JournalConWhen I first heard about JournalCon, I must say I was envious of everyone who was going. I'd developed a list of favorite reads, and was dipping my toes into Threeway Action, and the thought of a whole nerdy weekend talking about technical goo, stories, and putting faces to journals sounded great to me. But now I wonder - is part of what we love about On Line Journaling (ists) the fact that we can create the persona behind the writing ourselves, in our own minds, and based on our own perceptions? Humans are notorious for making assumptions - filling in the blanks, if you will - and OLJ-ing has the added fillip of making the reader feel like they *know* you, when they've never met you. Beth's October 10th entry was pretty profound - friendships based solely on mutual OLJ-ing can be unbalanced. I'm not going to make a sweeping statement that they're *always* unbalanced, because I've developed a couple of on-line friendships which I find to be very satisfying. But you need to take the time to know the person *behind* the journal, because their journal can be a pretty two-dimentional thing. Much as we'd like to think it's a real representation of who we are, details are, by the very nature of the format we use, left out. And if they're not what you expected, or were hoping for, you have to be a pretty open-minded person to allow your perception to be changed and not take it negatively.I don't know if I would automatically take to a person in "real life" whose journal I really enjoy reading. The two are not necessarily mutually conjoined. For instance, I love reading Stephen King, but the guy's kind of a jerk in person. I do know there are a few people I would adore meeting, and feel fairly comfortable that I wouldn't be disappointed. It is a risk, though, whose benefits could be great or whose detriments could be profound. I think you folks who attended JournalCon were very brave to take the risk. Meeting an OLJ-ist in "real life", just on a one-on-one basis, might be nerve wracking enough. But you guys converged on each other by the dozens! Whew. I hope you all found it to be a rewarding and beneficial experience. ArchibaelArchibael has gotten a mention or two previously - one of the few co-workers I consider a friend. He's been going through some scary things lately. Please send him some friendly vibes. And don't worry, Archibael. Everything's gonna be fine!ParenthoodCalvin is an amazing father. I've told him a time or two that he's the kind of dad I would have liked to have had when I was growing up. Michael and Marie consider him to be a friend, which, as any of you who have kids knows, is a rare and beautiful thing. There have been times when Michael and/or Marie have chosen to hang out with Dad rather than hang out with their friends. They brag about him to their friends constantly. And their friends enjoy being at our house - "Your dad is cool, and you guys *talk* all the time. We don't do that at home..." is frequently heard. During the summer they constantly begged for him to take the day off so they could go do something together. Michael calls him on his cell phone during the day just to say "hi". Marie chirps "Love you, Daddy!" a dozen times a day. They bounce around like hyper puppies for the first half-hour that he's home from work, clamoring for his attention. I get to bask in all of this warm-fuzzy family-ness because of my relationship with Calvin, and thankfully the kids feel respect and friendship for me too. But to see Calvin and the kids together is to observe a family unit that is extremely tight and healthy. He hung the sun, moon, and stars according to them. He is the foundation of their stability and the source of their sanity. He is their confidant, advisor, and instructor. And for the most part (~grin~) they listen. They know he would do anything for them, yet they don't take advantage of that. That kind of security is hard to come by. It's also a huge responsibility, which Calvin bears with ease. I have a huge amount of admiration for that man. And so do they. Every day is Father's Day at our house!I think I've sufficiently embarrassed Calvin, now... SarahSarah's journal is a must-read. I died laughing today, reading about her pets' trip to the vet's. Really, heads prairie-dogged above the cubicle mecca. If you like assumed animal voices, you'll love this stuff. Sarah, will you make up a "voice" for my cat?TurkeyDear Lord, it looks like I may get stuck cooking a turkey this Thanksgiving. Anybody have any foolproof methods? I'd be the fool, by the way. Can I confess that I've *never* cooked a turkey? I know there's this whole stuffing/basting/seasoning thing going on, and something about candied yams? Ack, I'm doomed.The world's stupidest jokeI mean, this ranks right up there with the "interfering cow" joke (which cracks me up no matter how many times I hear it, by the way). There once was a woman who gave birth to twins. She decided to put them up for adoption. One twin was adopted by a family in Egypt, and they named him Amahl. The other was adopted by a family in Spain, and they named him Juan. After the twins had grown up, Juan got back in touch with his mother, and sent her a photo. She said to her husband, "Oh, I would like to have a picture of the other, as well!" He replied, "Why? They're twins. You seen Juan, you've seen Amahl."Ready? One... two... three... "GROOOAAAN!" And that's all the weirdness for today, folks! |