. I think I … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Wonderwall – Oasis
When I was young, I remember my mom gathering us four kids to have a talk. Kids, there’s too many of you for me to do all the housework. We’re all going to learn how to do things around the house and you all are going to pitch in. Over the course of a few … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: The Mother – Brandi Carlile
My friend’s son is on the high school track team. He is a long jumper and triple jumper. I competed in the same events in high school so I sometimes enjoy seeing him jump. Off season, he competes with a track club. They had a competition this past weekend and I came out to watch. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Baby, Now That I’ve Found You – Alison Krauss and Union Station
I saw something amusing the other night. It reminded me of my younger days. There was a group of young people buying a few bottles of alcohol. They probably were in college but not yet 21. They looked apprehensive and giggled a bit too much to be normal. It looked obvious to me, but I … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Drivers License – Olivia Rodrigo
So, I’m a bleeder. If I cut myself, I’ll bleed for hours. I was filleting a fish on our recent camping/fishing trip and I sliced my finger. With all of the blood, you would have thought I cut a carotid artery. I once participated in a sales presentation. While shaving that morning, I cut the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Blood and Roses – The Smithereens
I was reading Reflections by Iba and one of her recent posts mentions the lottery. I’m not a regular when it comes to the lottery. In fact, I only play if someone at work takes up a collection for the office. The thought of collectively walking out after we’ve won is a fun visual. We … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Daydream Believer – The Monkees
We used to celebrate every New Year’s Eve in Vegas. Gambling, free drinks, friends, lasting memories. Those were the days. I remember Y2K, everybody was worried about the end of the world. Us? Vegas. If we are going out, we were going to go out with a bang. In the end, it was anti-climactic, but … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
I woke up to sounds of a garbage truck hauling away our trash and the thought this was the last day of 2024, both at the same time. Odd. What does one have to do with the other? Probably nothing. But the two thoughts swirling in my head simultaneously was weird. 2024 was a good … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Sing Your Life – Morrissey
I’ve been watching a show on blue zones, areas that have a higher than normal concentration of centenarians. This documentary tries to pinpoint characteristics that lead to longevity. It’s been really interesting so far. There are very specific indicators from each group from around the world; however, the broader context is a healthy diet, exercise … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Joy – George Winston
I’m learning I’m no spring chicken. Or at least, I don’t feel that way. I’ve been back to work for a month after my year and a half sabbatical and boy am I tired. Oh my god, am I tired. And the funny thing is it hasn’t been all that busy. In my defense, I’ve … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Walking Man – James Taylor
MyGenXerLife 