The ABC's of the XYZ's.

First off, today was weird. I went to Madison for the first time since the whole RS affair. I really haven't put a whole lot of thought into that catastrophe lately so I was actually intrigued when I realized I passed his exit with out even noticing. It wasn't until I was pulling into my lunch working meeting when I saw a billboard for his company that I took a gulp. And then I closed my eyes for a second and I had those flashes ... you know the kind that you saw on STC when Carrie was reliving her affair with Big when she was with Aidan ...



The crazy pinned against the wall, sexual anguish and grabbing, back arching, lips touching, breathing on your ear. And as I pulled into the parking spot, gasping for my can of soda, I touched my neck and there was more - except it dawned on me that it wasn't RS's face that I was seeing - yeah sure, it was moments with him, but all associated with body parts and feelings. And when it was a face - it was the BFs. Incredibly strange I must agree. But last night before I left I could feel his breathe on my neck and it was strangely wonderful but not in the sexual aggressive way life was with RS, in this sweet, feels like home comfort that I feel when I'm with the BF.

Okay, pukey gross. Going on the XYZ's...


Finally, a networking event that wasn't really a waste of my time. I saw Melissa Lavigne talk about Gen X, Y & Z-ers and it was PHENOMENAL. So random thoughts about your potential generation ...


Gen X-ers, born between 1965 & 1977.
- Have "Middle Child Syndrome," meaning that they often fear they aren't getting enough attention. Why? Well divorce rates went up to 50% when they were coming of age, meaning that they were often left at home, by themselves and in charge of siblings. They fear their voice isn't heard and turn to grassroots efforts to get it out there (hence the beginning of bloggers). You're also the smallest generation because you're parents are pre-baby boomers.

- They're pessimistic. Glass is 1/2 empty. Why? Well, they came to age in a time that wasn't all roses. Think the AIDS epidemic. You're raised by hippies that talk about free-love and sexual adventures and now you find out that you can do that - you just might die. The ozone layer was found to have a big-old hole, so the world you're living in might collapse. And by the way - there's no recycling at the time so that beer bottle or can you're drinking is going to destroy the world more.

- Quarter-Life Crisis. The term was actually coined specifically for Xers. You find out in your late 20's-early 30's that you're either still living on your parents couch because you pursued the Nirvana dream of living for the day and come to terms that you maybe should have sold out to the corporate world, or you sold out to the corporate world and wonder if that was a mistake since you're gobbled with responsibilities. Why? Because you came to age in a time where you were supposed to be distinct and you either went that way or not and now you challenge all your decisions.


Gen Y-ers, born between '78 & '95
- Your parents are most likely baby boomers, so you're huge. You've also been studied relentlessly by the media. There's 76 million of us and you still want an individual voice.

- Knowledge abundance. One of the smartest gens around, technology savvy, group-oriented & go-getters. Why? Technology savvy because you were raised with computers in schools and have adapted to changes, Group-Oriented because you grew up in a time where there wasn't just 1st & 2nd place, everyone won. Your parents stopped blaming your poor skills in school on you not studying and felt more so that the school didn't teach you correctly. You're used to social circles, a large network in fact. Adapted to changes, you're the generation of customization - because you were relentlessly studied the iPod, MySpace, Facebook, digital cameras were created for you. You've gotten things relentlessly connected to you since you were in pampers - you don't have a choice but to adjust to change at a rapid pace.

- Stressed Out. There's too much information coming at you. It's also not okay to be just a jock, just the valedictorian, just the artist. You need to be multi-talented. Colleges are harder to get into because everyone goes. You feel an overwhelming pressure to succeed.

- Wants to be famous. 65% of individuals believe they will have their 15 minutes of fame and with blogging and You-Tubing, it's actually not as far fetched as it may seem.

- Craves added-value. You just don't want water - you want vitamin water because it will bring you "balance," "focus," etc. You don't just want a cell phone that rings, you want the features - camera, video, V-Cast. You're more likely to purchase something that provides, even a false-sense, of added value. This isn't just in merchandise - it's in life. You want the person you're going to be with to not only be nice, but good looking, have a good job, have a good income, religious, saves little puppies on the side of the road, likes sports & long walks on the beach.


Gen Zers, these are the babies. Born from '96 to today.
- Unknowns. Projected 46 million population because they are the Xers kids.

- Like the X-ers they are seeing a decay in the world & the economy. School shootings, social destruction, 9/11.

- HUGE PRESSURES. Very much like the Y-ers, they can't just be smart, they have to be gifted. They can't just excel at one thing, they need to excel at EVERYTHING

- Structured. Because of high divorce rates they're over involved and used to structure. Activities like sports become surrogate parents. They crave structure and will succeed under it.

- Virtual ID. They've not only grown up with computers but they've been raised that technology is key. They have Wii characters and virtual stomping grounds for their stuffed animals. They're in bred into Second Generation. They must exist in the real world and the virtual one simultaneously.


My head is reeling right now with all the information sucked into a 2 hour presentation, the insights into people via generalized information, the formation of feelings based on the world and it's circumstances. I'm going through my list thinking, crap - she's an Xer so I should be doing this, or he's an Xer so I really should be doing this and not that, and I'm a Yer - am I really like that? What about those poor Zs ...