Short Stories and Ramblings
Essays about the texture of growing up before the phone was in everyone's pocket — the stores, the sounds, the summers, and why they stuck.
Every story three ways: read it, have it read to you, or watch it.
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Going to Blockbuster Was Half the Fun of Watching the Movie
Before streaming, choosing a movie meant Blockbuster, video store aisles, employee recommendations, pizza next door and a whole ritual before pressing play.
Read by Alex.
More stories
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Growing Up
Millennials Were the Last Generation That Had to Be Bored
Millennials had plenty of entertainment. The difference was that it eventually ran out—and we had to figure out what to do next.
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Growing Up
The Things We Didn't Know We Were Doing for the Last Time
From AIM and MapQuest to burned CDs and being unreachable, ordinary parts of millennial life disappeared before we realized they were ending.
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Screens
The Time Machine: What Dazed and Confused Preserved About Being Young Before Smartphones
Dazed and Confused preserves a teenage world built on cars, gathering places and word of mouth, when finding the night was part of the night.
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Sound
We Used to Listen to the Whole Album
We used to buy a CD, press play and live with every track. Streaming gave us almost every song ever recorded. It also changed the way we listen.
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Sound
Albums, mixtapes, radio, and the specific noises you can still hear.
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Screens
Video stores, movies, television, and waiting for something to come on.
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Places
Malls, basements, back seats — the places there was nothing to do.
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Growing Up
Boredom, school, summers, and the things you did for the last time without knowing it.