20 Years Ago Today

It was 20 years ago today that I arrived in Tucson.  It was Wednesday, the 24th of February, 1999 that I came here to begin a new chapter in life.  I was in the townhouse that afternoon accompanied only by my cat Sylvia, a mattress, and some odds and ends.  The rest of the stuff was delivered on Friday the 26th, and I spent the weekend unpacking.  I reported for work the following Monday, and by Friday I either had AZ plates on the truck or the new driver license.  I know I did them in two separate visits but I can't remember which one I did first.

I had no idea how long my stay here would be.  There was no where else in the United States where I wanted to live at that time and it was that way for some time (I can now be talked into relocating to New Mexico, or elsewhere within Arizona).  I was in the process of recovering from some adverse circumstances and I think coming here accelerated that process.

I have, for some time, lived longer in Tucson than anywhere else, and yes, that includes that 15 month exile that I had in Las Vegas.  Although there were 23 years in California, 16 of them were spent in San Jose, and another 7 elsewhere.  I don't miss San Jose, I never have, and although I can reminisce about the good times I had there, most of the people I had them with have left too.  I told Mark a few months ago that six days in San Jose is seven days too long.  And that's a shame, as that there was a time where San Jose was one neat city to live in.  That was many years ago.  By the late 1980s it had already become unlivable.

Unfortunately Tucson isn't what it used to be.  I like my house, I like the scenery here, I like the cuisine here, and I like the attractions here, but Pima County is on its way to becoming a third world country (we might already be).  The roads are in poor condition, law enforcement won't respond to a call unless someone is killed (not necessarily their fault; the fatass politicians are more interested in illegal aliens), and I don't see things getting any better. 

I could move to Phoenix metro, but I don't think I would like it much better.  I'd consider Prescott, but the cost of living there started going thru the roof years ago, as it is in Flagstaff.  There's not much to do in Kingman, Yuma is unbearable in the summer, and I'm not a fan of Sorry Vista.....excuse me....Sierra Vista.  Casa Grande has some problems I don't want to deal with, and I don't think Sheila would like the other areas I haven't mentioned.

That said, coming here 20 years ago was the right thing to do.  It changed my life, and very much so for the better.  I had to learn some lessons about some things during my time here, but not at a cost that others would have had to pay. 

That said, I think I'm staying here.  Maybe not in this house.  I could move farther out, and yet be close enough.  The local ham radio scene here is a good one and I'm much more involved with the local ham clubs (note the plural) than I have ever been before in my life.

I remain grateful to the Good Lord for bringing me here.