The Diary Dilemma

Well, well … this blog isn’t supposed to be an online diary … or is it? Truth be told – I haven’t made up my mind yet!

Having recently read through a whole stack of angry teenage diaries (my own btw though I’m ashamed to admit that I occasionally had a peak at my friends’ as well ….. entertaining as hell, though my cheeks were burning as I was turning the last page…)

I was led to wonder … how to handle retired diaries!?

I mean, do my grandchildren really want to read one day how I gave Robert an F for teasing me? Or that I once fancied a teacher? Dreamt of marrying Leonardo DiCaprio? And so much more that I’m too ashamed to be writing about in this blog! Re-reading my words, for the most part written with my good ol’ ink pen (oh yeah!) made we wonder: was I really such a lovesick, boycrazed, angry teen? Cynical and unforgiving as hell?

Certainly … reading those little novels made me smile but I kept wondering: what if something happened to me and my family would read them without me being there to lie ‘well yeah, I was piss-head drunk when i wrote that’ (not that that would make anything better, but still …) What would people think about me after reading my outpourings, bound in old leather, a geeky cartoon mouse on the cover!? My ‘sweetwiebi’ email would definitely be a blast from the past, let me tell ya! And last but not least: what kinda read would their diaries make?

But what’s the alternative? Should I eliminate them? Burn them? Could I?

I think despite their embarassing potential I’ll keep’em around for a little longer … if only to recover them from the depth of my closet every once in a while to think ‘hahaha I’d never ever write such bullshit again’

OR … WOULD I ?!?

How I encountered the blogosphere …

… I would be lying if I said I knew for sure, but I pretty certain it was 4 years ago, so …

Once upon a time … 4 years ago … as holidays were over and everyone was returning to uni … it was time to choose classes! What’s the most important criteria when choosing classes? Right … never … ever … voluntarily sign up for a class that requires you moving your body out of your warm and cozy bed before ten am …

Needless to say … I do like following my own advice! So I scanned the little booklet to look for classes starting after 12 (you do need time to shower and get dressed!). As I was scanning the booklet, probably having a coffee, I came across a class called “Weblogs: online diaries, journalism and corporate blogging”.

So even though I thought ‘What the fuck is a weblog?’ and technically I wasn’t even allowed to take the class because the lazy bum that I was I had flunked the mid-term (flunking an oral exam … never a pleasant experience!) I signed up! And I liked it! During the first class I did at one point raise my hand to ask the professor what a weblog was and the class was thankful because according to my rough estimations 99 percent hadn’t the foggiest about what they’d signed up for, but I can honestly say I left this class somewhat enlightened! Not only did I meet Anne who is now one of my closest friends, but I also developed quite a passion for the topic so when it was time for the second oral exam (same prof, same room, same ol’ stuttering me!!) I passed with honors! Woohoo!

And even though for the 4 years that followed I couldn’t be arsed to keep a blog of my own I am now proud to be writing this one!

So long for now,

Wiebi