nobody loves you when you're 23 (party like it's 1999)
Apropos of nothing in particular, last night I found myself contemplating 10 years ago. It was probably the thought of getting my weight under 200 lbs this month--the last time I can certainly remember being below 200 was in 1999. Then again, maybe August is as good a month as any to take stock for me. Thirty-three years ago this month I was born. Eight years ago (on my birthday, no less), I started working for Intel. Seven years ago I got married (so that was a week into September, but it was the same basic time of the year).
At any rate, 1999 was an interesting year. I started the year with a break-up with a girl I'd been dating for more than half of the previous year. I didn't take it terribly well, and that in addition to the fact that I'd moved into a new apartment away from the group of friends I'd been with for a while kind of combined to make me rather lonely. It was also a tough year at school--junior year of an engineering program tends to be that way. I tried to focus on my schoolwork more, but I've only ever had marginal success with that kind of discipline.
I found myself hiking a lot. I'd take off from my apartment and wander the mountains close to campus (Rock Canyon, Y Mountain, wherever). Anytime I could bum a ride or borrow a car, I'd get down to southern Utah (Moab, Zion, Bryce, etc). I hiked Mt. Timpanogos twice and Mt. Nebo twice and took a three day backpacking trip to Kings Peak. I hiked the Subway for the first time. I was in better shape than ever.
I was restless. I'd spent the past two summers staying at school, taking classes and/or working through the summer. By the time fall semester and the beginning of what would have been my senior year hit, I was ready to get out of Provo. I didn't want to graduate without some work experience. SO, I hit the career fairs and recruiting sessions with a vengeance. I wanted an 8 month internship, starting in January, and then return to finish school the next fall. And I found just that. SO, I bought a car, packed my life into it, and drove back east to start work in Vermont just after the new year started. Yeee-haw.
At any rate, 1999 was an interesting year. I started the year with a break-up with a girl I'd been dating for more than half of the previous year. I didn't take it terribly well, and that in addition to the fact that I'd moved into a new apartment away from the group of friends I'd been with for a while kind of combined to make me rather lonely. It was also a tough year at school--junior year of an engineering program tends to be that way. I tried to focus on my schoolwork more, but I've only ever had marginal success with that kind of discipline.
I found myself hiking a lot. I'd take off from my apartment and wander the mountains close to campus (Rock Canyon, Y Mountain, wherever). Anytime I could bum a ride or borrow a car, I'd get down to southern Utah (Moab, Zion, Bryce, etc). I hiked Mt. Timpanogos twice and Mt. Nebo twice and took a three day backpacking trip to Kings Peak. I hiked the Subway for the first time. I was in better shape than ever.
I was restless. I'd spent the past two summers staying at school, taking classes and/or working through the summer. By the time fall semester and the beginning of what would have been my senior year hit, I was ready to get out of Provo. I didn't want to graduate without some work experience. SO, I hit the career fairs and recruiting sessions with a vengeance. I wanted an 8 month internship, starting in January, and then return to finish school the next fall. And I found just that. SO, I bought a car, packed my life into it, and drove back east to start work in Vermont just after the new year started. Yeee-haw.