In my late twenties, working the same job at the same Rite Aid store since 2003. I hated that job at that point; the latest person to get put in store manager position was an awful boss. I was taking classes at community college just hopping around trying to figure out what the hell I could do to move on to some other employment.

I ultimately did not quit that job until about six years later.

I graduated high school in '08. It was also around the time I got my first cell phone. It was also maybe a year or two after I lost my faith in Mormonism. I was depressed as fuck and it would be another decade or so before I came out as gay.

I was halfway through college. My degree is in Theatre so I was mostly studying theatre or hanging out with theatre nerds.

I was struggling in college. Substitute teaching part time, and playing a whole lot of dungeons and dragons.

I was also realizing that I was not a man.

Watching the Finale of the European championship Spain Vs. Germany.

I was a junior in highschool eating lunch in the art classroom alone

I have no idea because I was 1 year old

Shitty year, honestly. Was technically the beginning of the end to the current climate. Pre 9/11 was the last good era.

I was 5 years married, 12 years out of high school. I was still young and stupid and didn’t understand how the world worked yet. But for the most part life was good at least better than now. Future felt hopeful and promosing.

Juuuust out of college, perfectly in time for the housing bubble to burst and all the jobs evaporate.

College. Having fun with friends. Economy was crashing. Jobs, if you could find one, were trash. Democracy was still safe though. The dumbest members of society weren’t dictating our future.

So just kind of a mix of fun and stressful, with less existential dread.

I remember being very confident and optimistic. I had just started college, and nerd shit had just become the dominant force in our culture.

People were joining the internet and connecting via Facebook which I thought would lead to world peace.

Bush was out of office and Obama had won.

The iPhone meant I could use the internet and apps whenever I was.

Everything was becoming higher quality. The fast food restaurants were all remodeled to look like actual buildings. TVs in waiting rooms became all flatscreen, something I associated with the very wealthy.

Every brand was trying to copy apple so everything became a lot more white and clean. Simplified.

I had discovered reddit which felt like cheat codes for knowledge, especially since I was the only person I knew in real life who knew it existed.

I was in elementary school, parents took me to Ron Paul rally which was pretty cringe. Reading Warriors books, watching Star Wars the Clone Wars, mascot for older sisters robotics team.

Drunk, got fired for being a drunk, sold plasma to get a daily McDouble and a couple 40s. Read library books until my landlord (wife of the woman who fired me) evicted me.

What a low time to look back on. So glad I got sober.

I was finally finishing my degree after dragging it out a couple extra years because I could afford night classes without taking loans.

It feels absolutely insane to me that I was working a labor job, paying rent, and taking part time classes back then without accruing debt.