(Photo courtesy of Sharon Franklin Driscoll)
About this blog
Welcome to my personal blog, Musings of a Gen Joneser.
“Generation Jones” is a term coined by television producer, director, and writer Jonathan Pontell to capture that group of people born between 1954 and 1965. Gen Jonesers fall between two well-defined generations — Baby Boomers and Generation X — and our life experiences — on the whole, at least — are different than those born into the two popularly defined groups.
Years before I heard the term Generation Jones, I referred to my age cohort as the ‘tweener generation. I felt that we didn’t quite fit in with the prevailing characterizations, life histories, and timelines of the Boomers and Gen Xers. And now that we’re decisively into our middle years, I think we have some unique perspectives, insights, and observations worth sharing.
I started this blog in September 2013 to share personal nostalgia, assorted trivia, and pop culture observations. I kept it going for about four years, until I decamped to another site. As of November 2018, I’m reviving this blog. In addition to keeping the lighter content, I’ll be blending in more serious reflections on lifespan issues and adult learning, especially on matters relevant to my generational cohort.
I hope you enjoy what I have to offer.
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About me
I was born in 1959, which makes me a prototypical Gen Joneser! I grew up in Northwest Indiana, went to college at Valparaiso University, and then on to law school at New York University. After 12 years in New York, I moved to Boston. I now live in the great little Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain.
I work as a law professor in downtown Boston, where I specialize in employment & labor law and have developed an expertise in the legal and organizational aspects of workplace bullying, mobbing, and abuse. You can check out my professional blog, Minding the Workplace, and my faculty bio for more on that.
In terms of social media, you’ll find me on Facebook. Please feel free to friend me if these blog posts strike your fancy.
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Updated: November 2018
Musings of a Gen Joneser 
I look forward to reading about our generation. I have always felt we were the younger siblings of the Boomers and got their hand me downs, the tagalongs – yet too old to be a part of the next generation down. The other day I put some thought into what our generation’s greatest contribution to society was. Could it be that we were the guinea pigs for trying out technology? If we could learn and accept it, then it became the new standard? I notice I am the one teaching older women about technology. The younger generation was raised with technology and their brains were programmed to use it on a daily basis. Our brains were trained to identify theme songs from 1960s and 1970s sitcoms and to argue about who our favorite Brady kid was!
PS Great photo!
Hi Sharon! Thanks for your comment — and for taking that picture last year!
On the question of greatest contributions so far, at some point I’m going to write about Gen Jonesers as parents. Some of the best ever, I believe. (Like you and Don.)
Feel free to use us as examples in your essay about Gen Jones parents!
Sent from my iPhone
Born in 1943, I’m another boomer peripheral — but on the pre-boomer side — and don’t know if we even have a designation. I wonder if coming along in between times, on the edge of yet another “new normal” carries with it a Janus potential for looking both directions.