Structure

The structure of the book mirrors the traditional diary format by following the author chronologically over the course of his life. Each chapter is associated with a different year and follows the author from 1977 until 2002. In addition, every chapter varies in both the length as well as the number and date of the entries included per year. For every individual entry, however, a date and location are always identified (but the author notes that many are likely inaccurate due to the difficulties of identifying the date in a pre-laptop era).

The diary does not follow any specific pattern and the content is directly related to the events of the author on a given day. Sometimes the author chooses to record an event in its entirety but other entries may consist of anything from the overheard conversations of strangers to the plot of a soap opera the author...