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
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
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend about her recently graduated son who was trying to figure out his next steps. It can be difficult to know what you want to do at that age. I’ve been in his shoes. After graduation, in the midst of this unknown grey, I left the country to … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Only the Lonely – The Motels
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
When you hit your fifties, it’s not uncommon that certain parts of your body begin to feel like they’re falling apart. Even though I’ve managed to work through a few health concerns, at least I can say the wheels haven’t completely fallen off the wagon. Give me a sec while I knock on some wood. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Cigarette – Russian Red
I was hanging out with a friend a few days before returning home from Japan. His brother mailed him a box of books and he handed me one. I opened it and found there was a hole carved out in the middle of the pages and hidden inside were a few joints. He said, What … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Pass the Dutchie – Musical Youth
Before I left for my year living abroad, I saw the Sylvester Stallone movie Cliffhanger in the theater. Survey says: Flop. It wasn’t that great. That was the last movie I saw before I boarded the plane. Fast forward. I’m living in Japan, an hour outside Tokyo. I wouldn’t call it the sticks, but it … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Hanginaround – Counting Crows
I’ve lost touch with a friend a few decades ago. I met my friend Jim while teaching English in Japan. We worked for the same school and went through teacher training together. Both thrown into a foreign country, forced to figure out life as ex-pats. He was an attorney in the real world, a Berkeley … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Destination Unknown – Missing Persons
The first thing that came to mind was What the F? Just being honest. This reminds me of a friend in Japan who also taught English at the same school, but in a different city. We went through teacher training together before we were sent off to our respective schools. Part of our training was … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Don’t Stand So Close to Me – The Police
Living in Japan became a little daunting once the plane actually hit the ground. I took a Japanese class in college, but overall, I didn’t have a clue. After a few weeks trying to acclimate myself, I overcame my fear and decided to enter a restaurant by myself for dinner. From the markings on the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: More Than This – 10,000 Maniacs
I took a few Japanese language classes in college, but they all started before 10 am and I had difficulty being totally awake come class time. I passed the classes and picked up a few words and phrases along the way, but not near enough to understand or converse. So, when I left to live … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Words – Missing Persons
I’ve been feeling pretty relaxed lately. To be honest, it’s an unusual feeling to string a number of restful weeks together. I’m certainly not complaining, by any means. It’s just so. . . different. The goal of my sabbatical has always been to reduce stress and lower my blood pressure. Check and check – so … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Fields of Gold – Sting
I’m not great in the kitchen. I can fix something for dinner, but probably not something that I would serve dinner guests. If I have a recipe, I prefer it to be simple and not include too many obscure spices and herbs. Something easy I can make is salmon in the air fryer. A little … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Three Strange Days – School of Fish
After college, I spent a year in Japan teaching English. It was an East meets West experience for me. While on that side of the world, friends and I spent a week in Thailand on our time off. We veered from the touristy hot spots of Bangkok and Phuket. Instead, we landed on Koh Samui, … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Island in the Sun – Weezer
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