Picked up from
Ten years ago.
1. How old were you?
THEN: 25
NOW: 35
2. What was your online presence?
THEN: Phantom of the Opera discussion fora and a Geocities web site.
NOW: Web site with a real host, LJ, Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Etsy, Ficlets, Flickr, many and varied blog comment trails… I think that’s all.
3. Where did you work?
THEN: Department Secretary at The Williams Cos.
NOW: Project Admin at an undisclosed engineering & construction firm.
4. Where did you live?
THEN: A one-bedroom apartment in Tulsa’s Brookside neighborhood.
NOW: A three-bedroom ranch-style house in East Tulsa.
5. Who did you live with?
THEN: My pets.
NOW: My husband and our pets.
6. How was your health?
THEN: Struggled with weight, allergies, ADD and hypothyroidism. Otherwise, fairly healthy.
NOW: Still with the above, plus a sleep disorder. Otherwise, healthier and more fit.
7. What pets did you have?
THEN: Mitzi, a chihuahua, and Vanilla, a persnickety cat.
NOW: Taz (is what I think we’ve settled on calling him), another chihuahua; Niblet, aka Troublemaker Kitteh, and Sasha, aka KAP (Kitteh American Princess). In the interim there was Fizzgigg, Toy Poodle, my little sunshine. He is missed.
8. Who was your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner/spouse/S.O.?
THEN: Nobody. I was thoroughly single.
NOW: Matt.
9. Any kids? Any plans for kids?
THEN: Just the furbabies.
NOW: Still just the furbabies. There is occasional talk of possible future spawn, but no set plans.
10. What was your worst struggle?
THEN: My weight. Poor money skills. Disagreeable coworkers. Lack of formal education. Being ill-prepared for the challenges of adulthood.
NOW: Staying fit and healthy. Potty training our puppy. Time management & always too many irons in the fire. Juggling responsibilities and projects and quality time with friends & family & self. Staying motivated to write.
11. What was your biggest joy?
THEN: Getting my first apartment sans roommates, and getting to travel to NYC and London.
NOW: Being married, and being a homeowner.
12. What did you consider your greatest accomplishment?
THEN: Getting out of retail and into office work, and finally starting a novel and sticking with it.
NOW: Finishing my bachelor’s degree, maintaining a healthy marriage, getting on top of my finances, buying a house, managing to force myself to go to the gym semi-regularly, winning last year’s NaNoWriMo. Essentially, growing up.
13. What advice would you give your younger self?
Stop using those credit cards. Hang in there. When you go back to school, and you will, don’t settle for what’s closest/easiest/most affordable, but instead do what it takes to get a degree in a creative field, preferably web & graphic design. A degree in psychology will get you nothing but a fuzzy sense of accomplishment and the ability to annoy people with armchair diagnoses. Someone out there will think that you are gorgeous and sexy and wonderful and you will feel exactly the same way about him. Invest in better shoes. Stop worrying about your size; focus on your health instead. You are beautiful and worthwhile. Hang in there.
Also, get your oil changed on time.
14. What would your younger self say to you?
Oh, thank God. Except I really wish you weren’t still in office administration.
15. Looking back, is your life what you thought it would be in 2008?
Not really. I thought I’d be published and making a living as a writer by now, and I never dreamed I’d be so domestic, or so happy about it.