The earliest post on this blog goes back to early 2002. This wasn’t actually the first incarnation of my blog, as I had an earlier Greymatter blog (very early open source Perl CMS) which corrupted and lost me everything. There have been a lot of changes, and a lot of posts, since then.
When that post was written, I was in a mad panic getting ready to leave the US for the UK. I had given away most of my possessions, as international shipping is prohibitively expensive. I gave my library of books to all the people who might love them, rather like finding new homes for your soon-to-be-orphaned children. I had condensed my entire lifetime down to six cardboard boxes and two suitcases…it is an interesting experience to discover how little actually matters in the larger scheme of things.
Almost ten years on, I’m settled here. We went from nothing (I think we were down to our last £5 when I got my first job here) to success and a shot at fame and fortune, back to almost nothing again. Although I get homesick for my friends and family, this is home. As I said the other week when getting all homesick and tearful over LA or New Orleans – I don’t want to go home, I just want to go back in time. With everything sucking as hard as it does for us right now, I admit to feeling that way now and then when I’m all mopey and emo-ish. I just need to stop watching American TV, it makes me sad. :)
That is the beauty of blogging, or keeping any kind of personal journal: looking back into time and saying “this is who I was”. It’s not always interesting, or pretty, but it is nice going back to see how you got from there to here.
It’s sometimes hard to remember that you’re winning.
You won, my dear. You found the guy, made the move, and everyone is healthy and well fed. All that other stuff is frosting.
Congrats on winning at life. A lot of people don’t.
Well, personally if I won I wouldn’t be this traumatised wage slave, but I will admit that it could be worse. We’re poor right now, but happy (aside from the whole aforementioned work thing).
Here’s a virtual champagne toast to happiness, and good relationships, and living our dreams. You more than most people I know. :)
You aren’t kidding.
Even just having a relationship that doesn’t make you miserable is better than most people do in a lifetime. I try never to forget that.
Also, you seem to really like the UK. So the fact that you get to live there is awesome.
Being broke does suck, though. I hate being broke, because I hate feeling like I don’t have options.