circa 1988

I was best friends with an inanimate object. A pink, bejeweled retro-styled diary with a lock and key and mutli-colored lined pages.

Let us observe:

10/13/88

(in sloppy script)

Dear Diary:

Today is my first day keeping a diary. You would not believe what happened! My mom and me were driving back from the doctor's office and [unnecessary comma] a car in front of us slammed on the brakes to make a turn [unnecessary comma] and we almost crashed into it!! And worst of all we got lost on the way back! Well, out of time for now. Bye!

evidently, i was a very busy 9 year-old that only had time for a brief synopsis of a 5 minute story. at least i was polite enough to bid a fond farewell to my inanimate friend.

11/3/88

(in sloppy script, still)

Dear Diary [no colon]

Sorry I didn't write a lot in a while. But since I started riding on a hadicaped [sic] bus people are say [sic] I'm retarted [sic] and I'm not I just can't walk one mile home from school. [well, that proclaimation didn't do much to help my cause, did it?] And I started this book called The Leftover Kid. It is ["pretty" is crossed out] VERY good. I don't have anything else to say, I might have time to wright [sic] some more tonight. So bye for now.

[time has elapses, as evidenced by a skipped line and change of ink color...]

Hi! Guess what! My mom broke up with Coley and Bill might get arrested for harrasing [sic] her. My Aunt is [underlined] screaming right now so I should go. Bye!

(P.S. I didn't even start my homework yet and its [sic] 3:47 and my mom gets home a [sic] 4:25) (somewhere around 4:30!) Bye for the last and final time!!!!!

at least i was redundant, if nothing else.

reading this thing is quite the trip. my childhood was certainly good, but unstable and bizarre at times. i was not popular, my mother worked long hours for little money and in her off time would search for a new father for us, and my brother was my worst enemy. as i grew older, in my teenage years, i learned to resent this upbringing and did my best (and was successful) at rebelling against my mother. at least i had my pink, bejewelled diary. maybe it saved me.

i think i turned out alright.