Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. (No, seriously. I started this post back before Christmas and I'm just finally finishing it now. In my defense, I did finish it once, but Blogger ate it. So this is the revised version.)

25 years ago: I was 5. Living in Gillette with my parents and our dalmatian, Jim's Wyoming Star. 12 days away from having a baby brother. 2 days away from unwrapping a doll bunkbed and a Barbie doll house, both handmade by my mother.* Star used to eat the shingles off the roof of her dog house and climb the 8-foot fence to escape and run wild on the prairies of Wyoming. My brother Brian, who would eventually become one of my best friends and the greatest brother ever, would occassionally spend time during the first few months of his life in the top bunk of the doll bunkbed. My grandma was visiting, and my best friend was Michelle.
*(This section was obviously written pre-Christmas.)

20 years ago: I was 10. I lived in Dallas. My family had finally settled in the town we'd stay in more or less till I graduated college, but we didn't know that at the time. Dallas was just another in the string of places that ARCO was going to send us, as far as we knew. I was in 5th grade and had a total kid crush on my teacher, Ms. Berg. I can't remember why I thought she was so much cooler than any other teacher I'd had; I just did. I'd just gotten contact lenses the year before. I was in class with Michelle N. and met my first birthday twin, Jeremy W. My hair was still long, I think. The summer after 5th grade I'd get it cut so it would be easier to take care of during Girl Scout Camp, thus issuing in years of too short, too frizzy hairstyles.

15 Years ago: I was 15. (See how this works?) I was just finishing my first semester of high school at Big, Local High School across the street from my house. (The second house my family lived in during our time in Dallas. Even when we stopped moving, we couldn't stop moving.) I had had a miserable semester, despite finally getting to do traditional high school stuff like going to football games, and having a study date with a hot JV basketball player from my Spanish class. I had made the decision to go back to Dork School. I missed all my fellow dorks. Which doesn't mean that I wasn't relieved to leave them again a year later when we moved to London. Until I got to London, and then I started missing them again. Teenage emotions are nothing if not ambivalent.

10 Years ago: Houston. Sophomore year at Rice. Best year ever. The Muppets dominated the 4th floor at Brown. I was just about to start dating Tim, the first great love of my life. Dr. Mario ruled the Nintendo, Fishin' in the Dark rocked the stereo, the Yo' Mama wall entered its all-too-brief period of fame. Really, I'd write more about this, but I think I'd just be recapping my senior year Rice Yearbook entry. Which would only make sense to the people who were there, and they've already read it. (Ok, actually I may have my years wrong. 10 years ago may have been junior year of college. In which case the above all holds true except that Tim and I were already dating.)

5 years ago: Ummm, let's see. Living in New York City. New York City!! (C'mon, am I the only one that remembers that commercial?) Possibly this was the year I went to Hawaii on vacation with my parents and brother. Really, it all sort of starts to blur together. Possibly also the year that I got my tattoo? That sounds about right.

3 years ago: In New York, dithering over what I wanted to do next. Stay and work at Medical Reference Website? Travel the world on my credit cards? Apply for library school? Well, you know how that turned out. (Hint: my present location, Champaign-Urbana, IL, is home to a well known ________.)

1 year ago: Taking my last class. Fixin' to think about startin' to get ready to begin to look for a job, as we would say in Texas. Ok, no one would actually say that in Texas, but they might say something pretty close. Ah, my adopted home state. I kid because I love.

This year: Ok, the last year went something like this: class, party with friends, look for job, dinner with friends, get temporary summer job, drink with friends, spend summer in basement of GSLIS, except when emerging to party, eat, or drink with friends, travel to Victoria, BC, fall in love with Canada and bunnies, see my first demolition derby, date a guy from GSLIS, break up, get a job, eat weiner schnitzel at crazy German restaurant, watch drive-in movie, run through corn maze, turn 30, date former GSLIS guy, break up, go rock climbing in giant grain silo, be sad, then happy, then a bit more sad, but mostly happy overall. And seriously, y'all, that's only a teensy fraction of things that I remember off the top of my head. There were so many good things about this year. So many people I feel priviledged to have in my life. This easily would make my list of top 5 best years ever.

Yesterday: See previous blog post re: National Acrobats of Taiwan. I also ate a delicious slice of pie at Baker's Square. And had a conversation involving Peter Parker's pecker. And should probably go wash my mind out with soap now. As soon as I stop laughing.

Today: Went to the lady doctor. No, no, not just the one who is a lady. The one that's for ladies. She complimented my argyle knee-high socks. Personally, I imagine lady doctors are relieved when you wear distinctive socks. Gives them something to talk about to break the ice before they have to get all up in your business. Tonight I will stitch n' bitch with the usual crew at Kate's. Debating whether to start a new afghan once I finish the one I'm working on now, or move on to finally learning how to knit. Also could work on tea towels from my Sublime Stitching kit.

Tomorrow: It's Friday! Hooray for Friday! I don't know exactly what I'll be doing, but it will be good, because it is Friday. All bow before Friday. Is it coincidence that he was the King of the Land of Make Believe? I think not.

Meme via Gwen's Petty, Judgemental, Evil Thoughts.