I'm way overdue posting this. Apologies to Geoff.

The world's an imperfect place. You do the best you can. And I think if you take too romanticized a view of the world, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

But I also believe that, if they're persistent and flexible and willing to work, most people can find their niche: a place where they can do more and be more; and in doing more and being more, be more satisfied with life.

Not everyone has the energy or desire to persist. Not everyone has the flexibility: family or other obligations may be more important than finding that niche. I understand. It's important that you do what you think is right. (For those who aren't willing to work to find their niche, though, I have no sympathy.)

But sometimes, you really find that niche. And this summer, my fellow Duelist Geoff Nostrant reminded me of that.

Geoff has had a rough life, with a lot of ups and downs — and for much of the time I've known him, there were more downs than ups. I know only little bits of his story, and it's not my story to tell. But it always seemed like Geoff was getting knocked down; and though I admired him for getting back up, he never signed up to be a life lesson for the rest of us. And from what little I could see, his troubles weren't self-inflicted, for the most part. Oh, he made his naive, youthful mistakes now and then, and had to deal with them, just like the rest of us. But it seemed like a lot of people who had say in his life were big disappointments.

But there was one way in which I thought Geoff contributed to his own problems: he's a nomad. He doesn't like to tie himself to any place. And to me, Mr. Stability, that seemed like a mistake. Well, we'll see...

Oh, and I should add: what I've admired most about Geoff is his impressive musical talent and skill. And I mean that: talent and skill. He's good, but he works hard to be better. (Personally, I love his classical guitar work, because that's one of my favorite styles; but he leans more toward the electronica.) But even the music seemed to let him down: though he and some friends self-released a couple of fine albums, those were just two in a sea of indie albums. They had their fans, but the music never went as far as they dreamed.

Well, a few years back, Geoff left us on his biggest wanderjahr yet: he got an opportunity to travel to South Korea to teach English. I never knew how he got this opportunity. I understood the appeal: young and free, with an affinity for Asian ladies, and without much keeping him in Michigan. But we worried that he might be going too far away, and get lost.

How wrong we were. Geoff has been back a couple of times, usually for bad family news; but he has also made time for his Duelist friends. And what we've learned is: Geoff has found his niche.

First, he went looking for a job for some spare income. I don't know how it happened, but he got hooked up with Korean TV production. There's a Korean show called "Surprise!" It's a dramatic crime recreation show; and they had a need for someone to play American "heavies". Well, Geoff can do that: although he's a pleasant enough looking fellow, he can furrow his brows, glare, and look kinda menacing. He's also tall, and fit. So he fit the part. And apparently, Korean TV shows don't mind reusing actors (kinda like the same guest stars kept reappearing in different roles way back when on All in the Family).

So next thing you know, Geoff's a Korean TV star. Oh, not a top name, because (like most cultures) their biggest stars are natives; but he has a following. It's hard for his American friends to see; but in Korea, he's foreign and exotic. He's kinda cool, even, especially with all that hair.

And then on top of that, his star status makes him a popular teacher. And also popular with those Asian ladies he likes so much.

And as music technology gets better and cheaper, he can do more and more of his own production. And so he's very popular on the download scene. You can find some of his music here. I know there's a lot more out there, because I downloaded it; but my apologies, I can't figure out how to find it right now. It's well worth looking for. His work is more polished now, and a lot more mature. Check it out. Just don't offer to pay him for it. His music is his art and his release, and he never wants it to become his job.

And one more thing: he's still adrift. Only now I'm recognizing that for him, that's a good thing. I can't share his view, but I see now how important that is to him. He tried to explain how he's never satisfied tying himself to a place, to roots. That's just about the antithesis of my ideal life. But I think I caught a glimpse of what makes Geoff tick, in a quote I found in Volume 5 of The Books of Magic from DC:

"Everywhere...

"You can WANT everywhere, but you can't have it. You have to choose.

"It wasn't EASY, choosing. I should never have asked Kenny which places HE liked best.

"No, I take that back. I wouldn't have missed the stuff he said for anything. I've never HEARD anyone talk about places the way he did. Like they were PEOPLE. People he LOVED.

"Now I know why he never stops moving. It doesn't matter how much he likes where he is. Wherever he is, he's still always missing somewhere else."

And so by traveling half way around the world, Geoff has found a new somewhere else. That's his niche: somewhere else. If he found his niche, that gives me hope that more people can do it.

Duelist IX results here. Pictures here.

I think I'm close to recovered...