[LiveJournal Achievement banner: 24 years of blogging]

A number of milestones have passed in recent weeks, including the above. With the exception of a few weeks here and there, I have been blogging continuously in the same journal for 24 years. Most of the rest of the world has moved on to various socials, none of which I have been able to find fulfilling. I deleted all the associated apps off my phone in January and I don't miss them. This community of stalwarts, on the other hand, I cherish, especially as we all navigate middle and old age together.

The other other important anniversaries:

• Five years of being an academic and three years since being promoted and taken off probation. I have one more rung up the ladder to climb.
  
• Thirteen years since moving into this house. This is the longest I've ever lived in one place. I was never going to do so unless I had kids. My childhood was so disrupted by repeated moves, I was determined for my children to have as much stability as possible.
  
• Twenty-one years since moving to the UK. I thought I was only going to be here for a year and a half, maybe two. Lol. I've now spent far more of my adult life in this country than the one I was born in.