1964
- Born. Never asked.
1967
- Trip to Expo ’67 in Montreal.
1970
- Entered first grade.
1971
- Transferred to the scary Christian school.
1974
- The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family cancelled.
- Trip to Expo ’74 in Spokane, followed by my first trip to Seattle.
1976
- The Bicentennial
- Transferred back to public school for my second year in junior high.
1978
- Started smoking. Sort of.
1979
- Began keeping journal.
- Started smoking. For real.
- Entered high school.
1980
- Discovered booze and pot.
- Got driver’s license.
- Started work at McDonald’s.
- Stopped smoking pot.
- First real sex with a guy at an adult bookstore.
1981
- Gave up McDonald’s for The Limited, then Chick-fil-A.
1982
- Began keeping detailed journal.
- Graduated from high school.
- Burst out of the closet with a vengeance.
- Began working at UNCG’s student radio station.
- Began college.
- Entered Student Government.
- First college road trip to Atlanta to see Talking Heads.
1983
- Became Music Director at radio station.
1984
- Lots of bad luck with boys.
- Became General Manager of radio station.
- Dropped out of school.
1985
- Began work at Texas Jeans.
1986
- Transferred to Myrtle Beach to manage Surfers Exchange.
- Rented my first apartment.
- Transferred to Charlotte.
1988
- Moved to second apartment in Charlotte.
1989
- Quit Surfers Exchange.
- Moved back in with my parents in Greensboro to finish school.
- Began work at Kinko’s.
1991
- Presented paper at Southeast Division, Association of American Geographers.
- Finished my undergraduate degree.
1992
- Outstanding student paper award from NC Sociological Association.
- Transferred to San Francisco.
- Made first cross-country drive while moving to California.
1994
- Became Assistant Manager of Kinko’s in downtown San Francisco.
- Debut of Planet SOMA, the precursor to this site.
- Quit Kinko’s.
- Went back to work for Kinko’s part time as an Office Manager/Trainer.
- Essay published in Preparation X.
- Planet SOMA US Tour 1997: my first online cross-country road trip.
- Began doing freelance web design.
- SF Bay Guardian Best Website award.
- Planet SOMA US Tour 1998.
- Began living alone for the first time in eight years when my roommate moved out to buy a house.
- Debut of Groceteria.com.
- Debut of Otherstream.com.
- Began seriously considering a return to the east coast.
- Hospitalized for a thyroid-related heart condition.
- Met Mark and began long-distance courtship.
- Photo published in British retailing textbook.
- Mark moved in with me.
- Moved back to full-time status at Kinko’s for health insurance.
- Quit smoking.
- Married Mark at City Hall in San Francisco in what would later be viewed as a mass civil disobedience.
- Profiled in Sacramento Bee.
- Profiled in Greensboro News and Record.
- Quit Kinko’s.
- Moved to Charlotte NC.
- Article and photos published in Construction Data News.
- Lymphoma diagnosis and treatment.
- Bought a house and moved to Winston-Salem NC.
- Profiled in Charlotte Observer.
- Profiled in Supermarket News.
- Profiled in Winston-Salem Journal.
- Returned to school to earn my Master of Library and Information Studies degree.
- Graduated with MLIS from UNCG.
- Began first full-time library job.
- Purchased house in Pittsburgh.
- Landed tenure-track position.
- Mark moved back to NC full-time (briefly).
- Ended relationship with Mark.
- Sold house in Pittsburgh.
- Very influential Canadian road trip.
- Mom moved to nursing home.
- LA/San Diego trip.
- Returned to Montréal for the first time since 1967.
- Awarded a major project grant.
- Dad died.
- Moved back into childhood home in Greensboro.
- Reappointed at work.
- Depression and therapy.
- Trips: Richmond, New York, DC, Toronto/Montréal, Virginia Beach.
- Trips: LA/San Francisco, Toronto, Virginia Beach.
- Sold house in Winston-Salem.
- Another big grant.
- Trips: Toronto/Ottawa, Virginia Beach.
- Made tenure.
- Actively began work on Groceteria.com again.
- Trips: New York, Albuquerque, Toronto, Providence, Buffalo/Rochester/Albany, Virginia Beach.
- Interviews: Yes Weekly, O.Henry Magazine.
- Several grants.
- New car.
- Mom died.
- Trips: Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Canadian Maritimes, Columbus, Toronto/London, Virginia Beach.
- Trips: Milwaukee, Detroit/Toronto, Jacksonville/Tampa.
- Trips: Indianapolis/Chicago, DC/Baltimore, Cleveland, Virginia Beach.
- Did not succumb to COVID and never ran out of toilet paper.
- Resumed having sex.
- Trips: Minneapolis/Madison/Dakotas, Jersey City/NYC, Virginia Beach, Pittsburgh.
- Book published.
- Trips: Indianapolis/Cincinnati/Detroit, Toronto, Virginia Beach, Pittsburgh.
- Trips: New Orleans, Toronto/London, Syracuse.
- New car.
- Trips: Detroit, Toronto, Jersey City/NYC, Atlanta, Virginia Beach, Pittsburgh.
- Trips: Charleston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia.
- Gout.