Then and now

It's funny how things just have a way of reminding you of past memories.
Today, I came across a video of Muse playing "Plug In Baby" on Top of the Pops, exactly 11 years ago today. Not only was that the first song I ever bought, but that was also when I started taping episodes of TOTP to watch again, I built up quite a collection of them too - that's besides the point though.
It got me thinking back to what I was doing back then, back in March 2001 - at the time I was in my fourth year of secondary school, and on work experience at two banks in Bishop Auckland. Round about that time was also when I'd started to get into rock music, and was starting to slowly get away from all the pop/dance stuff I'd been listening to up until then.
It really is weird, looking back - I don't think I ever gave a thought to what I'd be doing 11 years from that point. I certainly never thought I'd get my own place, get to know the people that I've gotten to know, get pretty good at artwork or visit America 3 times before the age of 30, that's for sure. I also never thought that I'd start to realise that a lot of stuff in life isn't as clear-cut as it seems, though pretty much the whole of secondary school was the whole "coming of age" deal that everyone goes through.
That's life though. Stuff has a way of happening that's never the same for any one person.