not quite but almost

from the beginning

There are two ways of telling a good story.

This is, of course, a generalization.

The first way is to ensure that there is no way that your listener can work out what is going to happen next.  This is based entirely on the originality of the destination, and is centered around a journey that attempts to throw people off the scent.  There are some excellent stories that are told in this way - but it's very difficult to pull off effectively, largely due to the reliance on originality.

The second way is to show the destination first.  What follows is an intricate description of the journey, when the listener knows the outcome, but the interest lies in knowing how you got there.  Here, hints are dropped, breadcrumbs are offered, tributaries are often wandered down, knowing that the course of the story is never far away, and can be returned to at leisure. 

This is the way I like telling stories.

I've been gone a while, it would seem, and I wonder if anyone ever pops round here any more.  The door, if you like, is always slightly ajar, and every now and then someone has been thoughtful enough to pop their head around, but I've been... elsewhere.  Much has happened in the journey that I've taken to bring me here, but in the spirit of story telling type no. 2, I'll tell you the end of the story first, and then work backwards.

And this is where the story ends:  I have a beard, I am on a diet, I'm wearing a fantastic purple/brown metallic nail colour, and have done at work for a few days, and I am churning out ideas and stories like they are going out of fashion.

What follows is how I got here.

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