2010

Happy New Year everybody. I’m a bit late on this, but I gave it some thought. I had a small, preliminary version of this on my Facebook as a note. Oh, that site has everything, but it does nothing proficiently at all.

So let me start analyzing this year by starting with October of 2008. I woke up one day in my apartment at 24 Morningside Avenue and realized something. It was 5am, and I was getting ready for work. I worked at Staples as a sales associate. What struck me was here I was, a graduate of college, magna cum laude, recipient of seven scholarships and national honors recognition, working at one of the most dead-end jobs a person can work in. I decided to go to grad school.

At this time, I also met a group of people that had a profound impact on my life. They didn’t know that, and I don’t even much associate with these people, but the impact still remains. Thank you, art night for pulling me out of my slump and depression. Who’d have thought that you’d only put me back into it at some point, but meh, that’s another story.

January, I started classes with Dr. Beth Sockman, Dr. Craig Wilson, and Dr. Gary Braman, as my first ever graduate classes. I realized that this is what I should be doing: Instructional Technology. I was still working at Staples, but not for long.

I made it through and the summer began. Unfortunately, I didn’t do much this summer. Went to a bonfire and had a revelation, went to Chicago with some buddies of mine, and met a really awesome person there, thanks to Dan. Got out of retail, stopped hanging out with the art people that I loved so much at one point, killed my Facebook account, remade my Facebook account, started my Graduate Assistantship, killed Facebook again, worked through this difficult semester, started up Facebook again, had another raunchy holiday season, and here we are, 2010. Wow, interesting how quickly time goes. Never thought I’d say that.

So let’s discuss what’s gone on this last decade.

2000 -
I moved from Brooklyn, NY to Tobyhanna, PA when I was 15.
Quote that describes this experience: “Wow, racism is a real problem”

2001 -
Well, a whole lot of nothing happened until September, and that’s all I remember. I met Samer and Matt this year, and they were the first two people in the Poconos that I could call a friend.

2002-
Started up my senior year in a different high school. Obviously, the school was separated on race, but there’s no evidence to that. It’s just obvious. Most of my friends in high school were black, and I no longer felt like an outsider because of them.

2003-
Graduated high school, started college, learned to drive, and experienced living on my own for the first time. Some of my friendships got stronger, and I met an amazing group of people in the coffee shop of my new college. The most profound part of this year was that I learned to play piano.

2004-
Quite honestly, I don’t remember this year. I was going through phases, and I did some mental training to block a lot of my past out. I was going through some weird times at this point in life.

2005-
Moved in with Mike as my roommate, and had the time of my life. 20 was a good age for me.

2006-
The best part of this year was going to Italy and France. Then I had Tom as my roommate and that was fantastic. Too bad it ended after a single semester.

2007-
I went to Vegas by myself, hung out with some amazing people in the Street Fighter community. I found a part of myself this year.

2008-
Finally graduated college, went on a second trip to France, and the birth of the me that stands today came out.

There, the decade… Thank you for everybody who contributed to my experience. I appreciate it.