Change is...Something Something

I'm a fairly consistent guy, dependable to a certain degree. It's good to be dependable and consistent, to have a solid anchor, although life should be shaken up once in a while to remind us that we're alive. In my travels I came across this interesting questionnaire to measure change; I think I can guess how this will go before I even fill it out...



****15 YEARS AGO (1994)****

1) How old were you?
19(until November)

2) Who were you dating?
I was a college art geek who wore flannel shirts like jackets and discussed comic books with the utmost sincerity and seriousness. Attempts to win over the opposite sex were predictably disastrous, although I was a good 2 years away from the “What's matter; don't ya like me or somethin'?” debacle....

3) Where did you work?
In addition to playing in various marching and Italian festival bands, I got a Summer job painting houses. Part of the job involved going door to door and asking people if they wanted Student Painters to actually paint anything in or around their homes. Most said no, and I was glad when people weren't home and we could just hang a little paper Student Painter sign on their door knob. I quit at the end of the Summer after my manager and some of my coworkers rolled some weed in the Sunday funnies in a client's kitchen and offered me some. No thanks.

4) Where did you live?
With my folks, on Long Island.

5) Where did you hang out?
With my friends, in Queens.

6) Did you wear contacts or glasses?
Surprisingly neither, despite how many comics I read and how much television I watched.

7) Who were your best friends?
I guess it would be Rey and the rest of my college “brothers” and “sisters”. I shared a lot of laughs and good times with those folks.

8) How many tattoos did you have?
None.

9) How many piercings did you have?
None

10) What kind of car did you drive?
A Maroon ‘81 Monte Carlo that belonged to my father and originally, to my music teacher.

11) Had you been to a real party?
Yes, for the first time in my life thanks to some friends with an apartment near campus. And I was sincerely invited, not like on television or in movies where the cool kids invite the nerd as a joke.

12) Had you had your heart broken?
Not really.

13) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced?
Painfully single.

14) Any Kids?
No.


***10 YEARS AGO (1999)***

1) How old were you?
24(until November)

2) Who were you dating?
No one. It had been just over a year since my ex-girlfriend Jenn had moved to Massachusetts and dumped me, and I was still feeling the pain. There had been one new girl in the office that was somewhat tempting and pulled me back out of my shell a little bit at a holiday party, but she literally disappeared. I don't mean she was just avoiding me, but that she just stopped coming in to work a few weeks later with no explanation. The rumor was that she went down South on vacation and just never came back, but our boss never told us the truth. All I had was an e-mail address, but I got no replies.

3) Where did you work?
I was still at my first job out of college working for a small design book publisher, handling both the gamut of graphic design responsibilities and maintaining our computer network. When I got into a much larger book catalog company almost a year later, I was impressed that they had different departments of employees for each responsibility I had at the smaller place.

4) Where did you live?
With my folks, on Long Island.

5) Where did you hang out?
I found myself in Manhattan a lot with an old high school buddy who threw karaoke parties, filmed them, and sent the tape in to a local public access station. I was drinking a lot of screwdrivers in those days.

6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses?
Surprisingly neither, despite how much time I was in front of a computer and how much television I watched.

7) Who were your best friends?
I was kind of going through one of my phases where I dropped off the radar, never really sure if I was spending time alone because I thought my friends had reached the maximum level of MCF tolerance, or because I felt like spending time alone after my breakup. Other than going to the city to visit my old high school buddy every month or so, I wasn't hanging around with much of anyone, although I was slowly getting back in more regular contact with my college friends, especially Rey(who would eventually get me a better job).

8) How many tattoos did you have?
None.

9) How many piercings did you have?
None.

10) What car did you drive?
The used ‘89 Mazda 626 I'd originally bought to visit my girlfriend after she moved out of state during the few months we continued dating.

11) Had your heart broken?
Oh, hell yeah. She was in New York visiting her mom, and in hindsight I really should have been suspicious that she'd baked brownies for no apparent occasion. I took her to a local beach, and after she got back in the car and I closed the passenger side door, I popped in a mint in my mouth as I walked back around to the driver's side, taking her for granted and assuming one of our trademark 3 hour make-out sessions was about to ensue. Instead I got slammed with the old “We need to talk...” line which led to a long tearful conversation. At one point she tried “I just think we should slow things down” which I found ludicrous since I went from seeing her every day at work and dating on weekends to spending every other weekend with her. If things were any slower, we wouldn't be together, which ultimately was her point that I needed to accept. That's probably way more details than anyone needs to hear or this question requires, so enough about that afternoon. Let's move on.

12) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced?
Painfully single.

13) Any Kids?
Not that I know of.


****TODAY (2009)****

1) Age?
34(until November)

2) Where do you work?
I design flyers, envelopes, and contest inserts for a large direct mail company.

3) Where do you live?
With my folks, on Long Island.

4) Who are your closest friends?
I stay in fairly regular contact with Rey, who now lives out of state with his wife and three kids, and B13, who still works at the company that let me go a few years ago. I've even been making an effort to see my college friends more regularly. Thanks to the internet, the world can be a lot smaller than it was 15 or even 10 years ago.

5) Do you talk to your old friends?
Yes, mostly online, although as I mentioned my college friends have been trying to put together events once a month or so. Back in November, I even met up with two “kids” from my old neighborhood, one of whom is engaged and the other who is studying to be a doctor. The kid who was taller than me from the moment he outgrew his stroller is even taller, while the kid who was always shorter than me is also taller. That's why the internet is better than real life; people don't need to see how short and fat I've become.

6) Do you wear contacts and/or glasses?
Surprisingly neither, despite how much time I spend in front of a computer and how much television I watch.

7) How many piercings do you have?
Still none.

8) How many tattoos?
Still none.

9) What kind of car do you have?
2005 Honda Civic. I can't believe I've had it nearly a year now.

10) Had your heart been broken?
More like disappointed although, with a few exceptions, I've developed a thicker skin over the years.

11) How many kids?
None.

12) Are you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced?
Resignedly single.