My uncle lives in Northern California and we see him once every few years. When he was down visiting last time, we got to chatting about his military service. Growing up, I remembered seeing a picture of him in uniform. I’d never thought to ask him about it until now. I was curious to know … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
When I have trouble sleeping, I put a podcast on to distract my thoughts. Usually that does the trick and puts me right to sleep. I was listening to This American Life the other night. This time I tried staying awake to listen all the way through. This episode was about a boy who went … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: The Lucky One – Alison Krauss and Union Station
In three years I’ll be right around 60. That will be my first checkpoint on possible retirement. It’s not guaranteed I can jump in, but there is a sliver of hope. Realistically, it’s more likely retirement will be five years instead of three. Until then, I’ll feel fortunate to be working. I know there are … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: I Know It’s Over – The Smiths
I’m not exactly sure when the shift occurred. When I first started this blog, it triggered rays of nostalgia and reminiscence. It’s easy to get wrapped up in its comfort and wanting to stay in its warmth. When I read the prompt, I figured I’d fall back on my obvious choice. My twenties. Technically an … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Why – Annie Lennox
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
I was enjoying a cup of coffee on a quiet morning. I was reading the news, watched an episode on Netflix. I wanted the weekend to last forever. My wife slept in that morning. When she appeared, I asked her what she would like to have for breakfast: pancakes or omelets. She perked up but … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Daysleeper – REM
Last month, we went on our annual hiking camping trip. It seems we are hiking less and fishing more these days. The ratio flip flopped from three days hiking / zero days fishing to the exact opposite. Oh, we also had cell reception at the campsite so we squeezed in a few college football games … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: In the City – The Eagles
One thing I’ve recently learned, a lot of music I grew up with in the 80’s sang about the fear of nuclear annihilation. I had no clue until I started this blog and researched the meaning behind the music I loved. I don’t know how many times I’ve sung along to I Melt with You … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Party at Ground Zero – Fishbone
I’ve been doing OK on my Kalshi betting app. Occasionally it forces me to do a little research prior to placing a bet. Recently there was an opportunity to bet if a 7.0 earthquake would hit this month. Seven-point-oh is a pretty big one and I don’t hear about them in the news often. Betting … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: San Andreas Fault – Natalie Mechant
I read a post from the Singing Gecko and it reminded me of a thought that often crosses my mind. I can’t believe I’m an adult in my fifties. It just seems my age and frame of mind don’t always line up with me being a fifty year old adult. I look around at my … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: What’s My Age Again – Blink 182
We had dinner with my mom the other night. She was telling us about how she occasionally ran into her former students over the years. Once while in Nordstroms, a former student tapped her on the shoulder to say hello. It was a pleasant surprise and the two had a nice conversation. I asked how … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Mad World – Tears for Fears
Back in my college days, Top Ramen was a familiar staple. Oddly, I could eat it for any meal – breakfast, lunch or dinner. I loved the versatility of this cheap delicious food source. I wouldn’t say I ate it everyday, but I never was in short supply for a quick fix. I was young … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Hurt – Nine Inch Nails
Houston, we have a problem. A while ago, we felt good about cooking and eating a healthy meal at home. There was enough for the next night’s dinner and we packed up our chicken leftovers. The problem is, that Tupperware of chicken completely disappeared on us. Where did it walk off to? We haven’t a … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Where is My Mind – The Pixies
So I was going down a few rabbit holes online and I discovered an app called Kalshi. The Kalshi app is a federally regulated financial exchange where users trade “event contracts” on the outcome of real world events. It functions like a prediction market, allowing users to buy “Yes” or “No” contracts based on whether … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: 1979 – The Smashing Pumpkins
Growing up I was always amazed that my dad had everything under control. If things took a difficult turn, we could always rely on him to steer the ship through the storm. I was in awe that he always knew exactly what to do. I wondered how he did that. I’d forgotten about this thought … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Superman’s Song – Crash Test Dummies
Last year, my niece was accepted to a pretty good school on the east coast. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a difficult year for her and after careful thought, she decided to return home. Although she was confident in her decision to leave school, I could sense she wasn’t quite comfortable talking about it. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day
I drove up to Los Angeles to be in the office this past week. With traffic, it took me an hour and forty five minutes. Surprisingly, it didn’t seem long, I was listening to a podcast and they were discussing vaccines. I never intended to write a second vaccine post, but here we are. The … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Would I Lie to You – Eurythmics
I was reading an article about an outbreak of measles in Texas. I was surprised but not surprised at the same time. My first reaction was how in the world? We have a measles vaccine, don’t we? But then I remembered that we live in different times. When Covid first hit, I couldn’t understand why … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: How to Save a Life – The Fray
I was reading an article about something called the Costanza Strategy. For those Gen Xers who watched Seinfeld, you may recall the episode when George Costanza realizes that trusting his instincts never was a successful strategy. Maybe doing the opposite would yield better results. Jerry Seinfeld: “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Secret – OMD
We’re getting ready for our annual camping trip. We spend four days in the mountains, roughing it in tents. For years, I used my backpacking gear. At the time, it didn’t make sense to buy another set of gear for non-backpacking trips. It wasn’t only because of cost, it was the storage as well. Especially … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: A Campfire Song – 10,000 Maniacs
I read an article about parents breaking out their Gen X slang only to receive blank stares in return. C’mon, really? Some of our slang was pretty good. Here are a few that brought back memories. “I said something about ‘making a run for the border’ referencing the old Taco Bell commercials to my 19 … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Cool Places – The Sparks with Jane Weidlin
A few years ago I discovered YouTube videos of people listening to new (to them) music. It was interesting watching people reacting to music I grew up with. I don’t know why, but for awhile it was easy to go down rabbit holes. It was a little addicting. It started out with The Bee Gees. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Monsters – James Blunt
We met friends for brunch on Saturday. Someone suggested dim sum and we were all over it. I discovered dim sum after college and wondered why I wasn’t introduced to it sooner. I never get tired of it. We were talking about restaurants over brunch and Tommy’s came up. The Original Tommy’s is an iconic … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Jenny (867-5309) – Tommy Tutone
I am a fan of Going Down the Road and Feeling Grand. It chronicles a wife and husband’s life on the road to explore this magnificent country. They’ve been traveling in an airstream for the past five years. So cool. Recently, they decided to put a pause on their nomadic life and set down roots. … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Summer Breeze – Seals and Croft
My wife once was contacted by a television producer. She shares the same name as a television star and they were creating a reality show where people who share the same name, switch places and are filmed living the other person’s life. My wife was a good match with the TV star. Both were the … Continue reading My Gen X Playlist: Carolyn’s Fingers – Cocteau Twins
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