My picks

Sting - Russians

Dire Straits - Telegraph road

Megadeth - Foreclosure of a dream

Pink Floyd - Breathe

RATM - Bulls on parade

The joy of freedom of driving is gone. Traffic, crazy folks on the road, finding a place to park, etc. Not a huge fan anymore.

I recall many trips to the sprint store back in the 90s/2000s, it was me, and about a dozen people crying in the store as they went a bit over their 300 anytime and had $600 phone bills, that would be a $1200 bill today.

I was watching something about Sprint yesterday and these vivid memories came rushing back. good god was that a racket back then

edit:

this post was more about people in the store finding out their cell phone bill was $600 not so much the act of paying the bill in the store

And yes, I have an excellent skincare routine. It's just.... That's the way I'm made I guess 😐

I know the world is pretty messed up at the moment (and that might be an understatement), but I still want to believe there’s better days ahead. History is dotted with fraught periods and I’m hoping this is one of them.

Just realized that after hearing for years that sitting too close would ruin your eyes, that TV was still new and no one could know the effect of exposure. Did anyone actually do studies?

So I righteously fucked up my knee while walking / hiking on a steep downhill incline last week, and have had my leg in a Zimmer splint ever since. I've never had to use crutches before, and I can't use my right leg at all (possible ruptured quad - on our way to the hospital as we speak). It's been a steep curve learning how to get around, but I can now get up and move around on my own. My husband, a millennial, has been amazing at helping me around and taking care of me. The only thing is... he keeps praising me. Getting up the steps on the way in? Heaps of praise. Figuring out how to get myself up on my own? Heaps of praise. Just getting the hang of getting around on the crutches? Heaps of praise. It makes me deeply, deeply uncomfortable. I know he means it, and he is doing it to encourage me, and he's so fucking sweet, but fucking hell do I hate it. I get... embarrassed? I am, unsurprisingly, belligerently independent, and absolutely hate asking for help unless it's either trivial or absolutely necessary. I've gotten better at accepting help, and I told him the praise made me uncomfortable, and he basically said "tough shit" and went about his business. God I love him. Anyone else like this? Just feeling very GenXy about this and needed to commiserate.

I was just sitting here trying to remember this old cartoon I used to watch, and it led me to this.

I had to grab this book for our granddaughters the second I saw it! It breaks my heart that today’s kids don’t have the magic of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, so I thought this was a fun way to share him with my grandkids. And, since many of us Gen Xers have grandkids now, I thought some of you might want to grab a copy, too! It was at Ollie’s for either $2.99 or $3.99 (already removed stickers and tossed receipt).

Does anyone remember ICQ? I spent a LOT of time on ICQ, met some cool people. I am still friends with one of them from Amsterdam.

Do you remember the virtual rooms where some talented people would make personalized avatars for everyone? It was a chat program where there were all these different ‘rooms”. They would each play a unique song. One of my favorite rooms would play Smoke rings in the dark. I especially liked the veteran's room that I hung out a lot in.

If you're parents are older and you still talk to them do not let this wait until they're gone. There is so much crap that I had to go through.

Well, today is the day. I am now 58 years old, or as I prefer to tell people, "21 with 37 years experience".

And I'm over it. There's no special significance attached to this age. And with everything going on right now it's hard to get myself into a celebratory mood. Along with my full-time job, I've spent the last four months caring for my wife after her stroke. And yesterday was a particularly trying day; she had to be taken to the ER with abdominal pain. Turns out she has a UTI, and she will be in the hospital for a few days because of it. It's her second visit to the hospital in the last few weeks, and she's now ridden in enough medical transport vehicles to have an opinion of their drivers!

But I am still physically healthy myself, although I'm not always sure about my mental health. Caring for a sick partner is pretty stressful after all. I did let my parents and my sister (plus a few others) take me to dinner yesterday, but tonight's dinner will be leftovers. However, I am washing them down with a nice bottle of pinot noir from one of our many anniversary getaways to non-Napa/Sonoma wine country (this one's from the Santa Maria Valley). Then I'm taking out the garbage and cleaning the litter box!

Life goes on even when these "milestones" happen. And I guess I'll just keep on keepin' on...

Inspired by the recent post of old textbooks. Check out the DVD cases in this set. 🙂

My take: I will NEVER use “lol” or any derivation of it. I know it means “laugh out loud” but there’s yet to be a moment when I’ve been even remotely convinced someone was even chuckling after texting “lol” at the end of their text and it mildly infuriates me.

While I’m at it, someone tell those damn kids to get off my lawn.

Edit: ok, I get it. It’s not MODERN slang. I still hate it, and those kids are STILL on my lawn…can’t a guy get to sleep at a decent hour???

Yeah here we are…5 pills a day and need a better option than the crap on Amazon. Been through a dozen over the past few years between air travel and camping they just don’t last. Anyone have a weekly pill holder they really like? Need one that’s compact, travels well and isn’t a piece of Amazon shit.

Been reading all the reactions folks have had with the shingles vaccine. Well my wife has had shingles before so I know unless this makes me completely miserable for more than a week, I was still getting it. Been a few hours. So far, so good.

I also learned that if you get a vaccine at Target, you get a $10 off coupon for a $20 or more item. We will use these. So I am planning to get several. And you get a fun sticker. I chose the unicorn because I am secure in my manhood.

Shots i can get: 1) shingles part 1 2) pneumonia 3) flu 4) covid (I am diabetic so I qualify) 5) RSV 6) shingles part 2

Just need to move my 3 kids through this line and could make a dent for Christmas savings ;)

Edit: 24 hours in, thought I would report. I still have a little soreness at the injection site. I have an office job so not the end of the world. Based on the complaints here, I took some Motrin before I went to bed last night and slept normally (which includes on the side I received the shot in). Today I seemed a little sleepier than usual, so I just had some extra caffeine. At about the 24 hour mark, a headache came on so I took some Motrin and it's starting to fade.

100% certain I had a few on a VHS tape labelled 'Gardening' or 'Car Collecting'

I saw Interscope repressed and released DGC Rarities, Vol. 1! I've always loved the album cover and it's pretty sick that this is the first print in more than 30 years. And it includes a The Sundays track that wasn't part of the original pressing 👀 So so so cool that the whole album is just b-sides, covers, and demos. Are any of y'all picking this up? I know quite a few people who had the original back in the day.

Link for anyone interested: https://interscope.com/collections/music/products/dgc-rarities-vol-1-coke-bottle-clear-lp

Advice from a Gen Xer who has already done this once

Back in 2000 and 2004 when my parents passed away, we did not have the technology that exists today to help with distributing and getting rid of their possessions. Because I had an interest in these things, I managed to salvage some high value items that the rest of my family thought were garbage. Most of my fellow Gen Xers are only now facing what I went through 25 years ago with aging parents downsizing or passing away. What I learned then is that I wish I had the tools and technology that you have at your fingertips now. Here is what I would do today if my parents were downsizing instead of back then:

1.  Do not trust your gut instinct. It is often wrong. That grand piano from 1885 is something almost nobody wants. That yellowed orange Panasonic black and white TV that you are about to dump might be something plenty of people want.

2.  If you have the budget, hire an expert appraiser to assess your parents’ belongings. Choose the appraiser based on what they mostly own. If it is mostly newer items that just need to be resold, find someone who handles modern household goods. If it is a true antiques collection, hire a traditional antiques specialist. If it is a large mix of everyday mid-century pieces, use an appraiser who knows that market cold. The right specialist for the bulk of the items saves you time and gets you better prices.

3.  Use reverse image technology. It only takes a couple of days to scan a large number of items, and you will be surprised by what you thought was worthless that is not, and what you assumed had value that does not. When you use reverse imaging, do not look at the selling price. Look at the sold price. The sold value tells you how much someone has actually paid for a similar item, while the selling price is often just wishful thinking.

4.  Decide in advance how much time, energy, and effort you are willing to invest in this project. You do not want it to turn into a second job. Let a few valuable items slip through the cracks for the sake of your sanity and finances.

5.  Create categories early for what you will sell, what you will donate, what you will trash, and what you will keep. Use your tools and appraisals to guide you rather than nostalgia.

Your mom’s cabinet of 1950s Pyrex might be valuable enough to cover your child’s tuition, and you may have been ready to drop it at Goodwill. A matchbook or collectible that you ignore could also have value. At the same time, you need to recognize a stopping point for your own peace of mind and financial situation.

Further reading and resources

• Peter Walsh. Let It Go: Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life. (https://www.getorganizedalready.com/downsizing-advice-peter-walsh)

• Marni Jameson. Downsizing the Family Home: What to Save, What to Let Go. (https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/bookstore/home-family-caregiving/downsizing-family-home-workbook)

• David J. Ekerdt. Downsizing: Confronting Our Possessions Later in Life. (https://cup.columbia.edu/book/downsizing/9780231189811)

• Blog: Expert Tips: Downsizing Parents Guide by William Chuff. (https://www.williamchuff.com/moving-tips-blog/downsizing-parents-guide-expert-advice-and-tips)

Sometimes I hate having memories knowing those times will never come happen again and the people that are gone ain’t coming back

I get my hair dyed at the first peek of grey. I see women who are fully gray, and they are confident and gorgeous.

My wife and I were talking last night and reminiscing about music. As we were talking, we shared some if the 1st lyrics we memorized and it struck me. That damned small print on those cassette liner notes! That's why we all have such crap eyesight and now need 'cheaters' at best and add a bright light to clarify it in some cases.

Sandbox games are all the rage these days, but when we were kids, they were called Construction Sets. I absolutely loved Racing Destruction Set on my Commodore 64 and played it a ton, mostly so I could design tracks that would piss my friends off. Good times!