Has Gen X Finally Become Generation Strange?

I more and more feel like a visitor in a bizarre land.

Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD
4 min readJan 13, 2023

Photo courtesy of author

Age is nothing but a number.

At least, that’s the feeling I had when working from home — a house built in 1919.

My wife and I moved here in 2008. It was love at first sight. As soon as we stepped through the front door, we looked at each other and knew it was the right place for us. We didn’t need to say anything.

The house has been upgraded and modernized over the decades. It has all the contemporary comforts I dreamed of when I was young. But the high ceilings, ornate staircase, and hardwood floors give the place its historical character and quirky charm.

But older houses need maintenance. There’s no escape. So, this year, we replaced the roof, installed new gutters, and had the outside painted.

And then, we decided to start working on the interior. However, this time we weren’t interested in upgrades and modernization. Instead, we wanted to restore old features that never go out of style. Ceiling ornaments. Copper doorknobs. Dutch doors. Windows with divided light. Decorative floors. Built-in bookcases. Separate rooms.

I was excited at first but confused after going into the sixth week of living on a construction site with…

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Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD
Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Written by Erik P.M. Vermeulen, PhD

Where Gen X memories meet today’s struggles.

Responses (20)

What are your thoughts?

Most of the younger generations will never own their own houses and will be lucky to be able to afford an apartment within 1000 miles of a big city. They live their lives on their computer and smartphones or maybe they work while traveling.
How do…...

I’m Gen-X also. I had a house blog in the early 2000s. We restored our 1910 2-flat. I still love it. It’s not a huge place and feels like a jewel box to me. I think it’s actually pretty sustainable and we did much of the work ourselves. It took…...

as a member of gen x, i need to renovate myself.