i often wonder what other people blog about. a sure fire method to blogging is of course picking a theme and sticking to it. to date, i'm not sure i've had a theme, much less a blog worth reading. nonetheless, i was walking to my apartment one day last week and something struck me -- not sure what, but i've realized just how different my life is now compared to 2 years ago. allow me to explain . . .

it wasn't even 2 years ago that i was packing up my apartment in bethlehem, pa, moving to boston, no job, no apartment, no [non-girl]friends. it was a pretty risky move, considering i hadn't technically graduated college yet. here's what i still needed to do:

• 1 math class which i hoped i could take at Boston University but was NOT approved
• 1 philosophy class which i got an incomplete in but shouldn't have since i did in fact complete it (maybe i should mention i took this class 2 years ago but now that i needed to graduate i actually cared about it)
• 1 computer science compiler class. don't ask, it was the worst
• 1 free elective credit shy

extremely long story short, i took a class at BU, designed a flash website for the free elective credit, talked to my philosophy professor over the phone and discussed what i wrote my final exam on, and the compiler class? yeah, still not sure about that one, but it's done. i also somehow managed to get a full time job, land an awesome apartment in downtown boston with my best friend booty, and apply for graduation. 2 weeks into my new job, i received that $xxx,xxx diploma and probably one of the biggest reliefs of my life! note: do NOT want to go through that ever, ever, again.

reflecting on things i got quite a lot accomplished the summer of '05. fast forward about 2 years my life was about as static as could be. i was working the daily 8 - 7 grind at a job that took advantage of a young, dumb kid straight out of college looking to impress and make a name for himself. my life revolved around work, with a tiny social life (if you even want to call it such) on the side.

it wasn't until about april of '07 that life turned upside down.

• april '07 -- i had finally had enough. i began losing sleep, and found myself genuinely despising my job. i cringed every day i got to work. i dreaded going to sleep sunday nights knowing i had a full week of hell approaching. a friend of mine who is a technical recruiter said to me in an e-mail: " There's nothing worst than waking up Mon. morning to go to a job you hate. " ding! light bulb went off. why was i still there? yet another long story short, i called it quits. this was by far one of the most difficult things i've ever had to do. what would i do differently? not wait as long as i did.
• april '07 -- out with the old, in with the new. financially i couldn't afford to quit my job without seeking a new one. i managed to get a job working as a systems administrator at brandeis university. significantly better benefits, HUGE pay increase, more vacation, free tuition, massive department budget (which means cooler toys to play with), relaxed working environment, better management, and the list goes on. moving on up . . .
• april '07 -- www.nicholasamanda.com becomes nicholas & amanda! i proposed to amanda on patriot's day of this year. my beautiful fiancee and i have been dating since sophmore year of high school -- that's february of '98 for those of you trying to do the math. yeah, blows my mind also. our date to be wed is april 26 of '08 and i'm counting down every minute until then. moving to boston was the smartest move i've ever made, and i'm marrying the proof.
• may '07 -- call me uncle nick! my sister had a baby boy named grant philip lathren. his middle name is philip, named after my late father philip ragusa. he truly is the most precious little guy i've ever seen. aunt amanda and i haven't had a chance to meet him yet but already have a flight booked for mid july.
• june '07 -- new ride. i'm a lexus customer for life.

gosh what am i missing??!! i'm sure there's more that i can't think of. some things that are on the horizon though ... new macbook pro courtesy of work, hascup famous 4th of july bbq, moving in to an apartment with my fiancee before the end of the summer, huge network overhaul at work, new nikon slr??

moral of the story? as my dad used to say, when it rains, it pours.