Six years later...

Holy Shit! I missed my anniversary!

Six years ago on April 18, I started this blog. I called it a journal then, and still consider it as such, but "blog" has entered my lexicon as well as the culture's.

Here is my first entry. It's not very impressive.

So I started writing this thing when I was a 310-lb fifth year senior at Michigan State University. I was pretty depressed at that point in my life, still a bit unsure about what direction my life was heading, and pretty unhealthy. I was working in a residence life job that I was done with, and in general just ready for a change in my life. Luckily, though, the change had started by then. The fall of 1999 was one of the worst on record for me, but the spring of 2000 – when this blog was born – saw a renaissance in the world of me. I think journaling had a little something to do with that, as well as working out, and excitement over my upcoming graduation.

No, I’m not crediting blogging with bringing me out of my slump. But it’s kind of cool that now, six years later, I can look back and trace my outlook on the world, and see it waveringly get better and better.

That next year, I student taught. It was a fairly rough school – Lansing Eastern High School, which boasts a high dropout rate and tough kids. And I loved it. It made me love urban education and set up my life’s work.

So after I graduated, I moved to Baltimore. I didn’t know anyone; I just up and moved with my college roommate down here. I got a job at a decent school in the city, but the first year was rough. I stunk. But I worked hard and worked smarter and had a great second year. I then had a pretty shitty third year (especially the lying garbageman lawsuit and the eye surgeries), a pretty decent fourth year, and, so far, a mildly shitty fifth year. The jury's still out, though I know that floating sucks beyond any comprehension.

Because I wait tables to pay off student loans and my car loan, I often go weeks without a day off. I work my ass off. Sometimes I'm lonely. Other times I'm amazed at all the good friends I have both here and in Michigan.

I was once (in probably error) included in a Washington Post article about weight loss blogs. This really isn't a weight loss blog, and never has been, but as a guy who lost 120 lbs, I've written tips and write a lot about fitness. Or, I used to. I've gained a quarter of that weight back. I'm trying to get rid of it again. Trying, trying.

(Over spring break, as sad as this is, I started writing this entry in preparation of the big anniversary. In my head, it was going to be another introduction page to replace the autobiography link on the right. However, my heart's just not in it right now. Maybe another time. I needed to get it up, though, since I had already missed the six year anniversary.)