NOSTALGIA:                                     
      I can very safely assume we're all familiar with nostalgia - that sense of "Oh, yeah, I remember that! Oh, those were the good ol' days!" The question I've been wondering for the entirety of today, is why? Why are we compelled to think that the past was much better when in the present we're faced with ambivalence and tend to just get by day-to-day? What is it that compels us to yearn for the past? Is it truly the case that the past was better, or is it simply that, in hindsight, the past has a certain quality that we wish were present in the modern day? It's odd what strikes us as "nostalgic." For people who were born in the '80s, ridiculous hairstyles may be a nostalgia trigger. Every era has its set of triggers. As a '90s child, I immediately burst with nostalgic glee when I hear or see classic '90s Nickelodeon shows, hear talk of Pokemon Red and Blue, or the occasional mention of TRL (y'know, for those fragile remaining years, when MTV actually PLAYED music). But I ask myself "Was I more excited about those things then, while living IN that era, or is it because I've made memories with said things?" I'm still debating the answer in my head. I suppose it's all so subjective, in retrospect.
      The sad part, however, is that some people get nostalgic over events, which I am often unable to relate to. Just goes to show the span of my experiences. While people can hear a timeframe and think to themselves "Hey, remember when we did X activity in Y location?" I often am only able to reminisce on particular things, namely old television shows. If you name a remotely underrated show that was broadcast in the '90s, there is a very good chance I will be familiar with it. A very sad depiction of the goings-on of my childhood. "I didn't get out much" doesn't even BEGIN to describe it. It's odd, though. Trends/fads are fleeting, and are often met with mixed reviews when reminisced upon, so I wonder what will define THIS era. What are the subject matters that will initiate the "Oh, I remember _______!" 's? Like I said, it's all so subjective. Perhaps it's the case that these very words that you're reading will come to a point of obsoletion in the near future. Maybe there'll be some newer, more innovative way to vent one's thoughts in the years to come. Then we'll all be forced to look off into the obligatory distance and say "Hey, remember when blogging was relevant?" I digress...for now.