I began writing the Darwin Diaries years ago, when it was known by the title of ‘Gelacknous Muck’. It initially chronicled my life as a single, working mother with a crazy family, crazier friends, and my chaotic, mismanaged existence. Most of those writings were dark, troubled and just down right nuts. It was not a happy time in my life. In fact, I often wonder how I came through with any semblance of sanity.

Enter Angus. Prior to meeting him,  I had been slowly going about the business of putting my life in order and had finally made it to the point where I could claim a fair amount of personal growth and responsibility. Things were still chaotic, but I had learned how to manage the chaos and enjoy life as well. I had finally matured! I was dating a man in DC, and Angus was dating an acquaintance of mine. Because we hung on the outer fringes of the same social circle, it was inevitable that we would meet. A few months after meeting, and having seen each other at numerous events with our respective dates, we had exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses and began talking to each other more and more. The more we got to know each other, the better friends we became, and that was exactly how I viewed him… as a friend. Imagine my surprise when he wrote me one day and very bluntly announced he was interested in dating me. I told him that while I enjoyed his friendship, I wasn’t ready to date anyone seriously, but that I was flattered. I mean.. who wouldn’t be? Here’s this good looking, intelligent, together man! I thought that would be the end of it, but he said something no man had ever said to me before. He said he was willing to wait until I was ready if I would consider him at some point.

Hmmm. That’s strange! Usually you tell a guy you don’t want to date him, and they either take that as an invitation for a one night stand/casual fling OR they call you a stuck up bitch and trash you to their friends. Angus didn’t do that. He waited it out patiently and let me come to him on my own terms.

After we had dated a while, I made the decision to move to Virginia to be with him. It was during this transition that The Darwin Diaries began. Over the past three years, it has evolved into a mostly comedic take on our life together,  with our dogs, friends and family in hot pursuit. It shows how we relate to each other, the simplicity of our lives and just how abnormal we probably are. These writings are sometimes crude (I write how I talk, and at times, I have the mouth of a truck driver), rude (because sometimes, I’m not polite.) and socially unacceptable, because let’s face it… him and I have pretty strange ideas, but above all else, these entries are an honest and true reflection of us. We may be imperfect, but we are perfect together.

These past few years have been my happiest, and they deserve to be written about.

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