It has been over a decade – how has your life really changed?

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nbcrusader

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I am connected to a few members of Interference on Facebook, and one messaged me yesterday and mentioned this forum. I thought I’d log back into my old account (I started what I will call a sabbatical in June 2006 after about 4 years of regular participation).

Interference will always hold a special place in my heart, giving me exposure to a large cross-section of society brought together with a common interest – U2. I also learned the art of on-line debate – quite a useful skill to have before the social media explosion (Facebook wasn’t available to the general public before September 2006).

For my background, 2006 was a busy time. My father was developing Alzheimer’s (he passed in 2012), my former employer merged, eliminating my level in the organization, I started with a new position with a rapidly growing company, all while my wife and I were busy with two young elementary school aged children. Today, I am moving my college graduate son to the East Coast to start his adult career (leaving tomorrow morning), helping my high-school senior daughter with her college applications and looking forward to the empty nest years with my beautiful wife.

It was a pleasant surprise to see all the familiar names still involved here after all these years. I look forward to getting reacquainted with all of you and re-engaging in our discussion of life.

So, to start, now that we have lived through the W years, the Obama era and now entered the new Trump years, how has life changed for you?
 
:wave: has it really been that long?

Apparently I've developed a sense of humor.

My beard is starting to get a few white hairs.

Good having you back.
 
:wave: old-timer!

Since 2006, I have graduated from law school and have been practicing as a corporate and securities lawyer. After graduation I traveled quite a bit and spend a significant length of time in southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Angola) which left me with life-long impressions and a desire to return there as soon as is practicable. I met my now husband shortly after graduating - we got married, bought a house, a German Shepherd, had a son and now a daughter on the way. My husband is my partner and my best friend, he's an extremely successful economist and so I've evolved a lot of my views on economics living with an expert which has been a good thing. I lost my last 3 grandparents in a short span before I got married. They all played major roles in my life since they were around until I was in my late 20s or early 30s. I often feel like I didn't really get a proper chance to grieve and process it all because they were in fairly quick succession and it came at a very busy time of life for me. It would have been nice to have them at my wedding.

I think back to how young I was in 2006, in many respects. But as they say about having children, I feel it applies to us as well - the days are long but the years are short.
 
I remember you, didn't realize it was that long ago either. Your name came up in the politics thread the other day and I was like oh ya I remember that guy.

In 2006 I graduated from college, finally got my driver's license, and got my emt card so I could find a job til I figured out what I want to be when I grow up. I still haven't figured that out, but I went to paramedic school and I've been doing that going on almost 8 years now. I moved across country to Colorado, where I live with my boyfriend and two cats. There's another huge life change that I mentioned in another thread that I don't necessarily feel like getting into right here, but I'd say my life changed a bunch over the last 10 years--definitely for the better.
 
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I also can't believe it's been that long, since I remember you clearly, but didn't start posting here until 2005.

Anyways, I'm now a Master of Digital Media (so useful) and working in Sports in LA. Fun fun times.
 
it hasn't been that long. OP has more than 225 posts in 2013.


And Aeon is probably his facebook friend, hoping to bring back a conservative to help defend fascism. Or something.
 
My life has completely changed. I joined this forum as a lonely teenager who found solace in U2's music. Over the next few years it was the one constant. I was a virgin until I was 23, which really weighed on me a lot, but as I type this I'm the happiest I've ever been. I have a truly wonderful partner, I went on a personal development and youth leadership camp that gave me new life and on which I've been part of the leadership team ever since, I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder, which I work with, not against, I've got a great job, the most amazing cat, life is grand.
 
it hasn't been that long. OP has more than 225 posts in 2013.

I was going to say that I thought he had briefly returned at some point recently.

Honestly, I find the person I was in 2006 almost completely unrecognisable. I joined here an angry, lonely teenager living on the hellhole that is the Gold Coast. That year I moved to Brisbane to start university, but only stayed there a year before transferring my studies to Melbourne. I spent ten mostly excellent years there. The best city in the world; I cannot imagine enjoying living anywhere else as much.

Around the time of that move south I lost what remained of my teenage infatuation with religion. I very much regret that religious phase because it made my teenage years all the more miserable, but I also value the experience for the stories and perspective it left me with. In Melbourne I had a year of serious untreated depression (that's the year so much of my stupendous post count comes from, since this was the one place I connected with people), but around that point I learnt to relax. I have to credit that in no small part to the relationship I entered at the time, which was with another Interferencer; we lived together for more than five mostly good years before it came to what was, in hindsight, a necessary denouement.

The other thing that really helped me become a much happier, more contented person was studying for my PhD in History. I researched a project I loved, surrounded by colleagues who became firm friends. My PhD was conferred in 2014 and I've been working as a historian ever since. I also became involved in the Melbourne music scene, especially its shoegaze niche, and that has sustained me greatly over the last seven or eight years. My career has, unfortunately, led me away from Melbourne; I recently moved to Wollongong to take up an academic post here for the next three years. It's not much of a city but I'm excited about the job; I get to work on another project I love. I've written three books now and nothing matters to me more than History.
 
I downloaded the app yesterday after a long time away. It's pretty fancy these days! Back then I was co-managing a fabric store and in the midst of a marriage break up. This place was my home. Now I'm volunteering at an animal shelter, living in a little flat in my parents backyard and finally doing my divorce paperwork. So happy to see lots of familiar folks still here.
 
I downloaded the app yesterday after a long time away. It's pretty fancy these days! Back then I was co-managing a fabric store and in the midst of a marriage break up. This place was my home. Now I'm volunteering at an animal shelter, living in a little flat in my parents backyard and finally doing my divorce paperwork. So happy to see lots of familiar folks still here.

Glad to hear you're doing okay! You really went through quite a rough patch over the years. :hug:


Like Ax and Cobbler, I also got here as a teenager. I never fit in, got bullied, this place quickly became my home. In the past ten years, so much has happened. I finally figured out what was wrong with me, why I was so different (autism), why I could never focus and had so much trouble with subjects I didn't care about (ADD). I learned so much about myself and how to deal with things, that with a delay I finished my bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a master's in Medicinal Chemistry. I now work as a software developer for a big company. I also just bought a house this summer and am now finally living on my own with 2 kittens. Before this I still lived at home cause I could not afford a house of my own. I never wanted a student house and regular rentals suck here to get. But now I have a proper job and some savings and I managed to get my own flat. Life's pretty damn good. Interference was with me for the worst moments of my life, but also the best now. It's really, really strange that all these strangers on the internet helped me through so much stuff. And now I've even gone and met you guys and some are even close friends now (and one's a coworker, lol). All that's missing for now is the relationship void, been there, tried that, stuff's hard. But eventually that'll be okay too. Meanwhile I'm pretty damn okay alone with my kitties. Perhaps the crazy cat lady life ain't so bad!
 
I remember you, didn't realize it was that long ago either. Your name came up in the politics thread the other day and I was like oh ya I remember that guy.

In 2006 I graduated from college, finally got my driver's license, and got my emt card so I could find a job til I figured out what I want to be when I grow up. I still haven't figured that out, but I went to paramedic school and I've been doing that going on almost 8 years now. I moved across country to Colorado, where I live with my boyfriend and two cats. There's another huge life change that I mentioned in another thread that I don't necessarily feel like getting into right here, but I'd say my life changed a bunch over the last 10 years--definitely for the better.

Eyewubbee :wave:

Let's see... I graduated, got a job, got a cat, met this amazing woman, fell in love, got an even bigger beard, bought a house, got a better job, became a dad of an amazing little boy.

I guess it's been an eventful decade :D
 
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I was in high school ten years ago. I was miserable and overweight and frequently had bouts of bad OCD with religion and sexuality. I eventually mellowed out at the end of high school which lead to a lot of good stuff...

Got a girlfriend, who I've been with for a long long time.

Got a new little brother. I've grown really close to my family, even though I don't live in the same state as them anymore.

Stopped some of my old hobbies (tennis), and focussed on new hobbies (following a stupid band called U2)

Graduated high school, graduated college, got a job as an engineer. I studied computer science because I thought it would lead to better job security (it has), but my passions have always been literature and storytelling. I regret not going that path in college, but the grass is always greener.

I hate being an engineer; I want to be a TV writer.

Oh, and I really want a pet bird.
 
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Wow. This thread is a bit mind blowing. I've lurked on here since well before 2006 but barley ever post.
Why?
Mostly cause I find it so intimidating. All these regulars who I presume are so cool, confident, faultless, together, know each other so well etc.
Then these wee testimonials show how these terrifying avatars are really real people going through the same shit as me, the struggles and pain. And Galeongirl is on the autism spectrum! Shit! Me too! Mind blown.
So yeah. Even for lurkers like me who you all know nothing about and never see my name pop up, I'm still here, and you lot and this place has been and still is really important for me.
 
Glad to hear you're doing okay! You really went through quite a rough patch over the years. :hug:


Like Ax and Cobbler, I also got here as a teenager. I never fit in, got bullied, this place quickly became my home. In the past ten years, so much has happened. I finally figured out what was wrong with me, why I was so different (autism), why I could never focus and had so much trouble with subjects I didn't care about (ADD). I learned so much about myself and how to deal with things, that with a delay I finished my bachelor's degree in Chemistry and a master's in Medicinal Chemistry. I now work as a software developer for a big company. I also just bought a house this summer and am now finally living on my own with 2 kittens. Before this I still lived at home cause I could not afford a house of my own. I never wanted a student house and regular rentals suck here to get. But now I have a proper job and some savings and I managed to get my own flat. Life's pretty damn good. Interference was with me for the worst moments of my life, but also the best now. It's really, really strange that all these strangers on the internet helped me through so much stuff. And now I've even gone and met you guys and some are even close friends now (and one's a coworker, lol). All that's missing for now is the relationship void, been there, tried that, stuff's hard. But eventually that'll be okay too. Meanwhile I'm pretty damn okay alone with my kitties. Perhaps the crazy cat lady life ain't so bad!

We had a long PM chain going for a while, haha. Reckon that helped build my confidence :)
 
Wow. This thread is a bit mind blowing. I've lurked on here since well before 2006 but barley ever post.
Why?
Mostly cause I find it so intimidating. All these regulars who I presume are so cool, confident, faultless, together, know each other so well etc.
Then these wee testimonials show how these terrifying avatars are really real people going through the same shit as me, the struggles and pain. And Galeongirl is on the autism spectrum! Shit! Me too! Mind blown.
So yeah. Even for lurkers like me who you all know nothing about and never see my name pop up, I'm still here, and you lot and this place has been and still is really important for me.
Behind every anonymous face on the internet rests a story. Everyone has their struggles, everyone had their issues, but they all brought us to where we are now. And most people pretend to be cool on the internet anyway. :wink: Though not me, I really am cool in real life. :shifty:

Why not post more? Don't let anyone intimidate you, we might come across as a bit clique-y sometimes but most people are pretty cool here. Just don't barge in on the community like topics, just say hi or something like you just did with this post. Start posting here and there, EYKIW is a great place to start, and people will easily accept you into the community. :)

We had a long PM chain going for a while, haha. Reckon that helped build my confidence :)

Yeah, those were the days. Then you grew up and got a life and all and left me behind. :sad:

:wink: Nah I guess we both got too busy with life. Would be fun to catch up some day. I swear I'll be coming to Melbourne in a few years for a holiday!
 
Graduated high school, graduated college, got a job as an engineer. I studied computer science because I thought it would lead to better job security (it has), but my passions have always been literature and storytelling. I regret not going that path in college, but the grass is always greener.

It's funny, I often wonder what would've come of me if I had chosen a more "employable" path. I've been very lucky so far pursuing History. The job market is fucking awful, really. I began university expecting to go into politics, and certainly I'd enjoy greater job security if I had followed that path into, say, the public service. I also toyed with town planning.

Truth be told, though, my childhood ambitions were to drive trains and write. I can't see well enough, so being a train driver was never on the table. If I weren't legally blind, I'd probably be driving a coalie somewhere in New Zealand right now, the draft of a novel at my side.

Wow. This thread is a bit mind blowing. I've lurked on here since well before 2006 but barley ever post.
Why?
Mostly cause I find it so intimidating. All these regulars who I presume are so cool, confident, faultless, together, know each other so well etc.
Then these wee testimonials show how these terrifying avatars are really real people going through the same shit as me, the struggles and pain. And Galeongirl is on the autism spectrum! Shit! Me too! Mind blown.
So yeah. Even for lurkers like me who you all know nothing about and never see my name pop up, I'm still here, and you lot and this place has been and still is really important for me.

This really is the only forum I post on where I'm a regular. There are a couple of others where I post now and then, but I've never been able to fit into the community or become a regular, so I hear you. I got my start on EYKIW back when it was more active, then the setlist parties for the Vertigo Tour. I actually thought I was slowly checking out of Interference in 2007, and then the Superthread happened in 2008. I'm not sure I posted more than a couple of times in places like B&C until then.

I remember when one of my colleagues a few years ago made a comment to me about "you're a cool guy, you know everybody and you hang out with bands". I thought she was taking the piss because all I could hear in my head was the laughter of the people who knew me in high school. It took me a while to realise these people I worked with didn't know me in high school and didn't have any preconceived ideas about me being some awkward loner who was easy to wind up.

I've forgotten which part of New Zealand you're in - is it Dunedin? But when I'm next in the right neck of the woods, come join me for a beer if you want. It's always better to have company, much as I like nursing a pint while reading a book.
 
Well...in the past 10 years I graduated from high school and graduated from college 3 months ago. Now I'm just job searching, but anywhere away from home - there's no work here in my field of interest. I have a Bachelor's in TV Production, and surprisingly I've found about 10-15 vacant, full-time positions across the U.S.. The best-case scenario would be to have moved out and start working somewhere by the end of the year, but it's looking a bit grim. Other than that, life is pretty good.
 
Well...in the past 10 years I graduated from high school and graduated from college 3 months ago. Now I'm just job searching, but anywhere away from home - there's no work here in my field of interest. I have a Bachelor's in TV Production, and surprisingly I've found about 10-15 vacant, full-time positions across the U.S.. The best-case scenario would be to have moved out and start working somewhere by the end of the year, but it's looking a bit grim. Other than that, life is pretty good.



We're in the same boat man. I just graduated college in June. I'm going to be working in Portland living with my parents for a year or two and then head onto grad school to get a masters in public policy. 10 years ago I had just moved to Portland from Charlottesville, VA with my family and was starting middle school. Crazy how much has changed in the past 10 years. I joined Interference back in 2011/2012 and mainly lurked back then but occasionally I post now. This is a pretty cool community.
 
In 2006 I was working an unfulfilling retail management job, living the typical mid-20s single life in a big city (not a ton of responsibility, but not a ton of direction either).

Three years later I'd meet my future wife, who would encourage me to find something I could be passionate about as a career. In 2010 we got engaged, I quit my job and we moved to Chicago so I could train to be a piano technician (I was a piano major in college and have always loved the piano). We got married in 2011, I completed my training (including an amazing, life-altering summer internship with the Boston Symphony Orchestra), we moved to Omaha in 2013 (my wife grew up in Nebraska and still has lots of family here), and I've been working as an independent piano tech for just about 5 years now. Life is pretty damn good, all in all.
 
It's funny, I often wonder what would've come of me if I had chosen a more "employable" path. I've been very lucky so far pursuing History. The job market is fucking awful, really. I began university expecting to go into politics, and certainly I'd enjoy greater job security if I had followed that path into, say, the public service. I also toyed with town planning.

Truth be told, though, my childhood ambitions were to drive trains and write. I can't see well enough, so being a train driver was never on the table. If I weren't legally blind, I'd probably be driving a coalie somewhere in New Zealand right now, the draft of a novel at my side

Ahhh, my childhood dreams were also to drive trains. I'd still love to one day :)

I'm pretty jealous honestly. I've considered getting a PhD in English, but the US job market for academics is atrocious as well. I'm just trying to retire early if my more ambitious creative tasks don't pan out.



Diemen said:
Three years later I'd meet my future wife, who would encourage me to find something I could be passionate about as a career. In 2010 we got engaged, I quit my job and we moved to Chicago so I could train to be a piano technician (I was a piano major in college and have always loved the piano). We got married in 2011, I completed my training (including an amazing, life-altering summer internship with the Boston Symphony Orchestra), we moved to Omaha in 2013 (my wife grew up in Nebraska and still has lots of family here), and I've been working as an independent piano tech for just about 5 years now. Life is pretty damn good, all in all.

Dude, that's fucking awesome.
 
It's super interesting reading all of this! I appreciate everyone's testimonials, and I love hearing the positive role that Interference has played in many roles, as it has in mine.

Let's see... well, I was 14 ten years ago and now I'm 24, so that's a rather big shift in itself. At 14, I was kinda nerdy and awkward (like many here). I'm not sure that's entirely gone away (not that it necessarily should!), though I'm at least more comfortable now. I was also pretty emotionally intense at the age of 14, something that hasn't really faded at all.

I went through high school super involved in debate, and loved that, along with general STEM studies. I spent five years at UT-Austin after that and truly had an amazing time, getting to study engineering and lots of liberal arts as well. I discovered that I really love both, and I greatly enjoyed my studies in general, for their variety and the intensity of engineering. I wasn't very into partying and I didn't drink at all, but I found a nice niche of friends. And I had engaging and fun internships in New York, San Diego, and Dallas. There were some difficult moments... my family's financial situation basically collapsed during my time at UT, for instance, which was painful to watch. But I'm very positive about my time there.

I now work at a management consulting firm in Dallas. I mostly find the work pretty interesting, but I struggle with the hours sometimes, especially as of late (80 hours per week is very different than 60 hours per week). One weird facet of my life here is that I'm traveling for work more than I'm home. Usually nowadays, it's just down to Austin, but I spend 4 nights per week there and often go other places than home (Dallas) on weekends. I love this for now, but recognize that it comes at a cost, and that I won't love it forever.

There have been a lot of struggles. I lost a 21-year-old sibling to suicide this year. That's... incredibly painful. My parents and remaining sibling are really torn up in a lot of ways, and it's tough to be around them, though I try to support them. The suicide is really hard to work through, and the financial situation doesn't help.

I've varied a bit on religion over the years, in ways not terribly atypical for a progressive white Southern young adult. I was raised Christian but by reasonably progressive parents; we mostly went to Episcopal church. My mom turned a lot more conservative as I became an atheist at the end of high school (2010ish), which was a struggle. I'm back more towards Progressive Christianity (I don't at all think that homosexuality is sinful, and traditional Christian doctrine of hell strikes me as abhorrent and absurdly unlikely - some big rifts I have with a lot of Christian teaching in the US), with a rather substantial dash of agnosticism. I readily admit that I don't think there's any solid evidence that God actually exists, but I have some hope that He does, and I think it benefits me and the world around me for me to act on that hope. But I also admit that I could trend back towards atheism, though I hope I don't right now. Regardless, religion is a topic of very real interest to me.

I've had a couple of relationships, both of which ended painfully in the last year. The first was a six year relationship; the second was a six month relationship. The latter was really tied up constantly with my religious adventures, and the breakup there is still painful for me to work through.

But all in all, I'm very blessed, even as life is a continually interesting adventure.
 
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Thanks Galeongirl, sound advice and you're right, I need to post more! It can get a bit habitual to just sit back and watch, avoiding conflicts etc, but ultimately that's not really very fulfilling.
Though catching Axver's 150000 post count is unlikely!
Axver I totally understand your story! And yep I'm in Dunedin, and will absolutely buy you a beer. Perhaps when U2 will be play here next year (fingers crossed).
Thanks guys
 
Meanwhile I'm pretty damn okay alone with my kitties. Perhaps the crazy cat lady life ain't so bad!

Believe it or not...I too, love cats. Our home has three permanent residents and we have fostered kittens until their adoption (a heartwarming and heartbreaking experience)

Glad to see you've accomplishment so much in your education! Awesome job!
 
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