mattp | And you may ask yourself "Well, how did I get here?" (Reply)

From

mrph, who got it from

purplerabbits.
About 20 years ago I was 2 1/2 and:

still hadn't spoken an intelligible word since birth
has spent a sizeable proportion of my life in hospital, the doctor not really knowing what was wrong with me.

About 15 years ago I was 7 1/2 and:

It was around the time my parents split up. I don't remember much about that time in my life, nor much before it. I have a vague memory if sitting in the kitchen talking to my dad. I think that must've been the day when he announcend they were splitting.
Still couldn't write, ride a bike, or tie my own shoe-laces. We'd had a computer at home for about a year, and I'd already started programming. My hand-eye coordination was (and still is, to some extent) really quite poor, so I was never the kind of kid who'd play ball games, unless forced to, and even then it would be reluctantly :-)

About 10 years ago I was 12 and:

At an all boys school, and having to play Rugby. I was such a small child, and I hated it.
Having private French lessons. I regret not keeping up with my language skills now.
By this time, I still couldn't write esecially well, but I'd been using a laptop for the past few years. I was also having private handwriting lessons; they did some good, for which I'm grateful, but reading my handwriting is still troublesome at times ;-)
I was still very much a hermit, and not getting out much. I'd finished the traing and got my Novice Amateur Radio License, and had started learning morse code, though I failed my first test. But this was a great liberation for me; I got to speak to many interesting people and developed many great friendships.

About 5 years ago I was 17 and:

at 6th form college and learning to drive.
It was around the time I was becoming aware of my sexuality. I'd recently got access to the net and at the time hadn't heard of the term bisexuality. I didn't know if I was gay or straight. Finally I found the word, and was able to proclaim (to myself, at least) that this was me. I found lots of information, but didn't find a community to hang round in.
Going through a severe bout of depression. I really got to find out who my friends were (hello dagonet, amongst others). I went through a couple of different medications, which helped only slightly. It still comes and goes, and thankfully it's never been as bad as it was back then.
I had a crush on one of my classmates, who I became friends with and only found out he was bi at then end of our A-levels, when we ere both going off to uni. We hung round in the same pub though, so I'd still get to see him. I've lost contact with him now, sadly, and I've still not told him how I felt (and to some extent, what I still do feel) for him.
Heavily involved with the local radio station, which was run as a community project to bring the village closer together. Excellent, excellent fun.

About 2 years ago I was nearly 21 and:

At my second year at uni, in a shit-hole of a house in Longsight, living with two girls who were fine socially, but didn't make the best of housemates. I'd got really attached to the Gay village and had just started to find a bi community in Manchester.
Had started to learn sign-language. I've now stopped going to classes, but I regularly go to the social club on monday nights.
Having a semi-fling with one of my exes, having just split up with her ex bf, who was my first long term bf. Ok, ok, it's quite incestuous, but both breakups were quite unpleasant, and I have yet to make peace.
Life was shit again, and I was failing uni. I've ranted about this many times, but I feel let down by the uni system. i couldn't changes courses to somethng more suited to me, so the net result is that I failed the year. This meant that I couldn't complete my year out (which I had already started) with Sage the financial software authoring people.

Now I am:

Working for a server company doing tech support and the odd bit of perl hacking.
Living in a fab house in Longsight (shit area, unfortunately), with good housemates.
Pretty much enjoying life, and have loads of great friends.
Still single, and pining after people I can't have ;-), but there are possibilities on the horizon.