1921 - Bought my first pair of spats
1974 graduated college
1975 I remember I took a vacation to Club Med Tahiti, back when Club Med was a thing. Also bought my first piano this year, an old upright literally from a little old lady in Pasadena.
1976 Got my CPA certificate. spent a lot of time on projects in Bakersfield, which in some ways was less nice than Tahiti…
1977 Started work at Litton Industries
1978 Bought my first new car. A Fiat sedan, and yes that’s just as stupid as it sounds. It only lasted a year.
1979 Started work at Avery International
1980 Bought my first house, in South Pasadena (from my brother)
1981 Made my first trip out of the country, United kingdom and Denmark .
1982 Played in an over-30 basketball league. I believe this was the last time I ever dunked a basketball.
1983 still single, footloose and fiancée free. Spent a lot of time playing in very local tennis leagues.
1984 Went to work for security pacific bank, where I met my wife to be. Bought my first of a series of Honda Accord’s.
1985 This was a fun work year. I had a big project in London and was over there at least once a month for a bit over a year and loved the travel.
1986 Started dating my wife to be when she left for grad school at Dartmouth. I spent a lot of time flying coast to coast that year.
1987 Got married. Honeymooned in Scandinavia.
1988 Got my first treasurer job with a community bank in Pasadena
1989 last childless vacation. We went to Australia and New Zealand.
1990 First son born
1991 My last grandparent, my 95-year-old grandmother, passed away
1992 Second son born
1993 Spent the year as an independent consultant, working with moribund insurance companies.
1993 Bought a house in La Canada-Flintridge
1994 Left consulting to go back into banking as a controller of a regional bank. The earthquake at Northridge also stands out in my memory.
1995 - Was in a car accident on the freeway where my car was totaled. I was hit by an uninsured, illegal alien who tried to flee the scene. Build a wall!
1996 My daughter was born
1997 Got my first full-time CFO position at a bank in Santa Monica, setting me up for about two decades of hideous commutes.
1998 I recall this was the first year we took my six-year-old son to a computer camp in La Jolla California. He was kind of scary how good he was was at it…
1999 The IT department where I worked reported to me. Anyone else remember the Y2K problem?
2000-2004 Were a blur of child rearing years and while I remember a lot of things that happened I can’t diiferentiate one year from the other.
2002 This was the year I first started noticing that my wife was dating other people…
2005 Last Bro roadtrip with my Brother. Historically we did a combination of a ragtime camp and golfing trip. No golf this time because he was way too sick. He was actually expecting to die within a few months, but ended up bouncing back somewhat for a couple of years, albeit pretty badly disabled.
2006 Our last family vacation predivorce was two weeks in Hawaii.
2007 Got divorced.
2008 Interesting year continuing to share the house with my ex-wife. She had another house she would go to when it was my turn to be home with the kids. I was still scrounging around when it was my turn to leave the house, because my employer was in the process of failing, and the first of my kids was just starting college.
2009 Bad year. This was the year my company failed, wiping out my retirement plan, my paycheck and the good part of my savings. My brother died in July.
2010 Began my foray into Korean banking with a consulting assignment.
2011 My company got merged with another bank, and I had to compete to be the surviving CFO. Kicked the other guy’s butt.
2012 My father died, and I bought my moms house to help her move into a retirement community. This was the year I started swing dancing.
2013 Oldest son got his first full-time post graduation job. One down…
2014 Finally sold the house in La Canada, co-owned with my ex-wife.
2015 A merger was announced with another large bank, and I had to compete to be the surviving CFO. I kicked the other guy’s butt...
2016 My mom turns 92 and is finally starting to fail. She’s in and out of the hospital twice and ends up in nursing care by the end of the year.
2017 my mom passes away, I turn 65, becoming eligible for Medicare, and retire, sort of.
2018 I get sucked back into consulting for about four months, decide to really retire and move to Reno Nevada.

quote:

2017 - walked a 5k with the family on the anniversary of my transplant

:heart:

A couple of years ago I got Mr. Pique and me life calendars for Christmas. It's a poster that gives you 90 years to fill out with anything you remember from your life. I have mine hanging over the toilet in my office bathroom. Which I guess means that I consider the content to be private.

Nevertheless... A sampling, not going back terribly far. Also a challenge as most everything since 2000 is a blur .

1976 graduated from University of Michigan with a B.A. in Philosophy
1977 spent a month in India
1979 returned to school, studying graphic design at UM School of Art (special WTF connection: Grotriman's dad was teaching advertising art there at the same time)
1980 became a part time designer at the university's publishing house, became an arts editor at the Ann Arbor Observer
1981 followed boyfriend to NYC, studied music at Mannes College, designed posters for the Met
1983 took job as wilderness ranger in the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness near Wisdom, MT
1984 came back to NYC to figure out how to switch to magazine writing, collected masses of rejection letters
1985 became production editor at Glamour magazine
1986 started writing for Skiing and Backpacker magazines
1987 met my best friend--our first date: nordic skiing in Central Park--at night
1988 entered the masters program at Columbia Journalism School
1989 worked at New York Newsday as a business reporter
1990 started writing for the Atlantic Monthly, traveled all over the country including Alaska
1991 moved to Los Angeles part time--commuter love affair with Hollywood producer
1992 moved to Montana--hollywood producer hated camping
1993 became publications editor at University of Montana. Started writing for Sports Illustrated.
1994 bought my first house
1995 started teaching journalism at the University of Montana
1996 met Mr Pique
1997 married Mr Pique
1998 more freelance magazine writing
1999 youngest brother died
2000 became research director of a journalism nonprofit
2001 Bought a grand piano
2002 got Ben, a Mastiff
2003 spent a month in British Columbia
2004 agent and book contract
2005 traveled Europe to research the book
2006 book writing
2007 book polishing
2008 book published
2009 dad died
2010 two months at the MacDowell Colony
2011 learned how to ride a horse for a National Geographic assignment
2012 rode into a rendezvous with The American Mountain Men
2013 spent the summer in a railyard trying to catch a dog
2014 moved to the Queen City
2015 lost Jasper to bone cancer
2016 we adopted Winnie, a McNab dog
2017 we bought our current house
2018 Simon, our miniature horse, goes on his first pack trip, in the Snowcrest mountains
2019 Snowshoeing with the Jodis

OK ...

1959: Earliest real memory. On my dad's shoulders walking down Bourbon Street. Nuff said.
1962: Watched John Glenn's launch on Freedom 7.
1963: My 2nd grade class is interrupted with news of JFK's assassination. We were ordered to pray.
1964: Moved to a new house out in Miami's now gone pine barrens.
1965: Spent time at the NY World Fair!
1966: Rode my bike to 4th grade a lot! Still remember one teacher showing us a $100 bill!
1967: First trip to Europe. I loved London in the 60s. Got to rummage around in the British Museum.
1968: Remember RFK and MLK assassinations. And war, riots, and Nixon. Not a good year.
1969: Watched Armstrong land on the moon. Watched a lot of Star Trek.
1970: Made my junior high concert band on alto clarinet!
1971: Switched to a majority African-American junior high school during de-segregation.
1972: Started high school. Learned to dislike many teachers (that's you, Mr. ..., maybe not).
1973: Entered the piano studio of Rosalina Sackstein at the University of Miami.
1974: Wandered off to Ohio for college. I shudder to remember my immature self.
1975: Took my first economics class! Watched US helicopters pull people off Saigon roofs.
1976: Quality time on Kenyon's newspaper working for Matt Winkler, and with Jim Borgman and Bill Watterson.
1977: Became campus protestor ... against administration hiring decisions!
1978: The White Hurricane shuts down Ohio. I graduate anyway.
1979: Found myself in the deep south, at Duke. Graduate school was surprisingly ... difficult.
1980: Began making lifelong friends. I wasn't close to my high school or college crowds.
1981: speaking of lifelong friends, I met a young lady in January of '81. We're still together.
1982: Finished my Ph.D. that summer. Official date says 1983.
1983: Spent some quality time at Duke's marine lab teaching economics classes. Driving my new Celica too fast ...
1984: Got my first academic job, at Colgate University.
1985: Spent a lot of time on the road between Hamilton NY and Durham NC.
1986: I was back at Duke for a research leave .... when Challenger exploded.
1987: Got engaged at The Horned Dorset Inn in Leonardsville, New York.
1988: Married under the wisteria at Duke Gardens. Got tenure at Colgate and then ...
1989: ...Started teaching at W&M. Got to live in the same house with my wife, just not in Williamsburg.
1990: W&M decided to tenure me.
1991: Remember Stormin' Norman's briefings during the Gulf War.
1992: Flew to Miami to help my parents after Andrew. Never had seen that kind of mass destruction. Built a house in Williamsburg.
1993: First born in June. My wife did the real work.
1994: Took a crazy trip to Seattle, Vancouver, and Whistler with a one-year-old. Sad to see Star Trek Next Gen end.
1995: Second born in June. Again, my wife did the real work. Happy to see Star Trek Voyager begin.
1996: Turned 40 ... and there was much rejoicing.
1997: Got a phone call that my dad was in intensive care. They let him go, minutes after I arrived to see him. They waited.
1998:
1999: Got so sick of Pokemon this and Pokemon that. My eldest was an addict.
2000: I do actually remember not worrying very much about Y2K.
2001: Spent September 11th trying to find out if a friend was still alive. Anthony starts piano lessons.
2002: My mother's three year battle with Leukemia ended.
2003: Hurricane Isabel sent our chimney smashing through two floors of the house. Ouch. Anthony called it our new skylight.
2004: Youngest takes up the flute.
2005:
2006: Spent some quality time with the family, riding horses at a Montana ranch near Emigrant.
2007: Spent a quality summer in Bonn working at the Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung (ZEF).
2008: Anthony & I attend a piano party. Meet Jon, Mary Anna, and others. More riding in Montana!
2009: Picked up a shiny new car in Munich and drove it around Germany and France!
2010: Published a little book in November. It got a decent review in the NYT.
2011: Anthony's "senior recital." He plays a fabulous 90 minute program. (Some still available on YouTube)
2012: Spent two weeks in Ireland. Quality time at pubs listening to music!
2013:
2014: Spent 17 days sailing in the BVIs with friends mentioned in 1980. Truly lifelong friends.
2015: Eldest graduates from UM in May.
2016: Visited Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and a lot of other cool Anasazi sites in New Mexico.
2017: Published another little book.
2018: Bought a house in Santa Fe...
2019: ...Now finding all the needed repair work on said house ...

I'll fill in the remaining holes when I think of something ...

Love 2019, Pique!

PD, your 1963 entry... were you in public school, Catholic school, or...?

Hey PD: I can fill in your 2008: You attended a piano party at Susan’s and met Bernard, Mary Anna, and me. (among others who don’t post here)

quote:

Originally posted by Daniel:
PD, your 1963 entry... were you in public school, Catholic school, or...?

Parochial school. My mother taught there. That was the last year. Public afterward.

quote:

Originally posted by jon-nyc:
Hey PD: I can fill in your 2008: You attended a piano party at Susan’s and met Bernard, Mary Anna, and me. (among others who don’t post here)

Oooh, I had forgotten the date. I'll go back and add that!

Pique, you didn't just buy "a" grand piano. You bought "the" grand pia... Obsession.

I'll give it a try, although I am not good at this. I remember events, correlating them with dates is hard for me.

2018 - went to England with Mary Anna
2017 - moved to Oklahoma and married Mary Anna!; daughter #2 graduated high school
2016 - daughter #1 graduated high school; took daughter #2 on college visits across the country; drove daughter #1 across the country to college
2015 - helped Mary Anna move to Oklahoma; took daughter #1 on college visits across the country
2014 - spent a lot of the year driving between Massachusetts and Camden
2013 - met Mary Anna!
2012 - helped start an online broker-dealer
2011 - these years are a blur
2010 - these years are a blur
2009 - gave up custody of daughter #2's beloved German shepherd
2008 - acquired my still-alive dogs
2007 - started some major renovations on my house; had to put my beloved Vizsla to sleep (damn, I miss that dog)
2006 - these years are a blur, I know I took the girls to the ranch in Oregon
2005 - these years are a blur, I know I took the girls to the ranch in Oregon; daughter #2 diagnosed with ADHD
2004 - these years are a blur, I know I took the girls to the ranch in Oregon; opened the gmail account (back then you needed an invite) which I still use
2003 - girls started kindergarten; took the girls to the ranch in Oregon for the first time
2002 - moved from San Francisco to Massachusetts
2001 - left job in San Francisco
2000 - took girls to Legoland in San Diego, my first (but hardly my last) solo vacation with them
1999 - separated from ex-wife
1998 - twins born!
1997 - took job in London
1996 - sold our company for the second time (to the same buyer); got my BMW convertible (still have it)
1995 - acquired my beloved Vizsla; had bucket list trip to New Zealand canceled because of work
1994 - sold our company for the first time
1993 - went to Hawaii
1992 - moved to San Francisco
1991 - went to Singapore
1990 - my boss at the SEC left; went to work in what was then the Division of Market Regulation
1989 - got married
1988 - left law firm to join SEC
1987 - started dating ex-wife
1986 - grandfather died (on day Challenger exploded)
1985 - moved from Virginia to DC
1984 - graduated law school; traveled around Europe; best friend died
1983 - best friend diagnosed with cancer

Without context, "started dating ex-wife" just sounds a little weird.

quote:

Originally posted by pianojuggler:
Without context, "started dating ex-wife" just sounds a little weird.

Let your imagination provide the context.

Re-reading jon's original post, I don't know that I would call most of these "memories", but more like "events".

My problem, as I get "older", is that I have a lot of memories and I remember a lot of events, but I can't necessarily place them in a year. An era, yes. A year, not so much. Even getting them into chronological order is tough. I have to cross-correlate trips with partners, events with jobs, what car I had, and so forth.

For example, I wasn't in a relationship when I was working in Kuwait... I remember this because when I came back I had dates with two different people during which I showed them pictures from there.

I did start a timeline a while back with columns for partner, friends, residence, job, other milestones. I had a hard time finding the right granularity. Quarters seemed to be about right.