What are you doing this weekend? Tonight, Juliette and I are going to see a film at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. On Saturday, Rob and I are taking all the kids to the Oklahoma Opry (now called the Rodeo Opry). On Sunday, we’re going to church and we’ll probably eat at Boulevard Cafeteria. The kids still call it Bull-a-bar, but they’ve added the word cafe to the end. They’ve gone fancy on us.

Next week, they’re headed to a very special VBS. As a kid, the weeks I went to church camp and VBS were the best. I loved all the songs and crafts.

Have a great weekend! Here’s your Friday Blue Plate Special featuring generation and pop culture links from around the Web.

Generation Moon: 45th anniversary of Apollo 11.

MTV and Apollo 11

NASA’s Apollo 11 crew landed on the moon July 20, 1969. The world watched 45 years ago as astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set their lunar module Eagle down in the Sea of Tranquility, while crewmate Michael Collins orbited above in the command module Columbia.

NASA will commemorate Armstrong’s “one giant leap for mankind” through a number of events across, and above, the United States during the next two weeks, as well as on the agency’s website and NASA Television. Read the official NASA news release.

Generation Harry and Sally

There was another important anniversary this week. July 14, was the 25th Anniversary of When Harry Met Sally.

When Harry Met Sally

American Dream

Neil Howe covers the big picture — generations, economics, culture, and demographics — for Forbes now.  He’s doing a 7-part series on Generations and the American Dream. What a treat!

Single Parenting Troubles

Mom Jailed Because She Let Her 9-Year-Old Daughter Play in the Park Unsupervised. Another Letter To Gen Y

David Frankel has written “The Absolute Last Open Letter To Millennials.” It features the Top 10 Things Millennials Should Know About Generation X. I really didn’t care for the article, but you might like it.

10 Things

10 Things Generation X Won’t Tell You. This is a really great piece by Quentin Fottrell. Definitely worth the read and spot on. Also, the graphic by Lars Leetaru is great.

Goodbye, Archie

The latest victim of gun violence is Archie Andrews of the comic strip. He took a bullet for his gay friend, Senator Kevin Keller.

Archie takes a bullet for his gay best friend.

Generation Greyhound

This year Greyhound Bus celebrates its 100th anniversary. A story in USA Today highlights how the company is remaking itself for a new generation.

Sometimes during my college years, I’d catch a Greyhound bus home for the weekend. A friend would drop me off at the bus station in downtown Oklahoma City and I’d ride the bus to Tulsa. My parents would drive up from Bartlesville to pick me up. I think the ticket was $35 or so. Interesting times. It was always a humble experience. I had a lot of those and I’m grateful for them now. Oh, to ride a bus again.

But, of course, MY CHILDREN will never ride a commercial bus. There were some scary people on those trips.

I actually rode the Greyhound many times throughout my childhood and youth. Last week I wrote about my brief time at the historic Ivywild school in Colorado Springs. I came to Ivywild via Greyhound. In the spring of 1974, my mother and I caught a bus in Southern California and rode it all the way to Colorado Springs where my father lived.

Los Angeles Greyhound Bus Station | 1960s | Photo via Patrick’s Mercy on Flickr

Lost Generation of Homeownership

We’ve read a lot about how Millennials have been impacted so adversely by the Great Recession, particularly with homeownership. This article by Jed Kolko, an economist, busts that myth and outlines how middle-agers — Generation X — are the true lost generation of homeowners. Read The Recession’s Lost Generation of Homeowners Isn’t Millennials – It’s the Middle-Aged.

Graphic of Homeownership for Generation X.

Sweet: Outdoor Movies

Last week, I drove Juliette and her friends to hear Samantha Crain at the latest block party in Guthrie, Oklahoma. On the way out of town, we caught a glimpse of Maleficent playing at the town’s outdoor movie theater. It was like a living time capsule. The teenagers were giddy and amazed. Check out this sweet article about an outdoor theater in Jefferson, Wisconsin welcoming a new generation under the stars.

Jefferson Wisconsin | Dan Lassiter

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

Today is the 25th anniversary of the death of Rebecca Schaeffer of My Sister Sam. I wrote about her yesterday.

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