"Even if I got rid of all my problems, I'd just go out and get new ones..."

Just a Geek?
12:34 p.m. on 2004-09-06

This entry is dedicated to the most interesting, multi-dimensional and just damn cool priest in the world.

(well, except maybe for G P Taylor, an ex-roadie for the Sex Pistols, ex-detective, and current fantasy writer who writes stories about exploding angels in between deciding whether to give up his parish to take up that chat show offer)

Anyway, you know who you are.

In the meanwhile... certain comments from various quarters have had me wondering why I keep this diary.

I could use the sensible justification, and claim that writing these short entries were good practice for both my creative writing skills and my journalistic skills. But then, I think we both know that that's a lie. Sure, I look back on my early entries and realise that the input into this thing has changed considerably, in style and content. But that's not my reason for writing here.

I could claim that it's a secret place to put my thoughts, to express them to people who don't know me intimately enough to be affected, or to be mentioned within them. But then, that would be a lie too, since there are plenty of casual readers to this page whom I would consider friends (or family).

Perhaps it's my closet extrovert battering the doors down. That strange desire to vent all my innermost thoughts on here, where everyone can see. Thoughts I would never express vocally. (At least, not when anyone else is in the room. Talking to my ~~LOTR poster~~ cat doesn't count.)

But that would be a lie as well, since I rarely express my deepest thoughts here, and prefer to use the page for various rants and waffles. And maybe that's the real reason - I write here, because no one would put up with my waffling in real life.

But then, my friends have, and will continue, to put up with my rambles, because that's what they do. And then they'll also tell me to shut up, because they're right.

The truth is, I don't know why I like writing here. I'm not sure anyone does, not really, not unless they came to Diaryland, or Livejournal, or Xanga or whatever, with a specific purpose in mind.

In the intro to Wil Wheaton's book, Neil Gaiman (famous fantasy author and thoroughly cool bloke) admits that he keeps an online journal and no, he doesn't know why he does it either.

But maybe we don't need to know. Perhaps it should be enough to be pleased, and slightly thrilled, that the power of the internet allows us to talk to people across the globe with no loss of time. To express our feelings and thoughts without fear of censorship or real rejection - after all, if people find a website uninteresting, they won't visit it.

And perhaps it's a record of history. Of memories. I like being able to browse through my old entries, to remember how I felt on graduating, or on starting my South America trip, or even to be reminded of little things which I've since forgotten, but at the time felt worthy enough to note down here.

Yeah. I think that's it.

Listening to: William Shatner sing "Common People." It makes me laugh, alright?!

Quote: "Er, General, without meaning, this time, to sound like a smart-ass� Are you cracked?"

PS: His left ear? Only his left ear? Couldn't I have both ears? And maybe a little toe. Mm, crunchy.

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