Kids these days have it so good: June 5

As a member of Generation X who has imposter syndrome and was a latchkey kid, an article about all of those things is going to get my attention.

View at Medium.com

I’m generally not one to go for generalizations about my generation (or others for the most part), but this was absolutely spot-on.

“Generation X knows how life was lived before the internet and after the internet. That gives them a unique perspective.”

Anyone from my generation could probably recite chapter and verse the differences between the pre- and current internet worlds — it literally changed almost everything about my industry — but my first thought was a conversation in my office a couple months ago.

Anyone from my generation could probably recite chapter and verse the differences between the pre- and current internet worlds — it literally changed almost everything about my industry — but my first thought was a conversation in my office a couple months ago.

An older millennial and I were talking with a 22-year-old colleague, and although I don’t remember the context, she told us about the Common App … as in a website that lets students write one college application and send it to multiple schools.

What?!?!? And the nonchalance of it all, like “Of course, this is how it’s done.”

It wasn’t the ability to fill out applications online that had me aghast at this sorcery — I’ve done plenty of those — but these kids will never experience the drudgery of filling out the same information over and over and over.

At least until they apply for jobs, anyway. Then, the writing the same information over and over will be accompanied repeating the exact same information that’s in the attached resume, all of which will probably be rejected by an online applicant tracking system unless it properly tickles its toes.

Fortunately, when I got my job, I did it by seeing a job ad (on an online listing), sending my resume and cover letter (by email) and connecting with a higher-up in the company who I knew from my previous employer (on LinkedIn, after Suzi found him online).

You know … the old-fashioned way.

What I wrote

“Just getting started” at 50? That doesn’t sound too bad.

With my new status as a 50-something, I went for my second COVID booster … after realizing right before I left the house that I accidentally scheduled it for the day before.

Fortunately, I (eventually) got someone on the phone who helped my reschedule for 15 minutes after I thought I had made the appointment in the first place.

Stuff I read

Rosie’s birthday is the day after mine. Hers was a bit worse.

Vanessa’s summer plan is set.

So sad that we won’t get to see Renata engaging in the same wash, rinse, repeat tropes that have been going on for years.

Sally shares a Scottish love story.

Austin may have found his ideal job ad.

Giggles is not as organized as she’d like to be.

Savannah had a scary moment. Fortunately, it wound up OK.

Fortunately, Graham’s health scare also turned out OK.

Kristian’s moments “with nothing of note” actually have a lot.

Becky went to Cooperstown, and threw a bit of shade at the area where I grew up.

Here’s hoping that at least Jeff saved a lot of energy by turning off the lights.

At some point, you’d think someone would do something about the way Vee’s getting jerked around.

Michelle is feeling slightly more positive these days.

Betsy’s classes have been going well, except for the smashing-her-own-fingers part.

This looks like a pretty good suggestion from River.

Tweets I liked

Beyond that, if you were talking to someone on the phone, everyone else in the house could hear your conversation. I wonder if that’s why even now I don’t like talking on the phone with other people around.

i just need people to understand that before cell phones we had to call landlines and your friend's parents would answer and YOU HAD TO TALK TO THEIR PARENTS until your friend came to the phone

— Emma Bolden (@emmabo) May 30, 2022

Worth getting up early for.

Very early in the morning pic.twitter.com/4NHtW38DHU

— BruceCoulterPhotos (@BruceCoulterPh1) May 31, 2022

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