Month: March 2011

Population implosion

I can’t help thinking that it probably doesn’t bode well for the Triad that there was only about 20% population growth here over the past ten years. By way of comparison, Wake County, where Raleigh is located, has added the equivalent of the entire population of Greensboro since 2000. Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, has added almost the entire population of Winston-Salem to its headcount in the same period of time.

Interestingly, the really big growth was in Fayetteville, where Fort Bragg is actually one of the nicer neighborhoods. So I guess there’s no accounting for taste.

Unrelated: happy birthday to the Pasadena Freeway.

On February and friendships

How much do I appreciate the very well-timed visits from two of my oldest and closest friends last month? Lots. It’s quite amazing the perspective that nearly thirty years of history with a friend (or two) can provide and how being together with them can help you get reacquainted with the person you really are and the things that you really value. And also to remember that the person you really are is one of the main things that you really value.

For keeping me in touch with my sense of humor, for helping me reexamine my priorities, for understanding the confusing place I’m in right now, and for generally helping me remember that I am a pretty damned OK person, I offer my thanks. And my apologies for the fact that I probably haven’t been as available for you over the past few years as you have for me. That will be something for me to work on. In fact, I have a lot of stuff to work on right now, but that’s near the top of the list.

Incidentally, it was nice to have so many excuses to overeat, too…