February 23, 2011....that was the last post I made on here. Sure doesn't seem like more than 2 years has gone by but apparently it has. I've noticed that blogger has a lot of changes as well (that I will take the time to learn later) so I need to get reaquainted with this site if I plan to continue my blogging (which I do). For those of you who have never read a blog written by me you could either be in for a nice surprise or find that my blogging style isn't for you. At one time when I was actively writing a blog every couple of days I had regular readers from 22 different countries (some I had never heard of). Anyways....none of that matters right now. What matters is that right now life is good and it's just getting better as the days go by.
This isn't news to any of my family or friends reading this but after years of saying I was planning on moving back to Austin I finally made the leap and moved in January of this year. I was at a stalemate in Brownwood and I was beginning to move backwards instead of forward in life. I hit a wall with school and couldn't find the focus to push my way through so I decided to take a break in November of 2012. The good news is that I will be starting classes again in July and my projected graduation (finally) will be late 2014.
Anyways, back to my news about the move. In January some friends of mine that lived in Austin had a room for rent and pretty much without thinking it over I took it and here I am...living in Austin. I've had times when I thought staying in Brownwood until I finished college would be easier (less distractions). But after 5 months of dropping out of classes and feeling "stuck" I decided that it was time for a change. I wasn't expecting a move to Austin to be the change I needed (at least not at that time). I only planned to take off from school and get a job so I could work long enough to make enough to get my car fixed and be able to afford dental insurance (because the VA doesn't provide me with free dental). Well, the rut that I was in while in school followed me even after I decided to take the break and I couldn't conjure up the motivation to look for work in a town I didn't want to live in anymore. Brownwood didn't have anything for me (besides family) and for years my heart had been set on coming back to Austin. I hadn't planned on moving until mid-summer of this year however; during a phone conversation with a friend they told me they had a room available and well, 2 weeks later I was moved to Austin.
Sidenote: When I start a story my mind wanders and I stray from my initial topic at times so if it reads like I'm jumping around from one subject into another well, it's because I am. I write how I talk and think. Unless it's an essay or research paper for school usually I type exactly what is on my brain at the time.
So, here I am, living in Austin and loving it. January through the end of April had it's ups and downs but that was because I was trying to adjust to so many changes that were made so quickly. I had spent the previous 5 years living alone in my own apartment and I spent quite a lot of that time alone (except for when my GREAT friends forced me to be sociable, which I thank them for). Most of my social interactions came in the form of online chat, the MMO's I played, or my X-Box 360. I was a recluse. Well, when I moved to Austin my room was in a 3 bedroom/2 and a half bathroom apartment that I shared with a couple and their two girls. If you know me you know how much I like my privacy and also how difficult change is for me. The move to Austin was a really big change but learning how to live with two young girls and a couple was even tougher. I went from living alone to having 4 other roommates (not including Abby, Lola, and their dog Bailey). Needless to say it felt crowded and I wasn't used to that. BUT, that was nothing compared to how crowded things would get from February till May 1st when I moved into my current apartment. Long story short: the people I moved in with let 2 of their friends sleep on the couches in the living room (from February until I moved out) and with their friends constantly being there we would have up to 10 people at the apartment on a nightly basis with at least 6 there constantly. There was no privacy at that point and finally I just had to move out because the lifestyle my roommates lived didn't fit in well with mine.
Fast forward to today (because this post is already long and I will make more posts soon to fill in all of the details I have accidentally left out of this story) and I am working Expo at a fun place to work (not just because of the girls either). I now feel like I have my privacy back because I live with only one other roommate and I have the master bedroom and bath in this 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment I'm in. Things at work are going great. After almost 3 months I'm finally being accepted into the "TP Family" and am no longer looked at as "the new guy". In 2 months I will resume my classes at Colorado Technical University Online and sometime between now and graduation I plan to find work in the IT field so I can get the hands on experience I need to get a job in computer networking once I finish school.
Another sidenote: I tend to abruptly end blogs without completely finishing my story or the point I was trying to make when I feel the post has become too long. Luckily though; there is a "reply" button you can use to ask any questions about details I may have left out and I love getting feedback from my readers. Some of you actually take the time to read the entire novel I have posted and I thank you for that.
Life is good. I really cannot complain because I am surrounded by so much opportunity and growth that all of the goals I set out to accomplish and dreams I have can be realized now. I live in one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. I am going back to school in a couple of months and the VA is still going to pay for my schooling and pay me to go to school. I have a job (when I know a lot of people that don't) that I enjoy (most of the time) and opportunities to work with other companies outside of the restaurant industry ALL around me. While the A/C in my car doesn't work and only a couple of windows can be rolled down at least it still runs and it gets me where I need to go. I may be sleeping on the ground right now but at least I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and my privacy back. I've gone from being a "pessimist" to an "optimist" and I tend to find something positive to focus on no matter how negative a situation may be. I'm happy. I haven't been able to say that (and mean it) for a LONG time. Do I have everything I want? No. Do I have everything I need? Yes. The old me would have focused on the things I wanted yet don't have and then spent time being depressed about not having those things. The new me appreciates everything I do have and while there are things I want as long as I have what I need then I can find ways to be happy.
I'm sorry it has been so long since my last blog post. I'm sorry that this post was SO long (not really sorry...I didn't force you to read the entire thing :p). I look forward to getting back some of my old readers and to picking up some new ones. Not all of my posts will be novels....just most of them. It's good to be happy again. It's good to have the desire again to type in my blog. Everything is just good. I truly am "Happy Happy Happy!".
