I moved to Kent, WA in the early nineties to be with Riley. I wrote code for the airlines Black Box, and then made $5K for each printer driver I wrote for Mark Zackman's PC Paintbrush, out of Atlanta.

Then things fell apart and I went homeless. These days, being homeless means free phones, food and clothes. The only help I ever got was my black buddy Roger getting me stoned every morning in the tent my buddy Dave loaned me, in a field that later became a Target, and the $200 my sister sent me from California.

I jumped off a carport roof after rescuing some kids toys up there, and crushed my left ankle. I ended up on welfare while I healed, finally landing a job at a local hotel, washing dishes and busing tables, at $4.50 an hour.

I did that for years as I crawled back on my feet. Got a place, raised Riley, and thought about my $65 an hour position I left in the Bay Area, and the companies I formed down there, every day.

I eventually left Kent, WA with my head held high, as a ParaTransit supervisor, with Steph by my side, and moved to Idaho.