Ten Years Ago Today

Earlier today Sarah Morgan asked, via Twitter, that we fill in the blanks on the following sentence:

Ten years ago today I was __________.

I answered it on Twitter like this:

@sarahmorgan I was living in NY, on the verge of a chain of events that would land me in LA engaged to someone other than @slackmistress

That doesn’t tell the whole story though.  Ten years ago today I was ______

-Still living on Long Island.

-Taking home $250 a week.

-Renting a studio apartment that held my record collection and a giant early 90′s laptop PC.

- Driving a 1980 Buick Regal I bought for $300 from a guy named Red.

- Subsisting on a diet of Goya Rice & Beans, 7-11 coffee, gin and cigarettes.

- Feeling like something had gone terribly wrong and there was no way to fix it.

Ten years ago today I was dealing with the end of my first serious adult relationship.  I was depressed but it left me plenty of free time to listen to music and drink cheap gin and I did not waste my opportunity.  It was not the best time in my life but it was the first step in getting me where I am today.

A little less than ten years ago my phone rang and the girl who had moved away was on the other end.  A discussion led to an apology and this led to another call and then another.  Within weeks I was on my way to Los Angeles where I’ve stayed ever since.