Where Was I When?

I recently received a big package of Brewers cards from Pat at Hot Corner Cards. Many of the cards were duplicates for me, though in that vein many of them were needed for my team collection. All of them are greatly appreciated. 

But, seeing the years on these cards flash by made me start to think. I've been very reflective lately for a number of reasons, and that reflectiveness had me contemplating this question:

When these cards came out, what was I doing instead of collecting cards?

Now, I'm not going to be able to pick out all of the years successfully, but let me highlight a few.

1991
The cards:

What was I doing/where was I?
Some of these are easy. 

Assuming these cards were released around April of 1991, I was finishing up my freshman year of college and worrying like hell that I wouldn't pull my grades up enough to stay in school on a scholarship. It was close, but I pulled through. Otherwise, I was your typical 19-year-old -- hanging out with friends, staying out late, drinking at each other's houses sometimes, and generally trying to avoid all responsibility for as long as possible.

1992
The Cards:

What was I doing/where was I?
By this point, I had navigated my way through as easy a couple of semesters as I could find at my school to pull my grades up enough so that I wouldn't have to worry any more about my scholarship (so long as I didn't screw up...I didn't, either, thankfully).  I was dating a girl from Texas, had gone snow skiing for the first -- and still only -- time with her and her family, and otherwise life was pretty good. I helped coach my brother's little league team too while working for an electrical contractor.

In other words, it was a very good year.

1999
The Card:

What was I doing/where was I?
I started working in Atlanta as a lawyer in 1999, and I thought I knew a lot at that point. I did know a lot, but I could have learned more by not talking about how much I knew.

It was a good year, though -- lots of hanging out with new friends and old, lots of times hanging out at an Ally-McBeal-like watering hole near our office with other lawyers, and lots of money spent on beer. 

2006
The Cards:

What was I doing/Where Was I?
I changed jobs at the beginning of 2004 after a stressful time looking for that new job. I'd moved from a smaller, specialized firm into a much larger general practice firm in the world of what is called -- sometimes derisively -- BigLaw.  I had learned by this point to keep my mouth shut more, to avoid socializing every day with co-workers, and to pay more attention to what others had to say.

That gives context to what I did in 2006, which is change jobs again to an even bigger firm that paid more money. I thought I had it made.

I also had bought a condo five years earlier and moved into the heart of Atlanta. I loved living there, and there are days that I miss it. I was single, 35 years old, in walking distance of great restaurants, grocery stores, and my office. 

Finally, I even left the country for the first time, spending my 35th birthday freezing my butt off at a soccer game in London:

That is the game between Fulham and Charlton, at The Valley (Charlton's home ground). I got to see American Carlos Bocanegra score a goal for Fulham, even. Both teams have since been relegated to the Championship.

2008
Bear with me...I won't hit everything along the way:
The Card:

What was I doing/Where Was I?
My busiest year to date, workwise. I got involved in the largest case in my career, I thought about moving overseas, and I traveled a ton. 

I thought about moving to Dubai:

That's me in front of the Dubai History Museum.

I visited Italy:

And, to be honest, I wasn't happy because I was doing all this alone. I didn't move to Dubai -- I honestly hated the place. I liked Italy, but Rome was terribly seedy in many respects and had so many places covered in graffiti (that is, after all, a world from the Italian). And while I enjoyed all my travels, I found myself a bit lonely.

That would all change soon enough.

2010
The Cards:

What was I doing/Where Was I?
I met my now-wife in 2009. We got married in 2010 and went on a great honeymoon to Spain and Morocco -- yeah, we did it up. 

Hams at the market in Barcelona

Olives at the market in Tangier. Hey, we like markets!

Life was great in 2010. It still is pretty good too.

Why did I go through all this?
The cards that Pat sent were from so many different times that it got me pensive again. Next time, I'll put on some more Frank Sinatra! 

Seriously, though, it is interesting to me to contemplate what it was I was doing with my free time in the days before I came back to collecting. I was definitely traveling a lot -- both for work and for fun. When I was in town, a great night for me on a weekend often involved music, a book, a bottle of wine, and hanging out with my dog. I didn't have space for much more than a bunch of bookshelves at my condo, though I'm sure I could have come up with something if I had had to.

Anyway, I hope I didn't bore you too much with my brief reminisces.  

More to the point, a big thank you to Pat for your kindness and for the cards. I'm putting together a package this weekend for you.