Yeah... again. >_>
Okay, so, for the 18th time, and the 5th time to Napa in particular, I've uprooted myself and moved. Let me see if I can make an approximate timeline of my vagrancy. Some of these will be out of order unfortunately. My memory only remembers the whats, not the whens >_>;;
May 2nd, 1979 - Bartholomew Drew Gibson is born at Providence Hospital, Anchorage, Alaska, via cesarean section. His bitter womb-mate, yours truly, Lee Richard Gibson, whose nearly killing them both in an attempt to be born first was the reason for the emergency operation, is born one minute later. It can pretty much only be uphill from here.
1980 through 1989 - Family moves all over Alaska, including Big Lake(1st official move. I won't be counting mere "vacations", only moves where I had no intention of returning to my previous home.), Wasilla(2nd), Fairbanks(3rd), and Barrow(4th), the northernmost "town" in the USA, finally landing back in Anchorage(5th) in time for Bart and Lee to finish the last couple months of Third Grade.
1995ish - Having lived in Anchorage for over 7 years and feeling like it would be my home until I die, mom and dad get job offers from a friend in Napa, California(6th). Having already left school before finishing my second year of high school, working at Wendy's, I seriously consider letting them all go without me. Partially because I am completely falling for Jasmine who works at Wendy's with me. >_>; Then we run the numbers and I really can't afford to live alone on minimum wage in Anchorage, so off I go, promising to move back as soon as I could afford to. I stay in touch with Jasmine until the point she obtains a boyfriend who is a dick and doesn't want her talking to other men ever. o_O Good luck with that Jasmine.
1996ish - We decide living in the boonies of Napa isn't going to do for some reason, and move to the town proper(7th). Bart gets promptly sucked into a church o_o; but is introduced to David through it, and through him, Laura and Liz, and through Laura, Ryan. If you had suggested then that David, Laura and Ryan would in the end be the best friends of my life, I would have been quite doubtful indeed, as I still felt Anchorage was my ultimate home and indeed would visit it for a week this same year the minute I earned the money and time to do so.
1997? - Sarah has her 17th birthday at the same time my family is driving across the country to see my mother's mother in New York. Being completely charmed by her online, I detour our drive to hit her and our friend Dan's hometown for a half-day. This is completely awesome and also completely awkward. XD On the way back from grandma's, I decide Sarah and I need each other despite that she is already engaged (Way to psychopath, Lee) and almost literally "jump ship" to officially move to Greenville, Illinois(8th) on very nearly nothing more than a wing and a prayer. Two or three months later I am unceremoniously booted out of town like the penniless vagrant I am by Sarah's simultaneously concerned and shocked parents, but rich in new friends and fond memories. My parents get me a bus ticket back to Napa. (9th move overall, 2nd one to Napa)
1998? - Liz's family moves to Visalia, California, and not wanting her to be lonely (and maybe being a bit smitten), I move with them. (10th) Something like a month later it's obvious it isn't going to work out in any sense of the word (not least of which is that, like Jasmine, Liz fell in love with a total putz >_>) and I move back to Napa. (11th overall, 3rd time to Napa.) This may actually have happened before the Illinois move, I don't remember. o_o
1999 - My sister and her husband have started a garage-door-repair business in Olympia, the capital of Washington state. They invite me up to help them out and maybe get started on my life as an independant citizen. I accept (12th). Several months later I don't seem to be really getting any kind of job I'm interested in. I move back to Napa (13th, 3rd to Napa), although I am very sad to leave my only friend, Kendra, the owner of the local comic shop who introduced me to Bone and not-mainstream-comics in general.
2000ish - Mom, dad, brother, sister, brother-in-law, and myself decide living in one house for a while will help save living expenses and be fun! :D So we all move to one big house in Bothell, Washington (14th) Mom and brother-in-law immediately discover they can't stand to live together and I spend as much time in my room and online as possible. >_> so does Bart, but turns out it's because he met a girl. He moves to Kentucky to be with her, and is still with her to this day and they are the happiest, least bitter and angry and resentful and argumentative couple I have _ever_ seen. o_o;; For a guy who was nearly murdered in the womb by his twin brother, he's done all right, I gotta say.
2001ish - We all split ways after a year, and I choose to move to, you guessed it, Napa, with a possible job offer at the company Ryan works for. (15th, 4th to Napa)
2002-2003ish? - My fabulous job at Ryan's workplace disappears when the CEO calls everyone to the office and essentially says he doesn't have the funds to pay us if we work another day and has to let everyone go except himself, his assistant, and the CTO, immediately. o_o; I work(ish) for Ryan in his own start-up for a while but never really get back on my feet, and decide if I'm going to be a burden, it may as well be on my own parents who have always insisted I can come home to them anytime.(16th) I take David with me because he's out of decent options too and his parents aren't quite so nice as mine are.
2005 - Sister decides she loves cows now and wants to have a dairy farm. o_o; So the same group that lived together in Bothell, except switch Bart for David, starts a farm together in Sedro-Woolley, Washington.(17th) Mom and brother-in-law immediately remember why they split up the first time. >_>
September 17th, 2006 - Having saved up some money, it's about time for be to get out on my own again. But where? I consider various options (across town, or the big city, or maybe near one of my online friends who seems like they could use a friend who doesn't abuse them for once, or maybe to a completely new place) ...but you know, I really seriously miss Laura, and Ryan's pretty cool too. I decide it's completely dumb to pass up the chance to live near one of your two best friends in the whole world, especially if you can drag the other one along with you on a Greyhound companion fare! So, I get on a bus, and after another seemingly endless trip with, of course, screaming babies and midnight cell-phone yakkers, I have made it to Napa once more. (18th "no looking back" move overall, 5th to Napa!). In between the disbelieving laughter and sobs of pity, please wish me luck, everyone. o_o;; It has already been completely worth it, though.
May 2nd, 1979 - Bartholomew Drew Gibson is born at Providence Hospital, Anchorage, Alaska, via cesarean section. His bitter womb-mate, yours truly, Lee Richard Gibson, whose nearly killing them both in an attempt to be born first was the reason for the emergency operation, is born one minute later. It can pretty much only be uphill from here.
1980 through 1989 - Family moves all over Alaska, including Big Lake(1st official move. I won't be counting mere "vacations", only moves where I had no intention of returning to my previous home.), Wasilla(2nd), Fairbanks(3rd), and Barrow(4th), the northernmost "town" in the USA, finally landing back in Anchorage(5th) in time for Bart and Lee to finish the last couple months of Third Grade.
1995ish - Having lived in Anchorage for over 7 years and feeling like it would be my home until I die, mom and dad get job offers from a friend in Napa, California(6th). Having already left school before finishing my second year of high school, working at Wendy's, I seriously consider letting them all go without me. Partially because I am completely falling for Jasmine who works at Wendy's with me. >_>; Then we run the numbers and I really can't afford to live alone on minimum wage in Anchorage, so off I go, promising to move back as soon as I could afford to. I stay in touch with Jasmine until the point she obtains a boyfriend who is a dick and doesn't want her talking to other men ever. o_O Good luck with that Jasmine.
1996ish - We decide living in the boonies of Napa isn't going to do for some reason, and move to the town proper(7th). Bart gets promptly sucked into a church o_o; but is introduced to David through it, and through him, Laura and Liz, and through Laura, Ryan. If you had suggested then that David, Laura and Ryan would in the end be the best friends of my life, I would have been quite doubtful indeed, as I still felt Anchorage was my ultimate home and indeed would visit it for a week this same year the minute I earned the money and time to do so.
1997? - Sarah has her 17th birthday at the same time my family is driving across the country to see my mother's mother in New York. Being completely charmed by her online, I detour our drive to hit her and our friend Dan's hometown for a half-day. This is completely awesome and also completely awkward. XD On the way back from grandma's, I decide Sarah and I need each other despite that she is already engaged (Way to psychopath, Lee) and almost literally "jump ship" to officially move to Greenville, Illinois(8th) on very nearly nothing more than a wing and a prayer. Two or three months later I am unceremoniously booted out of town like the penniless vagrant I am by Sarah's simultaneously concerned and shocked parents, but rich in new friends and fond memories. My parents get me a bus ticket back to Napa. (9th move overall, 2nd one to Napa)
1998? - Liz's family moves to Visalia, California, and not wanting her to be lonely (and maybe being a bit smitten), I move with them. (10th) Something like a month later it's obvious it isn't going to work out in any sense of the word (not least of which is that, like Jasmine, Liz fell in love with a total putz >_>) and I move back to Napa. (11th overall, 3rd time to Napa.) This may actually have happened before the Illinois move, I don't remember. o_o
1999 - My sister and her husband have started a garage-door-repair business in Olympia, the capital of Washington state. They invite me up to help them out and maybe get started on my life as an independant citizen. I accept (12th). Several months later I don't seem to be really getting any kind of job I'm interested in. I move back to Napa (13th, 3rd to Napa), although I am very sad to leave my only friend, Kendra, the owner of the local comic shop who introduced me to Bone and not-mainstream-comics in general.
2000ish - Mom, dad, brother, sister, brother-in-law, and myself decide living in one house for a while will help save living expenses and be fun! :D So we all move to one big house in Bothell, Washington (14th) Mom and brother-in-law immediately discover they can't stand to live together and I spend as much time in my room and online as possible. >_> so does Bart, but turns out it's because he met a girl. He moves to Kentucky to be with her, and is still with her to this day and they are the happiest, least bitter and angry and resentful and argumentative couple I have _ever_ seen. o_o;; For a guy who was nearly murdered in the womb by his twin brother, he's done all right, I gotta say.
2001ish - We all split ways after a year, and I choose to move to, you guessed it, Napa, with a possible job offer at the company Ryan works for. (15th, 4th to Napa)
2002-2003ish? - My fabulous job at Ryan's workplace disappears when the CEO calls everyone to the office and essentially says he doesn't have the funds to pay us if we work another day and has to let everyone go except himself, his assistant, and the CTO, immediately. o_o; I work(ish) for Ryan in his own start-up for a while but never really get back on my feet, and decide if I'm going to be a burden, it may as well be on my own parents who have always insisted I can come home to them anytime.(16th) I take David with me because he's out of decent options too and his parents aren't quite so nice as mine are.
2005 - Sister decides she loves cows now and wants to have a dairy farm. o_o; So the same group that lived together in Bothell, except switch Bart for David, starts a farm together in Sedro-Woolley, Washington.(17th) Mom and brother-in-law immediately remember why they split up the first time. >_>
September 17th, 2006 - Having saved up some money, it's about time for be to get out on my own again. But where? I consider various options (across town, or the big city, or maybe near one of my online friends who seems like they could use a friend who doesn't abuse them for once, or maybe to a completely new place) ...but you know, I really seriously miss Laura, and Ryan's pretty cool too. I decide it's completely dumb to pass up the chance to live near one of your two best friends in the whole world, especially if you can drag the other one along with you on a Greyhound companion fare! So, I get on a bus, and after another seemingly endless trip with, of course, screaming babies and midnight cell-phone yakkers, I have made it to Napa once more. (18th "no looking back" move overall, 5th to Napa!). In between the disbelieving laughter and sobs of pity, please wish me luck, everyone. o_o;; It has already been completely worth it, though.