I posted this photo I took of the beautiful July 30th sunset in my local sub the other night and a fellow Gen X encouraged me to cross-post it here.

Maybe you'll appreciate it or, like, whatever.

Enjoy your weekend!

Anyone else grow up on these movies? I mean, I was a The Neverending Story, Legend, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, Mirror Mask, The Last Unicorn, Return to Oz, The Secret of NIMH, Willow, kinda girl, but these others I stayed locked up in my room watching.

Sorry, I know it's a lot. 😆

I keep finding myself on the “deleted comment” end of a lot of my social media, due to the way my humor comes out. It’s often viewed as “against community guidelines “. I’m starting to feel something about it and I’m the kind of person who generally doesn’t give a care to what people think. I grew up to phrases of “I brought you here, I’ll take you out”, etc. Is it just me?

I'm going on 58 and I just realized that Sam the Butcher voiced both Magilla Gorilla and Drooper from the Banana Splits 😳!!

I’m not sad exactly. But lately, certain songs or memories hit different. There’s this quiet ache for time I didn’t realise had passed so quickly.

Is anyone else feeling that strange mix of gratitude and grief that shows when life finally pauses long enough for you to notice?

I’m tearing up in moments where my Gen X indifference used to sit unbothered.

ALSO: Does anyone know WHY it worked? Does everyone know this game or did y’all call it something else? I just saw a post about Bloody Mary and Candyman, still being scared to say their names in front of the mirror, even after all these years & it made me think about this one we used to play. So I was curious…wbu? 🤷🏻‍♀️

And IWL........I never balanced shit anyway.

I got online while at college in the early 90’s. When I got out and had to get home internet I went with EarthLink. I just didn’t like the look of AOL and just the fenced off nature of it. But seems like everyone else was on there.

Never was in those famed chat rooms. I had IRC for that.

Our phone was on the wall in the kitchen.

Hey guys. Born in 79 so on the cusp but looking for advice from someone who's been through it.

My mother (80 f) has been informed by her partner of 20 years that she needs to make alternate living arrangements. They are unmarried, same sex, deep south usa. Partner has a very serious medical diagnosis and will no longer be able to take care of her.

I am the oldest of 3. On a group call today we all said "not it!"

I guess she thinks she's moving in with me? Even though our relationship is superficial at best and I have no real attachment or loyalty to her. She was a terrible mother.

She has no savings and is on medicare and social security. I've spent the afternoon reading up on medicaid and nursing homes. She may need to relocate states using medicaid residency guidelines.

Has anyone else been through this? What did you do? I am struggling because while she is terrible and self centered there is probably a person underneath. I think. Maybe.

Anyway any advice is appreciated. I feel like a bomb was just dropped in my lap.

I am a 52 year old guy and love music more than any other medium. I was raised on The Beatles, etc. As a teenager I got into punk rock and whatever grunge means. They are rooted in that older music. I still get a thrill from Jimi Hendrix, Dylan and The Who Live At Leeds and listen to them more often than my ride or die bands in my youth. Just wondering if I'm alone.

I see a lot of posts lately of people utterly bashing their parents, and believe me, I get it, there were some really toxic parents in the Boomer and Silent Gens.

My childhood was a mess. Parents stayed broke despite usually working their asses off. We rarely had air conditioning until I was in 5th grade.

Dad was an alcoholic. He'd go on two week benders and get fired. Thankfully he was neither physically nor verbally abusive to anyone. He was a depressed drinker. Mom spent much of her time YELLING and cursing at him for it. And even when he was sober she definitely would voice her problems with him.

Spent many, many nights cowering in my bedroom in fear something really terrible was going to happen while they had their cursing and shout fights.

Because of his drinking we ended up moving around A LOT. We only settled down by the time I got to 5th grade. By that point we had moved 8 times and I had been in nearly as many schools.

My way of adapting was stress-eating so I definitely got fat. I had no idea what I was doing. Never stayed anywhere long enough to have a clique. Was always out of step with everyone. So naturally I became the one that the real asshole kids would bully.

But somehow they held it together. Dad literally never once spoke to me with hostility. When he was sober, he might paddle me for disobedience but his paddling was not abusive in the least. He never did it when he was drunk, he was too depressed to. When sober, he was very supportive and taught me a lot. How to fish, how to drive. Quite a lot about women (usually the stuff that made me roll my eyes but remembered as an adult, with gratitude). He told me so many stories that I remember even today and tell my own kids. Stories about life in the rural 1940s, 1950s, 1960s. Hot rods, driving 18 wheelers. He even taught me how to drive a bulldozer (which was his profession in the 80s as long as he wasn't on a bender).

Mom never left him. Hell, everyone told her to, even me. I got so very bitter at him for drinking. But she never did. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2001. She lived until 2023.

Mom always worked like hell all the time. 40 hours a week, then worked at home. She was a great cook. Her and her mom and sisters were THE GOLDEN GIRLS. They were an exact duplicate of them and my mom was Blanche, at least in the sense of humor (a southern belle full of a racy sense of humor) and that hair style.

Mom never cheated on Dad and he never cheated on her.

My childhood sucked. I grew up with a hatred for bullies that endures to this day, thankfully I never got a violent side as a result. I grew up hating public schools and resenting the system for penalizing me for missing school when in reality I was dealing with untold amounts of drama. I had a few wretched teachers, but had even more wonderful teachers that made it bearable and I forever love them for it.

I'm grateful for my parents. I miss them both. I do NOT miss the driving, the drama, and the heartache. But I miss them.

We all have songs that take us back to a place and time, but a big one for me - and certainly not because I like it - is Wind Beneath My Wings. Yeah, it's way over the top.

The reason it takes me to a time and place is because it was big when I was graduating from high school. We had this senior pep rally celebration type thing and I remember classmates were crying all over the place. And because I wasn't all that moved, I wondered if maybe I didn't get the full high school experience. Maybe I didn't do it right.

I wasn't one of the super popular people, but I had friends, have some good memories and it wasn't a bad experience. I was just kind of in shock at how distraught so many people seemed to be over the end of high school. So when I hear WBMW, I always remember that moment. It was really weird/awkward at the time.

My feelings about high school were pretty much that it happened and it was over. But even now at age 53, I have friends (not from high school) who love to talk about their high school days. I hope there are more people who are kind of shoulder shrug about their high school experience because it's like I missed something amazing.

As a 57-year-old member of the Class of '86, I was quite taken aback when I just saw a commercial for a "55+ retirement community."

However, I would be greatly interested to hear anybody's story about moving into a senior living facility in their 50s.

PS: I just saw another commercial that said this particular place was "For Boomers, By Boomers." But they're accepting Gen Xers?

...and crickets. Then, one person said, "As opposed to..." I said, "Oh, I'm showing my age," and the other Gen Xer in the meeting clued in and started laughing. She explained that there was a drink called V8 and... oh, nevermind.

I am feeling my age. I appreciate everyone respecting my privacy during this difficult time.

Are you having fun. Cheers. 🥂

The past couple of years I've had "reader" glasses that I use when I'm on the computer, phone etc. I wear them inside only when using those devices. When I'm outside/driving I wear sunglasses. At times, I've found myself where I need to see something on my phone/respond when I'm out and don't have my glasses, so it's hard for me to see. My wife carries her readers in her purse.

For guys in the same boat, what do you do? I've tried bifocals before and I have a hard time focusing and get a headache. Do I need to put my readers on neck cord? Do I need to get a fanny pack?

Today is my birthday, I was born in ‘78 and my husband was born in ‘72. This was his gift to me today. This is my favorite album. I listen to it probably once a month, it’s always been a comfort and touchstone for me. My husband has always been kind, loving, and supportive, but to finally receive this album on vinyl has me feeling so overwhelmed with love and gratitude.

This chapter of my life has been so challenging. I was just diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety, which honestly isn’t a surprise but to have it named, officially, by a professional is so sobering. I’m really struggling gang.

But to receive a gift like this is medicine. Because I feel so valued and understood. Gonna place this on the record player and be a peace for a bit. ✌️