Friday OT #1 - It's a Half Life

[Angie]

Thanks so much to @cyclones500 for a great suggestion (as always)!

Think back to when you were half your current age. (If you’re on an odd-year age right now, roughly half — So, if you’re 37, can use either age 18 or 19). What things do you associate most directly with that period?

I was at ISU, and I had a recurrence of my earlier cancer. It was a juggling act with work and other responsibilities, and I just remember being very tired. But it was also a time of a lot of personal change and growth. What are yours?

 

[Gonzo]

Me and wifey had just moved from Columbus, OH to Chicago, living in the city a few blocks from long time friends, working downtown, no kids yet... lots of fun, lots of dead brain cells.

 

[SCyclone]

I had been married for 4 years, the kids then were 7 and 2. We lived in a 3-bedroom apartment, it was the upper floor of an old house. 1 car. We didn't have much, but we had fun!

 

[frackincygy]

My geometry teacher's lame jokes -- "What did the acorn say when it grew up?... "Gee I'm a tree"!"

Also driver's ed... Thank goodness my father didn't have the passenger controlled brake during his driving lessons.

 

[cmjh10]

At 14 I thought girls were weird, turns out I was right. Also, lots of weird changes with my body. What an awful age.

 

[Entropy]

I was in undergrad, and was struggling through organic chemistry, calc 2, and cellular biology.
Steady girlfriend (now wife) and was about to start my first summer research gig.
My family life had pretty much blown up and so I was spending time between my parent's houses.

 

[Cyvilian]

Wife and I had been married about a year. We spent every Friday night going with friends to the local wings/karaoke bar where we lived in Florida. Good times.

 

[Buster28]

Half a lifetime ago, I had just decided to abandon northern California and return to Iowa for a variety of reasons. The main goal was to finish college and find a real job. I remember how easy the decision was when I decided to make the move, which I'm guessing means I truly was fed up with how long I'd been spinning my wheels, not getting anywhere out there.

 

[mj4cy]

I was in total senioritis mode in HS. Was winding down my track season and decided to forego baseball because the first time in my life I was looking forward to not be told what to do or where to be. Just wanted to work and hang out with friends.

 

[cycloner29]

I would be close to celebrating our first anniversary along with our first year of living in Ames.

 

[BCClone]

Just out of college a couple years. Had a total "B" for a co-worker who was stressing me out and making me look for a different job. I had a VERY good job at the time and would be making some extremely good change right now if I had stayed. Long run it worked out for the best anyhow.

I was also in a lot better shape and didn't know how good I had it. Also had a couple stalkers at the time that I didn't realize until later, so it was even more exciting than I knew.

 

[SCNCY]

I was a sophomore/junior in high school, so I was at the beginning of having a drivers license and driving myself where ever I needed. Also work, I worked at a conference center in high school (I worked at the Q center which was previously the Arthur Anderson Center, remember them?) in the dining center. I would work over 40 hours a week in the summer, basically a full time job. I say this because this probably hurt me socially in high school and through freshmen through Junior year in college as I did not build many friendships during that time. I was kind of shy and didn't really open up until my senior year of college.

 

[GMackey32]

Finishing up Junior year of high school, going into Senior year. Busted my *** the first few years of high school so my Senior year was filled with enough classes to keep me eligible in school so I could run track my Senior year, otherwise I would have probably just taken classes that summer and graduated a year early. Played golf nearly every day that summer while holding down 2 jobs and hanging out with my friends knowing I was going to leave for Ames as soon as I graduated the following Spring.

 

[wxman1]

Junior in high school busy doing pretty much everything. Little did I know that my new girlfriend would be insane enough to stick with me. Wanted to be a meteorologist...should have taken more business classes.

 

[20eyes]

I left Camp LeJeune in May and started at the CoD in August. If there is a bigger and more pleasant culture shock than a platoon full of Marines to a studio full of 18-19 y/o girls I don't know what it is...

 

[cowgirl836]

Just about to visit ISU actually. Crushing hard on the cute boy who was about to be cast as my husband for the fall musical. Hoped I could use the summer of practices to get him to notice me and turn that into a real life situation minus the hints of domestic abuse and crime

Was a successful endeavor.

 

[MeanDean]

Would have just changed jobs but still same employer. Was getting tired of my small house in West Davenport that I would in a year or so rent out and sell another year after that. My brother and I were just starting to nourish our affinity towards vintage Fords/Mustangs. He finally found a decent 65/66 fastback to begin restoration. I got my 65 convertible the next spring.

Took a winter vacation to Florida. Daytona, Cape Canaveral, Disney/Epcot.

 

[cyhiphopp]

At 14 I thought girls were weird, turns out I was right. Also, lots of weird changes with my body. What an awful age.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

We had been living in KC for about a year and a half in a ****** apartment, a year away from buying our first (and current) house. We had both been at our current jobs for a little over a year.

We were going to tons of concerts and frequenting Johns Big Deck after work on Fridays with a group of new friends that would end up still being close friends 23 years later.

We were like the show Friends but less pretty and with a LOT more alcohol.

 

[ruxCYtable]

I was halfway through my second stint at ISU. Failed miserably the first time and returned after a four year hiatus. Worked at ISU Credit Union. Girlfriend (now wife) was in grad school at Drake. Lots of driving between Ames and Des Moines!