Where It Begins -- Synchronicity and Sociolinguistics -- A Crescendo of Research -- Roots of Variationist Thinking -- Sociolinguistics in the Street -- Why Statistics in Your Head -- Sociolinguistics From the Heart -- Branching Out; Bursting at the Seams -- Why Do You Like Variation? -- Launching the Future -- Afterword -- Appendix A List of Interviews -- Appendix B VSLX Family Tree