Dear Diary...

From the ages of 11 to 24, I faithfully wrote in a diary every day. Not because I had such an interesting life. but because I liked putting down on paper the things that I thought, felt, and did. It was interesting to me, and wasn't for anyone else to read anyway.
Feb. 6, 1971 (6th grade) "Math was hard today. Doug is such a dreamboat!! My sisters are brats."
Not exactly the stuff that biographers care to immortalize, but what can I say? I recounted the highs and lows of growing up.
Jan. 8, 1976 (jr. year) "Wrote my whole crummy term paper tonight. My hand almost fell off. If Mr. R. doesn't like it, he can shove it!! I'm a zit-head. I laughed so hard at lunch--we had blueberry dessert and I blacked out my teeth with it." Deep, huh?!
I was obsessed with my weight back then, even though I recognize now that I wasn't overweight at all. These are all from August 1976 entries, right before starting my senior year: "I ate a ton, and I just hate myself." "I've been eating from boredom and I'm an absolute moose!" "I'm gonna try to go all weekend without eating anything." How do teenage girls get such distorted self-images??
Sept.12, 1977 (freshman year at UW-Eau Claire) I AM 18!!! A bunch of us from my floor went down to Water St. and they bought me drinks. I had 6 slow gin and ojs. On the way back to the dorm, I had to stop in the Fine Arts building to pee, and I dropped my keys in the toilet." Classy.
Jan. 7, 1982 (first year of teaching) I'm so sick of these freshmen!!!! They don't do their work, then moan about their grades. I went to college 4 years for this??!"
Okay, I admit, not everything I wrote was frivolous and routine. I also recounted my feelings about the people in my life, the things I learned, and events that changed me. I gradually got too busy to keep up with daily entries, and my journaling lapsed. Over the years I did try starting again, but it would usually only last for a few months. Now that I'm blogging, a journal would be sort of redundant. But what should I do with the old ones? Some of them got lost or have been thrown out, but I still have several. I suppose I should get rid of them, too. I don't want to die and have Fred and the girls discover them. Not because I have deep, dark secrets--just the opposite. "This is what was going on in Mom's brain?! Scary! Boring!"
Sept. 3, 1994 Erica's 8th b-day. Headed over to the cabin with Tracey's family and Kelley to meet Fred. Grilled out for supper and Erica opened her presents. Had a campfire--kids were tired and wild. Katie got marshmallows in her hair and Annie threw up." The stuff of life.

P.S. Please go to http://www.rhinelanderdailynews.com/ sometime today and check out the Pet Pin-Up contest. Vote for my cat Smokey or dogs, Bum and Koko! Thanks! **UPDATE:the pictures are posted. Go to the website, click on the "Pet Pin-up" box on the right side. Smokey is on page 2 and the dogs are on page 3.--voting ends April 30th.