it has been an interesting eleven years

On or about this date in 2004, I lost my job at General Dynamics because my attendance problems had gotten out of hand. That, of course, was because I had started drinking again on 03 January 2003 and that had quickly spiraled out of control.

It has been a long, strange and nearly fatal trip from then to now. I won't go through the details here, but this blog's archives go back to November 2002 and I wrote about a lot of it as it happened.

Just yesterday, I was feeling especially grateful. My new Pocket Fisherman™ arrived the day before (thank you, Dad) and I had been tossing the practice plug around the house, which was a lot of fun. As I lay in bed before work, I thought about how much has changed in my life since that day in February eleven years ago.

I don't have a great job, but at least I have a stable job. I live in Paradise, with mountains and rivers and hiking trails and wildlife all around me. I have a good dog, good health and my days are mostly free for enjoying the bounty that surrounds me. I am alone for now, but I had four and a half years with a wonderful and intelligent woman.

Yeah, life is hard, but life is good too.