Years ago

20 years ago

I’d just be starting my second year at St Bedes College in Manchester, after having left Stonyhurst. As with everyone at 15 years old, I didn’t really know who I was, what I was going or where I was going with life and most of the months really blend into each other. I was also getting over the transition from Stonyhurst to Bedes from the year before – I’d learned that when I opened my mouth that speaking with a very plumy (boarding school) accent whilst being in Moss Side usually resulted in an uneasy silence. I never really got bullied per se – I was always just a bit too big (both tall & too fat) to be worth the trouble, but I learned that it was always easier to keep to the background. Hm. Not very pleasant memories, really.

 

15 years ago

1992. Just starting my 3^rd year at university; I’d just moved into the Catholic chaplaincy at Leeds Uni, and was enjoying life (in later respects rather too much). I’d got – for the first time in my life – a circle of friends - was role playing and generally having an excellent time. This is easily the happiest period on this meme – a large number of the people I met have remained firm friends with me, for which I am thankful.

 

10 years ago

In 1997 I was an underling at TLS – a job that I loathed with a passion & was later to leave about a year later, but it paid the bills - just. This was my first job & I was starting to return to the social circle in Leeds. In later years, I would be driving over just about every Saturday to sleep on peoples couches / floors, but I was mainly trying to reconnect with people over there – especially as I made contact with Matt & found that he’d got cancer (after a lack of contact on my part for almost 3 years). I was also starting my accountancy exams, trying to get myself a set of skills that would help me through the rest of my life. On the other hand, I was going to the gym 4 nights a week & lost about 15 kilos of flab, so I was probably never healthier.

 

5 years ago

C & I were in Canada on the first leg of our round the world trip. We’d flown on September 11^th 2002 to Boston, been through Chicago, Detroit & were probably (by now) in Toronto, heading towards the Canadian Rockies. I’d guess that I was about halfway through War & Peace and I was salivating at the prospect of going to California (and beyond!) in a few weeks time.

 

1 year ago

One year ago exactly, I was sitting at this same desk & was dealing with the tail-end of quarter-end, as I currently am. C was travelling back & forth to the Uk just about every 2^nd or 3^rd day & my main memories of that time were that I was horribly lonely, couldn’t speak the language and was worrying about the finances – with a very nice (but very expensive) flat being rented in Amsterdam & a house in Leeds.

 

Yesterday

Generally feeling miserable. Irritated at myself for forgetting my card, stressed out about quarter-end, and got on the wrong train to get home – arriving at about 7-45, rather than 7pm. Despite the fact that I achieved a lot, it was still overly stressful - not a good day, all considered!

 

Today

Better than yesterday, even if the commute remained somewhere between lousy & bad (the train broke down in Central station, on platform 4 & the next train was also going from platform 4, so the next train couldn’t go from platform 4 – but you try explaining that to a harassed guard in broken Dutch…!

 

Tomorrow

Firstly, I’m back in the office tomorrow continuing the month-end turmoil, and, as the house is a tip & C is away, I’m going to try & attack some of the backlog of housework done, so that we can actually do something together this weekend / Friday. No promises, but that’s the intention at least.