Where were you in life, five years ago?

[MrFun]

Last month was Apolyton's fifth anniversary.

I was wondering -- where were you in life, five years ago? Anyone who is an Apolytoner is free to join in this thread -- whether they were a Chieftan five years ago, or if they had not even found out about Apolyton yet, but is a member now.


Five years ago, it was about a month before I would come out to my family and friends as a gay man.

I was 20, I had an Associate's Degree in Computer Information Processing from a community college. But I was not happy, since I realized on the day that I graduated, that I chose the wrong major/field.

I felt like I was going to get stuck into a job/career that was going to be boring for me. This was before I even realized that I would go to a four-year college to pursue my real passion -- American history.

Five years ago, I had a lot less self-confidence and self-esteem than I have now. I feel so much better about myself at the present, than I did five years ago.


So how far have you gone over the past five years?

[Harry Seldon]

I was a drug addict and an alcoholic with a determined self-fufilling prophecy to be dead by the time I was twenty-four. I lived in a ****-hole apartment where my only furniture was the "Captain's Chair" (a glide rocker), a lamp I had to take from room to room because it was the only light I had, a mattress, and a small b/w tv. Around this time I met my wife and she helped me get my **** together. I went back to school, got a "career" job, and moved to a different ****-hole apartment in a better area with better rent. I also got married and started playing soccer again.

[Immortal Wombat]

I was 13. I prefer not to remember.

[Alex]

Five years ago I was living with my parents, amazed with this thing called internet (yes, I had recently got access to the net for the first time) and I had no perspectives for the future.

Since then I got a job in the government, got married and now I'm on the verge of a divorce (but my wife doesn't know about that yet).

I was happier back then.

[Stefu]

I was 14, in junior high, and slightly odious. (Heck, it's possible that I even wore velcro boots. Brrr.) I was good in school, but was in a precarious phase when my grade-school friends' life was diverging from my own and I, essentially, didn't have any friends. I had a bad case of acne and greasy hair and was your stereotypical nerd. While I had been quite a chatterbox in the grade school, but grew silent.

Of course, after a few years I got on to high school (not a moment too soon - one of my main criteria in my high school choice, even though I didn't mention it to anyone then, was that none of the *******s from junior high years were going there), started to actually talk to people, and now am preparing to move to a different city to go to university, certainly a more balanced and happy person than then. And I have Apolyton to thank for all of it

[Harovan]

Five years ago I worked as office manager and chief engineer in a surveyors office. I was unhappy, because I didn't much like my work and that business had a pretty hard time. In my spare time I improved my programming skills and played computer games, mostly Civ2. I did have access to the internet, but never got a clue that there is an Apolyton (well, or a Greek Civ2 site for that matter).

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by Alex
now I'm on the verge of a divorce (but my wife doesn't know about that yet).

I was happier back then.

Holy ****, dude. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope happier times are ahead for you.

[Harry Seldon]

I'm on the verge of a divorce (but my wife doesn't know about that yet).

! I think I've seen pictures of the two of you in the picture thread and you both looked so happy. I'm sorry to hear that; if it's your desire to fix what's wrong I hope it's successful.

[Japher]

5 years ago? Aug 1998?

1 month before my last (and 6th) year of college was to begin. Pretty excited for my last year as I only had 1 class a quarter to take (gotta love how they only offer the class you need once a year). We (my future wife and I) were living on a greenbelt with some friends. Pretty much b-b-q-ing, drinking, and having a blast. It was my last summer to do nothing. It was great.

Since, besides getting married, going through two jobs and 3 promotions, getting a dog (got her February of 99 because I was getting bored), and moving to SJ nothing has really changed... Still chillin'

[Starchild]

I was 14. I, like Stefu, disliked my juniour highschool. I was on the verge of moving to Canada from America. Like any normal boy, I seemed to have survived with one pair of shoes that I wore all the time.

I'm now 19, I love my highschool in England and I own 8 pairs of assorted shoes, boots, and sandels at the last count, each one designated for a specific social function.

[Bereta_Eder]

I had just returned to Greece after finishing a master's degree abroad and was waiting to be notified to go to the (obigatory) army... Luckily I had just had the time of my life so my batteries were fully charged, something that made the wait more tolerable...

[Arrian]

I had recently been hired for my first "real" job, having graduated college a few months prior.

The job sucked, by the way, I only took it because it got me the hell out of my parent's house, where my father was utterly intolerable ("why don't you have a job yet? Why did you sleep until TEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING [horror, the horror!]? Why don't you have a job yet? Did you send out resumes today? Did you call today?"). I love him and all, but he nearly drove me nuts.

Happily for me, that job didn't last long (unit shutdown, all of us laid off, with 3 months full pay) and I got a better one in March of '99.

I was still screwed up over the failure of my relationship in college (yeah, that's singular), with a girl I really did love (though, as discussed in the other thread, it wasn't a particularly mature love). As a result, the girl I now love was having all sorts of trouble reeling me in. And I was giving her fits. Doh.

I lived in a crappy little studio apartement with virtually no furniture. I didn't even bother setting up my computer (at the time, an old 386 PC).

-Arrian

[Chris Wilkinson]

5 years ago I got a job offer from Microsoft asking if I wanted to be trained up in web-design for them in Seattle after they seem to like my website so much.

I then pointed out I was a 14 schoolkid in rural England.

[Eli]

I was 13 years old and I really dont remember what I was doing. Playing Civ2 I guess.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Harry Seldon
I was a drug addict and an alcoholic with a determined self-fufilling prophecy to be dead by the time I was twenty-four. I lived in a ****-hole apartment where my only furniture was the "Captain's Chair" (a glide rocker), a lamp I had to take from room to room because it was the only light I had, a mattress, and a small b/w tv. Around this time I met my wife and she helped me get my **** together. I went back to school, got a "career" job, and moved to a different ****-hole apartment in a better area with better rent. I also got married and started playing soccer again.

Well, this definitely counts as a rough time.
But it seems like things are better for you now??