Today at work I read something on the internet: a list of items that those who compiled the list found to be very important, but almost none of which I found to be very important, and which as a result annoyed me because as a member of a generation (roughly speaking) whose numbers are less than those which came before and after us, I am used to being ignored in this way. Perhaps I even like it, because it adds credence to the idea (one I like to believe) that I am an 'outsider,' despite the fact that I work in a conventional job and have a mortgage and pay taxes. It's a form of pride and snobbery to look at these lists and think, 'LOL, the past represented by this list has nothing to do with my past and I share nothing with those who appreciate this list.'
This led me to compile a similar (albeit much shorter) list of items that I found important (none of which, of course, were on the original list) and that were critical in shaping my soul. Then I went to YouTube to search for some of the items of my list and was amazed to find a performance of a concert I attended many years ago that has always lived large in my memory, not only because of the location where it occurred but the excellence of the band in question. (This video had fewer than 2000 views, predictably enough.)
I returned to work (which in the modern era means closing one screen on my computer and shifting my attention to another) and felt exhilarated by the potential of the internet, overwhelmed by nostalgia, and depressed by the passage of time. (If you're curious about exactly what I'm talking about, you can click through to my tumblr, where I discussed the video in question in greater detail.)
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