Why did I pick this day to go back to a year long gone? Well, the year 1993 holds a special place in my heart, because that was the year I graduated from middle school and went on to high schooland it was also the year I first thought about how great it would be to live in Charlotte. As a matter of fact, on the last day of middle school, I told everyone that I was leaving Baltimore and moving on to Charlotte, but they weren't buying it because I was going to stay in Baltimore for at least four more years.

Back in 1993, it was a great time to live in Charlotte, because the Hornets were in the playoffs for the first time ever, the Panthers were coming in two years, and, well, this was the friendliest city on Earth. In my mind, it was. So why did it take as long as it did to finally pull this off?

When my parents divorced in 1997, my mother moved into her own apartment, and two years later, she moved to Charlotte. I was left behind with my father and an older brother, but the hope still remained that I would eventually relocate to Charlotte. Even if it meant having to live with my mother again, I was willing to make that sacrifice.

So in 2006, after a long, frustrating job search that followed an embarrasing end to my last data-entry job, I finally made my long-overdue move. I may have joked about leaving back in 1993, but this time, it was for real. And today, because of it, my life has dramatically improved by leaps and bounds. I am making new friends, I am currently in college pursuing an Associates' degree in Information Technology, and I will soon be working again. How better can it get?

Finally, I'm having everything that I wanted back in 1993, but the main difference between now and then is that the Hornets are gone, and the Bobcats are the new NBA franchise in town. I still believe that this is the friendliest city on Earth, and so far, I've been proven right.

So here's to a long and happy life in Charlotte!