22 November 1994

Matt and I have had a couple requests to tell the story of how we met. The short version follows:

There were two daily newspapers in Phoenix (those were the good old days) owned by the same company, and housed in the same building -- although that is not directly related to how we met. Matt was a graphic designer for the morning paper and worked in the East Valley office, and I was the theater critic for the afternoon paper working downtown.

I was assigned to review a Broadway touring company show, and when I went to the theater that Tuesday night, Matt was sitting next to me. I always made a point of being very social to people I sit by when at the theater, so Matt and I struck up a conversation.

When the show ended, I had to get to the newspaper to write my review. I told Matt that I was going to a movie the next night with some theater friends, gave him my telephone number, and told him to call me if he wanted to join us. He called, he joined us, we all went out for snacks after the film. I suggested Matt and I see another film Friday night, if he was interested.

The next day was Thanksgiving.

The next day, Friday, Matt called me. We met for a film, went to a local diner for a late-night snack, and started seeing each other regularly after that.

Our relationship built gradually; it was not a bolt from the blue -- although, when we met, I thought he was really cute and clever. (I found out later he had been really sick that night, and almost did not go to the show!)

It was a bit cumbersome to get together because Matt worked days and I worked nights. We often would only be able to see each other when he would join me after work as I attended a theater assignment. (With the exception of that first Thanksgiving, we have at least spoken to each other by phone, if we could not be together, every single day since the day we met.)