since you asked

Melissa asked about my bonus item in the list of six wierd things about me. It's a long story but I'll try to give the condensed version.

CD and I moved to Pittsburgh within a few weeks of each other in the fall of 1997, him from Cambridge, England and me from Walla Walla, Washington. I rented a house that was more than a little beyond my means, primarily because it had a great fenced yard (large for the city location) for Chewy. He arrived with no furniture and wanted a furnished place. His business partner was a former co-worker of mine, so we had met when I came to Pittsburgh for my job interview. It seemed like a good idea all around.

For nearly a year he was the perfect housemate. He was getting a startup off the ground and worked constantly. I saw very little of him, he didn't make a mess of the house, and he paid half the rent. In the spring I added a puppy to the household and CD starting showing a little more interest in spending time at home. When HBO aired "From the Earth to the Moon" that summer, we discovered a common interest. Finally he asked me to dinner in October. I thought it was to celebrate the latest release of his software. A day or two later I realized it was probably a date. We've been together ever since.

Our story should amuse the grandchildren someday.