(no subject)

[hannibalv]

Stolen from somebodystrange, who got it from...someone else...and put off until today for reasons you'll see soon enough.

Ten years ago, I was circling my high school graduation, ahead of a summer of temp-working and my sure-to-be-triumphant enrollment at Valparaiso University. As an aside, I received my invitation to my ten-year reunion today.

Nine years ago, I was looking for work, after having come to a mutual understanding with Valparaiso University wherein they requested I not return and I tell them I wasn't planning on it. I was a month or so out from 1) finding a job and 2) a hospitalization for increasing self-destructive depression. This was also about the time I moved to the all-black-all-the-time wardrobe.

Eight years ago, I was finishing up my first year at my job, doing weekly therapy, and recovering from a broken ankle.

Seven years ago, I was still at the same job, which at this point I'd grown to hate, but the money was pretty good, I had benefits, and the people were OK, so things could have been worse. I was excited about an impending trip to the state immediately to the east of the one in which I regularly reside.

Six years ago, real career despair had set in, which would lead me to seek advancement at my workplace (a quest which led to a promotion two levels up and one to the left about three months later). My personal life continued in its unremarkable way, except that I was about a month away from the decision to quit drinking.

Five years ago, I was going on a couple of job interviews, because I'd been told a month and a half earlier that my position was being eliminated and I was being downsized effective mid-July. (See where ambition gets you, kids?) None of the interviews panned out. Additionally, five years ago was when my dad's kidney failure was diagnosed.

Four years ago, I was out of work again, having been through a couple of jobs at that point, including one which took me as far afield from home as I'd been in nearly 20 years. More importantly, four years ago today I started spewing my noxious thought into the ether.

Three years ago, I was out of work yet again, after an extended period annoying people in the name of social science research. I would not work again until September. Nothing else of terribly great consequence was going on.

Two years ago, I was watching a job circle the drain ahead of yet another summer of unemployment (I finally started working again in August). I was starting to meet some new and fascinating people.

One year ago I was on pins and needles awaiting word on what would become my current job. I was a month away from the smasho.

This has taken me a damn long time to put together because I went back and reread all my LJ entries for June 2002-June 2003, among others.