My half-life
Jun. 16th, 2015 06:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
klwilliamsThis month marks my 26th anniversary of moving to Sunnyvale, where I moved when I was 26. I've lived other places in the Bay Area since then, in Fremont and Santa Clara, but now I'm back again in Sunnyvale, in my own (and the bank's) house. I've spent half my life in the Bay Area, and 25 of the 26 years here in Silicon Valley. That's a long time.
When I moved out here I had just finished my third year in graduate school (and had a Master's) and was about to start work at HP. Now, I just finished a certificate in data science from John's Hopkins (via Coursera -- taking a class online was the stuff of science fiction back then) and am about to start a very senior role at Xerox.
Then, I lived with my cat, Phantom, who I had brought with me from Wisconsin. Now, I live with my wonderful husband, his two cats that he brought with him from England, and my two turtles, Dymphna and G'Kwan.
Then, I had been in the SCA for about a year in Wisconsin, but had just joined the local group out here. I was a new fighter, with a reasonable suit of armor, and had dreams of all sorts: being a very good martial artist, being a very good Medieval scribe, and being a writer. Now, I'm a nidan in aikido (not a martial art I'd even heard of 26 years ago); I can create a scroll on vellum, make my ink, prepare my quill from a goose feather, do hands spanning a millenium, apply gold leaf, make my own paints from period pigments -- I'm a Medieval scribe; I've sold a few short stories and am working on a novel.
Then, I had no idea what my future would hold. Now I'm delighted with my present. To coin a phrase, what a long strange trip it's been. I wonder where I'll be 26 years from now.
When I moved out here I had just finished my third year in graduate school (and had a Master's) and was about to start work at HP. Now, I just finished a certificate in data science from John's Hopkins (via Coursera -- taking a class online was the stuff of science fiction back then) and am about to start a very senior role at Xerox.
Then, I lived with my cat, Phantom, who I had brought with me from Wisconsin. Now, I live with my wonderful husband, his two cats that he brought with him from England, and my two turtles, Dymphna and G'Kwan.
Then, I had been in the SCA for about a year in Wisconsin, but had just joined the local group out here. I was a new fighter, with a reasonable suit of armor, and had dreams of all sorts: being a very good martial artist, being a very good Medieval scribe, and being a writer. Now, I'm a nidan in aikido (not a martial art I'd even heard of 26 years ago); I can create a scroll on vellum, make my ink, prepare my quill from a goose feather, do hands spanning a millenium, apply gold leaf, make my own paints from period pigments -- I'm a Medieval scribe; I've sold a few short stories and am working on a novel.
Then, I had no idea what my future would hold. Now I'm delighted with my present. To coin a phrase, what a long strange trip it's been. I wonder where I'll be 26 years from now.
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Date: 2015-06-17 07:56 am (UTC)I was reflecting a while ago that I have lived at this address longer than I've lived anywhere except the house I grew up in (spent 18 years there, so it'll be a long time before I surpass that). I've lived in California longer than any place other than Texas, too. It makes for an interesting comparison . . . .
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