Miscellaneous thoughts
1.) So I had a friend and former housemate that I lost track of recently... he moved back home, and then his car broke down, then his cell phone shut off, then I didn't hear from him for a couple of weeks. So I got worried and tried to get hold of him somehow. He once told me that if I went looking for him and didn't know where to look, I wouldn't find him. He was nearly right. I ended up scanning satellite photos of his entire home county, writing down likely locations based on descriptions and the one time I'd been there to visit. Then I looked in the phone book for his last name and checked for any addresses that matched the locations I'd looked at. I found a match and called it and got his mom, who then passed me on to him. Turns out he's doing well. Mystery solved, and I'm super happy to find out he's doing well. I also got updated phone info, so it shouldn't be as arduous getting hold of him.
2.) R.I.P. Billy's dating life 1996-2007. Yup, my dating life formally died sometime in September of 2007. My housemates and I found the body and buried it in a private ceremony. It took me some months to get over it and come to some sort of conclusion about its passing. In reflection, I can say that I'm glad to be free of it. Maybe that's crass to say-- I don't want to besmirch his memory, but B.D.L. just needed to go. His last years were painful, and he hung on for a long time. He was a fighter. But it was his time, and I think he's in a better place now. I thank those of you that I spoke privately with about this for voicing your support in these trying times.
3) I'm moving out in August and am house hunting a little. It's exciting and not at the same time. I made a pact with a friend of mine that I'd be gone from Lexington, hell or high water, by 2010. top 5 places to live if you're a Billy looking to break out:
1) Bloomington, IN -mellow hippies and beautiful forest.
2) Louisville, KY -nice town with architecture jobs.
3) Los Angeles, CA -sunny place to live; art jobs.
4) Berea, KY -beautiful and isolated
5) Atlanta, GA -Adult Swim HQ
All of these locations have friends already living there. If I was to strike out on my own, I'd include Portland, OR and Wilmington, NC in the list.