Century XXI

The 21st century is the current century in the Common Era, which began on January 1, 2001.

In the twenty-first century I lived in Western Europe (Luxembourg, Germany, France) and Northern America (Oregon, District of Columbia, and California).

The Two-Thousands

My adulthood had started with this twenty-first century of the Anno Domini or Common Era by Gregorian calendar, and with the third millennium.

My German became fluid; I've got my first computer and a digital camera. I started biking and driving. Two of my first serious relationships with German guys crashed, I lost my paintings, and I changed continents. I was investing into emerging markets (Brazil and India, with gains first but Brazil I kept for too long) and alternative energy (with losses).

I found myself in impossible situations. I learned programming and bootstrapped my first website from scratch. I lived on a boat for five months. I was hit by a mini-bus on a bicycle and thrown under the wheels of another car. I ran a half-marathon through the Redwoods. I lost a lot during the great recession, especially personally. Three of the important to me people died. I changed Coasts and founded an international network.

The Twenty-Tens

My 2010s started in Georgetown, DC and Portland, OR. Most of the 2010s I spent in Southern California, primarily in San Diego and Orange counties.

1. In the year 2011, I moved to San Diego County, California, after considering other places on the Coast.
2. In the year 2012, I lived in La Jolla, California, swam in the Pacific Ocean and hiked with a camera a lot. I finally switched to acrylics for painting, and discovered technical pens for miniature linework.
3. In the year 2013, I finally bought my professional mirrorless filmmaking camera and rig.
4. In the year 2014:

1. 1. My city of birth was dragged into a war;
   2. I moved to South Park, and then to North Park neighborhoods of San Diego;
   3. drove an electric bike everywhere (for five months, then it was stolen) and rented electric smart cars;
   4. spent lots of time in Balboa Park, filmed a lot, made good friends, fell in love;
   5. volunteered for humanist non-profits, ushered in theaters;
   6. studied two full-time semesters: Business Law, English Composition and Critical Thinking, Field Media Production, and Documentary Film;
   7. started working in customer service part-time, and for that switched to evening classes;
   8. and bought an old hybrid car with recycled plastic interior and textile seats.

I could not paint. Most of my finished artworks of that period are pen and ink or graphite miniatures.

(Continued in My Recent Life from 2015)