changes over the years

I've had to endure some painful lessons over the years.

Some of those things are of my own doing, some of them aren't.

I like to believe I've learned a lot from those experiences as times has gone by, but I've also always believe that you can't just sit on your laurels, you have to keep learning and understanding the things that go on around you.

I apologize in advance since I tend to become contemplative the closer I get to my birthday.  Some of it is realizing that I have been around for a while and have seen a lot, some of it is wondering when things will start breaking down.  I sometimes like to fool myself into thinking that I will go farther in life without the physical breakdowns that others endure because I was such a late bloomer, but who the hell are we kidding?

I was never exactly known for being tough.  I've always dealt with minor bumps, bruises, and whatever else I did to myself because walking in a straight line was too much of a chore for me.

The fact is, I'm going to be 31 at the end of the month.

31.

Not old old, but enough to inspire the occasional joke from my girlfriend and those that have known me for a long time now.  Hell, my friend Lennie has been calling me old for the last 5 years.

I've been working for almost half that time too.

Think about this: when I started working at CVS, it wasn't CVS, it was still Revco.  Yeah, Revco.  Granted it was only that way for about a year or so, but still, it was that long ago.  Hell, I watch some of the old Indians highlight videos from the mid-90's and chuckle when I see the Revco logo on the wall.

When I first started there, I was very different from how I am now.

I know, those who've read other things I've written will immediately recognize that I've written that several times, but it's the simple truth.  I really have changed a ton since those days.  Back then, I still had the sarcasm, but I usually kept it to myself.  I didn't talk in high school.  I kept to myself as much as possible.

After working at Revco/CVS, I started to breakout of my shell a little bit, but it would take several more years before that completely happened.  Another fun fact?  I didn't immediately start in the pharmacy.  I started on register, then moved to stocking shelves and such.  After a few months, I was pretty much the one doing all the planograms in the store.

It wasn't until the following year in August when I was thrown into the pharmacy due to the need for a night time tech.  I began training under the watchful eye of Debbie, who is still at the same store, and especially Steve, the pharmacist that eventually became a father figure for me.  Yeah, Tom was a pharmacist there, but he wasn't exactly someone to look up to or go to for training or help.

In less than a year, I became pretty efficient at the job and since the pharmacy wasn't the busiest place at night, I was also given the title of shift supervisor along with my friend Mike.  This meant that while I was filling prescriptions, when I wasn't, I was down on the floor doing planograms, getting change, closing out the store at night, and so forth.

In 1999, the first big change occurred.  Okay, second after CVS bought Revco.  My mentor, Steve, was transferred to the store in Berea because it had just become a 24-hour store (fun fact: the store was actually the combination of two previous CVS locations in Berea into one big store) and they were having a hell of a time with things.  It wasn't long after he left before he started asking me to transfer over there.

It too a lot of haggling before they finally let me go in November, 2000.  11 years and counting now, I've been at that store.  I've seen numerous people come and go and have to say, it's been quite a ride.

When I transferred over there, I had just turned 20 and still hadn't officially dated anyone.

Yeah, it's pretty sad to realize that I went through all of middle school and high school without actually dating someone.  Okay, so there was that one or two week period where I technically did, but we never hung out and it never went beyond a few phone calls (the whole thing had been set up by a friend at the time who told me the girl thought I was cute).  So I generally don't count it.

Anyhow, I didn't start dating until I was almost 21, and even then, it wasn't like I was setting the world on fire with my choices in girlfriends.  My first one, Tabitha, wanted to just sit around and do nothing while I worked, then complain that there was nothing to do.  My second one, Megan, decided to go take a vacation to Virginia, meet a guy down there, not tell me about it until after she broke up with me, and even then, didn't tell me until after I found out she moving down there to be with him.

My third one, Eve, was a pothead.  My fourth one, Nikki, had the most potential to that point, but couldn't get herself together for any real long stretches of time.  She spent most of her time sleeping, cleaning up the one tiny piece of dust that spotted while crawling around on her floor, and complaining because she couldn't find work.  At least she apparently got it together after we broke up.  At least last I heard, which was a couple years ago.

After that, things start to run together.  I don't recall dating for a while until Samantha came along, and she was the biggest disaster of them all.  A closet alcoholic, she was rude, she was mean, she more than likely cheated several times, and in the end, I could only blame myself for putting up with it for so long even though I knew she wasn't good for me or to me.

There was another decent gap after that before I met Shana, who burned out almost immediately after we started dating, so who knows how much that actually counts.  After that came Lauren, who for one month, seemed great for me, until she finally revealed that she didn't like being around her guy so much and that she didn't tell me because she didn't want to hurt my feelings, so it made more sense to let it get to be too much and just break things off with me.

Then came Corinne, who after seeming like a good fit, turned out to be a not-so-good fit and someone I thought would be at least a friend, until she decided to go in a blog on Facebook and tell everyone about how she didn't get the talk she deserved and that she had learned all kinds of things thanks to "superdouche."  I was kind of glad she showed her true colors that way and that soon rather than endure a friendship for a long period where someone's constantly talking behind your back.

Then we come to Rachel.  A girl unlike any girl I've ever dated.  A girl who in almost four months has treated me better than all the other girls I've dated combined.  A girl that has all the qualities I want and then some.

Let's take a minute and gush about her for a minute.

First off, she's beautiful.  Her eyes are amazing, her smile is amazing, and I love the little smirk she gives me when she's up to something.  Second, she has an amazing personality.  For the first time, I genuinely feel like I have someone in my corner, someone who will be there for me if I ever need someone.  I have someone I can talk to when I'm down or if something's bothering me.  I have someone who laughs at my incredibly stupid jokes even if I don't even think they're that funny.  I have someone who has yet to get tired of me, even after almost four months of constant time together.  I have a girlfriend who goes out of her way to make sure I'm okay, who will buy me something that I want even though I protest because she knows I appreciate the gesture.  I have someone who was willing to go see "The Lion King" in 3D.

In short, she's amazing in every way imaginable.  Her daughter Payton is too.  That child makes me laugh and even though she's a kid and sometimes does things to irritate both of us, at the end of the day, you can't help but smile at the things she does.  The most gratifying feeling is going the weekend without seeing Payton, and upon Sunday night, she's running up to both Rachel and me, hugging us and saying "I missed you" over and over again.

I could not ask for more from a relationship and I can't wait to live with the two of them and see what the future brings next.

Okay, so now that I've traced that, what other changes have occurred in the last several years?

I've owned/driven 8 different cars. 

My first car was my mom's 1980 Buick Regal.  It was the banana boat.  You figure out why.  I also drove her Cavalier from time to time because it was pretty sweet.  My next car was a 1989 Ford Escort.  It lasted all of a few months before I managed to take out the frame thanks to the snow.  After that was a 1990 Cavalier, which lasted a year longer than I thought it would (it lasted a year).  Then I got my first *new* care, a 2000 Escort ZX2, which I drove for about 6 years before it unceremoniously died in my friend Mike's driveway when I was attempting to leave after house-sitting for the week.  Then I drove my mom's 1999 Ford Ranger for a while until a drunk driver decided to use it as a brake while it was parked in the street.  Then I was driving my mom's 1998 Escort (apparently I liked Escorts, who knew?) until I was able to get my current vehicle, a 2003 Buick Rendezvous, which does not help the old man jokes one bit.

I've lived in several places

When I started working, I lived in Brunswick.  In March 2000, we moved to Cleveland, where my mom still lives.  For a brief period, I lived with my first girlfriend in Lakewood, til I realized that she wasn't interested in paying rent, or bills, or anything else that was substantially important.  Then it was back home until I started dating Nikki, at which I lived with her for a few months before I realized she wasn't interested in being awake during the day.  Except to clean.  Then in July, 2010, I moved into my apartment in Willoughby Hills, where I'm staying now until I can move in with Rachel (which I'm incredibly excited for).

I've had one cat through all of it

My cat Kisa has been through the entire ride with me from the moment I received her in 1994, through all the moves and changes.  She's going to be 18 soon and while you can tell she's old, she's still fairly feisty and hopefully will be around for a few more years.  The last year or so, I've also been joined by Pook.  He's around 2 and, well, he's special.  Like me.

I've attempted school a few times now

My first attempt came after I was done with high school.  That fall, I enrolled at Tri-C and was doing fairly well until my dad decided that stability is for the dogs in the winter of 1999.  After his meltdown, we were forced to move, but during his meltdown, it was virtually impossible for us to have any kind of sense of stability.  It took its toll on all of us.

My second attempt was after I broke up with my first girlfriend.  I came back home, cut my hair off, and attempted to get back in school.  Naturally, the house decided to catch fire, we were relocated to a hotel in Westlake, and between work, the house being rebuilt, and me being an idiot, I couldn't do it.

My third attempt was more recent and was short-circuited by my teacher deciding that showing up for class was optional.

For those keeping score, it's school 3, David, 0.  I will be making another attempt after Rachel and I move in together, this time I'm contemplating going in for law enforcement.  I've always had an interest in it, but I think this is more feasible than thinking about pharmacy since it would only take me until I was 40 to be done with all that.

So much more has changed, but those are the things that jump out the most to me.

Right now, I'm happy.  I have a great relationship with an amazing woman, my family is doing relatively well, I have a stable and rewarding job, and I really can't complain about where things are and where they're heading.  I just look forward to the future right now.

And endless shrimp at Red Lobster.

And Halloweekends at Cedar Point.

And a Browns game.

And cuddling with Rachel and Payton, even if Payton takes up most of the bed.

And Pook running like hell from Payton, then coming back out looking for more.

Catch my drift?