There was a time—not all that long ago—when I believed I had at least a passing familiarity with the younger generation.

I understood ambition. I understood energy. I even understood, in principle, progress.

And then I ordered a coffee.

In this tale from Clarence Mills, a perfectly ordinary job interview becomes something rather more… educational. The applicant’s name runs backwards. The schedule leaves no room for punctuation. And somewhere between “easy peasy” and “influencer,” it becomes clear that the English language and I may no longer be moving in the same direction.

I came prepared to discuss editing—structure, clarity, the quiet discipline of moving a comma one space to the left and feeling triumphant about it.

She came prepared to discuss engagement, branding, upward mobility, and the possibility of paid holidays calculated—so far as I could tell—on a weekly basis.

None of this was hostile. It was simply… disorienting.

If you’ve ever nodded confidently while having only the loosest possible grip on what was actually unfolding…
If you’ve ever suspected the world updated itself without notifying you…
If you’ve ever wondered when you stopped being the target audience and became the historical reference point…

You may feel very much at home here.

I’ll be right here Thursday morning with another Clarence Mills tale. And if you’d like the next one to arrive without any effort at all, you’re always welcome to follow along.