Mixtapes, Emojis, and the End of an Era

It started with a nudge from my son Cody: “Dad, Facebook isn’t your vibe anymore. Go back to blogging.” He’s not wrong. Social media has become a sea of silent scrolling—thumbs up, heart emojis, maybe a fire symbol if you’re lucky. But real conversation? Rare.

So here I am, dusting off the old blog spirit (RIP An Examined Life, wherever you are) and diving back into long-form storytelling. Let’s see if we can still spark some dialogue, some reflection—and maybe even a few playlists.

Here’s the context: I recently went cold turkey after 13+ years of online gaming with the same group of guys—Sheriff, Worms, Mopar, and me, the Insane G0@T. I chose my best friend (my wife) over Call of Duty. She was starting to feel like a gaming widow. Now, we sit next to each other, talk (yes, talk!), and binge-watch streaming series. So far, we’ve enjoyed The Blacklist, Ted Lasso, Person of Interest, The 100, Lucifer, and Lost. We gave Severance a shot… OMG, we just couldn’t keep watching; our eyes were bleeding!

Recently, during a Guardians of the Galaxy marathon, I had a thought: Star-Lord had three mixtapes—his only music for life. What if you had to make one mixtape, just 20 songs, that you’d listen to every day for the rest of your life?

I’ve asked around. Some people thought it was easy. Others said, “Oh my gosh, I can’t do it!” When I made my own list, I noticed something interesting: the songs weren’t necessarily by my favorite artists, and they weren’t always my favorite songs. But each one left a mark—imprinted on me at different stages of life.

Here’s my 20, in no particular order:

• There’s A Place in the World for a Gambler — Dan Fogelberg
• John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16 — Keith Urban
• When I See This Bar — Kenny Chesney
• High Enough — Damn Yankees
• Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) — Green Day
• Losing My Religion — R.E.M.
• If You Could Read My Mind — Gordon Lightfoot
• Alright — Darius Rucker
• Time — Hootie & the Blowfish
• Crystal Ball — Styx
• I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home) — Grand Funk Railroad
• Oh Baby I Love Your Way — Mig Ayesa (cover of Peter Frampton)
• Vincent — Don McLean
• Hey Jude — The Beatles
• Landslide — Stevie Nicks
• Three Little Birds — Bob Marley & the Wailers
• The Sound of Silence — Disturbed (cover of Simon & Garfunkel)
• Cherish — The Association
• You Are So Beautiful — Joe Cocker
• Year of the Cat — Al Stewart

Honorable Mention: More Than Words — Extreme

So now it’s your turn. What songs would make your forever mixtape? Think about the ones that shaped you, comforted you, or just made you feel alive. Share your list—or even just a few tracks—in the comments. Let’s bring back the conversation.