[To be privatized soon.]

Since October of last year, a ton of things have changed.

As of last October, I was a Jew(ish) 21 year old, who had taken a temporary job working for a chain pet store, while looking for a teaching or bartending gig. I was with the guy I'd been seeing for the better part of the past several years, and things were 'okay'. I was coaching Judo somewhere between 2-4x per week, and I had been forever. I owned a few reptiles - somewhere between two and five, I don't recall exactly. My hair reached my lower-middle back, and I wore skater pants and hoodies almost all the time. I spent my free time on the computer, or by myself.

As of tonight, I realized just how much my life seems to have changed. My hair is just barely long enough to pull into a ponytail. I've told my parents that Judaism doesn't really fill in the gaps for me as far as my religious beliefs go, and that while I'm happy to do the family gatherings, I don't really believe the things that I'm saying. I have no desire to pursue teaching, or bartending, in any serious way. I am working as a reptile specialist, and am running both a crested gecko breeding project and Party Gecko Enterprises on the side. I've taken up 'knitting' and acrylic painting. I haven't been to Judo in any serious way in nearly six months, though I do plan on going back soon. I spend my free time with friends, being social. I wear jewelry and pants that hug, and cowboy boots when I can get away with it. I have nice shirts, though I still wear hoodies more than I'd admit. I am with a new guy, who is absolutely astounding, and (as my cousin said) makes me 'glow'. I own a veritable zoo - one Red Tail Boa, one Ball Python, one Sonoran Black Kingsnake, one Leopard Gecko, one Alligator Lizard, seven Crested Geckos, 2 male Bettas (one regular, one crowntail), one Jenday Conure, one Cockatiel, a 28 gallon aquarium, and a bunch of reptile eggs. Plus the dog.

My life has taken a new direction, in more ways than one, and I'm happier with it than I have been in quite a while.

...I still listen to country music.

<3