Ashlynn reminded me earlier this evening on the drive home from Sonic that next month today, I’ll be 28. It’s surreal just how much time goes by sometimes, especially when you don’t feel you’ve done anything major in the past many years, but in fact, a lot has changed in the past 5 years alone. I often wish I didn’t blow up my HDs back in 2006, because there was so many older images I had from high school and back, but I end up having to settle for what I have saved in my old webserver and some other places, mostly cellphone images since I haven’t really owned a proper camera over the years.

Even looking back at the old shots of my room in Southwick when I had graduated high school and started going to school up there is funny. I was way more of a dork back then, my walls and shelves with Gundam models and anime things, my old CRT monitors and good ol’ Elyham, running Windows 2000 Pro, always signed on to IRC, downloading anime and music, streaming Aniverse-Radio. I did live in the basement, in a finished room my father built out in the basement at the time. The problem with having no windows is not really knowing what time of the day was what, and I found myself having to set extra alarms to make sure I was awake on time. But it was awesome in the summer and better in the winter, for hot-blooded people like me. When I wasn’t working on school, side projects, or hanging out with friends, I spent a lot of time down there watching shows and playing games. Sometimes I admit I miss that peaceful tranquility, even only for a few moments. There is something about wasting days just doing whatever you want that just makes you feel good. But I wasn’t jobless, working nights and weekends at Highland Park Market in Suffield. Eventually I moved back to Glastonbury and then to my first apartment in Manchester, but when I hear people talk about how it was living at home with their parents, it was a kinder, simpler time back then, but I wouldn’t trade what I’ve built for myself over the past six years, even if I had to fall into a helluva pit once to get there.

Everyone has a turning point in their life in some form or fashion, and for me, it was 2006 that served as my turning point in life. Most people would think a guy sleeping on an air mattress in the living room with another guy on the opposite side while your ex sleeps in the only bedroom with her new boyfriend to be pretty spineless. I was. It still serves to be one of my biggest regrets in life. I’ve never had to combat drug addiction, alcoholism, or many other issues people face, but I was never well versed in handling relationships, and it proved to be my weakness back then. That apartment was supposed to help reinforce our relationship, but in the end we went at each other’s throats all year. My job and World of Warcraft were my only escapes.

But when I look back at the past five years, which includes that oh-so-shitty year, I feel I have accomplished more in these five years than in the five prior. Sure it was fun, gallivanting across the galaxy and using my omnipotent awesome being to enjoy life out with friends, but time had to move forward for me some day, and all jokes aside, Ashlynn did help me realize I was a person worth reminding himself of how incredibly retarded he was back then.

One can only hope this trend continues, because despite her loving and affectionate efforts, there are just not enough hours in the day to get through all these anime and games. =P

(you’ll also note the banner has changed yet again. It has been updated to reflect our new probie.)

PS: A thread on FB about Star Trek kicked off this Power Ranking of sorts for favorites by ship position. For the record:

Captain: Janeway > Picard > Kirk > Sisko > Archer
First Officer: Riker > Chakotay > Kira Nerys > Spock > T’Pol
Chief Engineer: O’Brien > Scotty > LaForge > Torres > Tucker
Helm/Conn: Paris > Sulu > Dax (on Defiant) > Mayweather > Crusher
Tactical/Chief Security: Tuvok > Worf (TAC on DS9) > Odo > Chekov > Reed
Chief Medical Officer: EMH > McCoy > Bashir > Phlox > Crusher
Science Officer/Communications: Seven of Nine (technically Astrometrics) > Sato > Dax (on DS9) > Uhura > (not listed for TNG)
Operations: Data > Kim > O’Brien (not listed for TOS or ENT)
Counselor/Staff Support Troi > Neelix > Dax (Ezri) (not listed for TOS or ENT)

Starship: Defiant > Voyager > Enterprise 1701-D > Enterprise 1701 > Enterprise NX-01
Shuttlecraft: Delta Flyer > Runabout > Type-10 (VOY)

Overall: Voyager, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, The Original Series, Enterprise

Haters gonna hate.