I was thinking about this question and Orange Julius came to mind. Then I paused. Was that the same thing as an Orange Bang? I’ve had both growing up and I used the two names synonymously. I did a few quick searches and couldn’t find the difference between the two. Just curious, does anybody know? … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Push – Matchbox Twenty
When I backpacked through Europe after college, we started and ended our month long trip in Paris. One of the sights on our list was Père Lachaise Cemetery. There are a number of famous historical people buried there, such as Frédéric Chopin and Oscar Wilde. The sad part is, many people visit the cemetery only … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: San Francisco – Scott McKenzie
My mother loved soda when we were kids. One of the sodas she bought was Orange Crush. We loved that. Later I discovered other flavors that I would also love. First, it was Grape Crush. Strawberry Crush was just OK. But then I tried Pineapple Crush. That was my favorite. I remember it was difficult … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Orange Crush – REM
My answer is the same to a question asked about a year ago. Loving Strangers by Russian Red My dream is to go to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago. A five hundred mile spiritual pilgrimage seems like a long walk. Plenty of time to think and reflect. Thank goodness I’ll have this playlist … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Russian Red
This is bit of an awkward question. If I had to choose something, I’d say I’m not a magnet for drama. Some may call that boring and if so, so be it. I’m perfectly OK with that. We have a friend that we meet occasionally for dinner. Our friend usually has an interesting story about … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Anything Anything – Dramarama
I remember chatting with a colleague about our company’s health insurance. I was complaining about our high deductible plan and she confided she was on her husband’s company plan. Wait. I thought your husband was retired, I said. Turns out he is, but he works part time at REI and qualifies for health benefits. Whoa. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: When I’m Sixty Four – The Beatles
I recently was surprised by an article about people who struggle to tell time. With digital clocks and watches, the basic ability to read a clock is beginning to lose steam. I assumed it would be mostly Gen Z or millennials failing the test. It looks like all generations have a decent number that struggle … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Time of the Season – The Zombies
There is a moment that I like to remember. It’s one of my favorites. My sister went away for medical school and it had been awhile since we saw her. When she flew in to visit, I remember the smile on my father’s face when he saw her and he gave her the warmest hug. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: My Father’s Daughter – Olivia Vedder
My siblings and I grew up with a bunch of families we met through playing sports. Our families became close. We vacationed together during the off season. Summers were spent hiking and fishing. We headed to the slopes to ski during the winter. We did this most years, but eventually when we went off to … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Better Place – Rachel Platten
When we visit my in-laws in Hawaii, I always enjoy the tropical fruit. They have a few star fruit trees in their backyard that yield hundreds during a good season. Their next door neighbor used to have a mango tree with branches that extended over the fence into their yard. No complaints here. Fresh mango … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: E O Mai – Keali’i Reichel
The key word in today’s prompt is luxury. It’s difficult for me to pick something that I may complain about if it’s gone missing when so many are without basic needs. It a reminder that I only have first world problems. I have a roof over my head, food on the table, clean drinking water, … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Kind and Generous – Natalie Merchant
I’m pretty resilient. I attribute this to having a good amount of grit. I wasn’t always this way. Grit grows over time. I remember in high school my mom once said to me, “Things come too easy for you. One day, things won’t go your way and you’ll have to work really hard earn it.” … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Can’t Stop the World – The Go Go’s
The other day I heard about a new craze that’s sweeping TikTok – Dr. Pepper with pickles. I’m not quite sure what to make of this. Adding pickles to the mix is a bit strange. You actually can order this at Sonic. Dr. Pepper dates further back than I would have imagined. I always thought … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Brass Monkey – Beastie Boys
There used to be a buffer between when I finished a long day from work and I walked through the front door. Nobody likes a commute in traffic, but at least I had forty five minutes to properly release the stress from the day. When I started working from home, I only had a one … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Midnight Train to Georgia – Indigo Girls
What? No. James was released in 1984 and is one of my favorite Bangles songs. However, if you listen to the lyrics, you’ll discover James is not that great of a guy. A YouTube comment summed it up nicely. James needs to get his shit together. –YouTube comment by mortimersnead5821 If you force me to … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: James – The Bangles
Because we don’t get trick or treaters in my neighborhood, I’ve had to consume Costco bags of Halloween candy by myself. After three consecutive years, I think I have enough information from these taste tests. Most people will tell you Snickers is their go to. When you think about it, it has the best of … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Ceremony – New Order
Sure, Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat were cool. But there are two other childhood books I remember fondly. Where the Wild Things Are Go Dog Go I’m sure the stories were fine, but I probably liked them for the illustrations. Dancing monsters and dogs driving race cars. What’s not to like? George … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Atomic Dog – George Clinton
9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach I wish they would begin teaching personal finance in high school. I really needed to learn this life lesson earlier on. Reading these books helped me get out of credit card and student loan … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Celebrity Skin – Hole
My doctor wanted me to start tracking my blood pressure every day. He asked me to run it in the morning and again at night. I started keeping a daily log. One evening, something felt off. It had been a stressful few months. I shook it off. Stress was a normal part of my life. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Unwell – Matchbox Twenty
Waking up before dawn and enjoying coffee in the quiet stillness of the early morning. I’ve had 55 years of constant motion. Some good, some bad. Some fast, others slow. It’s nice to put everything on pause and awake to a peaceful morning. In my adult life, there have been spans where these were few … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Peaceful Easy Feeling – The Eagles
I have a hard time unplugging. It’s the workaholic in me. But I’ve been learning to, gradually, sometimes not by choice. After my brain surgery, I still planned on checking emails during recovery. I didn’t want to get too far behind on projects and I wanted to stay in the loop. When I went on … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Take On Me – A-Ha
One of our first hikes was Half Dome in Yosemite. It’s about a 17 mile round trip hike. The climb to the top of the dome brings the most amazing views. It’s breathtaking. This was one of our rookie hikes. It was longer than we anticipated and we were not well prepared. We ran out … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: My Best Friend’s Girl – The Cars
I worked a bunch of different jobs during college. Furniture delivery man Warehouse stocker Construction worker Photocopier (really really boring) English tutor Librarian assistant Bank teller Accounting assistant During my college years, I worked full time during my summers to save up a little bank roll for the school year. I also had a part … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: American Music – Violent Femmes
Our family church was Presbyterian. Although it was a church my great grandparents and grandparents attended, we didn’t go every weekend. My parents were busy shuttling four kids to and from sporting events. When I was neck deep in career, I sometimes felt a void and would randomly attend a service. Usually it was a … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Blasphemous Rumors – Depeche Mode
I listened to a lot of music in high school and college. This was before the internet, so the only way to consume music was through the radio or buying CDs or albums. I used to love obscure cover versions. I would search for compilation discs or rare bootlegs. Both were not easy to find. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Emmylou – First Aid Kit
