nostalgia playlists
it's a friday in late 1999, and it's cosmic bowling night at the circle bowl across florida blvd from the cortana mall. you're at your friend cameron's birthday party right before christmas break. the faint wafts of stale camel blues and spilled miller mingle with the sticky chocolate sheet cake and hours-old pepperoni pizza. you laugh as cameron throws the ball so hard it bounces out of the gutter into the neighboring lane, and you're relieved he liked the booster pack of pokemon cards and the droid fighter lego set from star wars episode 1 that you got him for his birthday. the dj tonight was nice enough to mix some "oldies" in for the parents, in addition to some of the favorites of the past couple years to usher in the turn of the millennium.
it's a sunday morning in 2003, and you faked being sick to sleep through church. the natural light streaming through the windows bounces off the dust that floats off your off-white carpet. you’re playing phantasy star online on the 10” CRT television that sits on an ikea coffee table in your bedroom. the birds chirp outside. your mom is cooking something for brunch in the kitchen. your dad is watching the PBA bowling tour in the living room downstairs as he settles into his reclining armchair to take a nap.