I think I fall a little short (in years) to fit into defintition of Gen X, but could relate to the characters just the same. So many moments from this could've taken place in my one of my apartments, between my slacker friends on the days off our Mcjobs. I enjoyed the side-of-the-page definitions and cartoons almost as much as the rest of the book.

some favorites:

"BLACK HOLES: An X gerneration subgroup best known for their possession of almost entirely black wardrobes.

BLACK DENS: Where BLACK HOLES live; often underheated wharehouses with Day-Glo spraypainting, mutilated mannequins,Elvis Refferances, dozens of overflowing ashtrays, broken mirror sculptures, and VElvet Underground music playing in the background."

How dare Mr. Coupland peek into the early 20's of my life ! All in all, I suspect this will be one of those books we wax nostalgic about in our late 40's, and over pay for when it's out of print!

(PROMISED TO hulamonkey)

Released on Monday, April 28, 2003 at Via mail in Newark, Ohio USA.

Sent to hulamonkey today! I hope you like it!

I got a red package in the mail last night with a totally adorable hulamonkey drawn on the back. What a wonderfully unexpected bonus!
I will read the book and then decide whether to pass it to another Gen Xer or release it into the Wild.
Yazi ~Thanks a bunch (of bananas)!

Like Yazi, I don't appear to fit in very well as a full-fledged Gen-Xer. My year of birth is right at end of that time period so I guess most of my life has oozed into Generation Y or whatever came next.

The chapter that I felt applied to me most is titled "Quit Your Job." Hmmm. I might need to do a little thinking in this area.

Some terms from the book to share…

Emotional Ketchup Bottle:
The bottling up of opinions & emotions inside oneself so that they explosively burst forth at once, shocking and confusing employers and friends--most of whom thought things were fine.

(I’ve actually witnessed this at work. Very scary!)

Now Denial:
To tell oneself that the only time worth living in is the past and that the only time that may ever be interesting again is the future.

(It seems I always have at least one friend in Now Denial.)

Lessness:
A philosophy whereby one reconciles oneself with diminishing expectations of material wealth: "I’ve given up on wanting to make a killing or be a bigshot. I just want to find happiness and maybe open a little roadside cafe in Idaho."

(Oh, the endless search for simplying life, stress-reduction & the search for happiness.)

Tele-parablizing:
Morals used in everyday life that derive from TV sitcom plots: "That's just like the episode where Jan lost her glasses!"

(OK, I’m so guilty of this! Only I use Seinfeld examples the most and this probably makes some things slightly immoral.)

Released on Friday, January 02, 2004 at Already Been Crossed Bookbox in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.