What were you doing ten years ago?

Looking for a job? Having a brace put on your teeth?

I ran across this post at File It Under where Rob ponders what-all has changed (or not) in his life since 1997. Since it didn't occur to him to make a meme out of it, I'll just have to do it myself.

Pets:
1997: A Siamese cat called Abishag, who was beautiful, unmated, and lay down with me to keep me warm.
2007: With seven-and-a-fraction kids, who has time for a pet? Besides, it would just get lost in the girls' room and we'd find it feral years later.

Largest Concern:
1997: Single parenting and finding a job, any job.
2007: Trying to support a huge family on that same dead-end job.

Biggest problem:
1997: Not enough money to pay the bills.
2007: Not enough money to pay the bills.

What I do for fun:
1997: Watch 30s and 40s movies on the VCR.
2007: Watch 30s and 40s movies on the DVR.

My advice to the "youth of America"
1997: That college degree won't net you a job, no matter what the admissions people tell you.
2007: Pull up your pants, learn to make eye contact, and for the love of God get that thing out of your eyebrow.

My politics:
1997: Libertarian, leaning toward the militia movement.
2007: Fairly libertarian, but with a strong pro-life focus.

Message to the President:
1997: I don't care if you lift every skirt east of the Mississippi, just quit handing the country over to the Chinese.
2007: Hang in there, sir. Illegitimi non carborundum.

Okay, now I'm tagging Brian, Pilgrim, Hindu, Ricki and Ken. Extra points to anybody who remembers where the line about the braces came from.