that od survey all the cool kids are doing

Last night when I was trying to catch up a bit on my reading, at least 3 of my favorites had done this one. So I’m flinging myself rignt on the bandwagon, as I certainly am not one to let a fun survey pass me by! I’ve also just wasted about half an hour trying to copy and paste the questions in from someone else’s journal and I keep getting weird bizarro formatting and The Bold That Will Not Go Away No Matter What – I’ve finally figured out just typing the damn questions in again would take me WAY less time than trying to figure out WYSIWYG’s crazed thought patterns. And I could just turn off WYSIWYG, I suppose.

 

What does your online diary name mean, and why did you pick it?

You’ll have to ask Tom Waits what it means. It’s from one of his songs on Raindogs, Jockey Full of Burbon. "Edna Million in a drop dead suit/ Dutch Pink on a downtown train.." lalalalala…I just recently became Edna Million here. I’ve used it in other places but started out life here as SwordfishT – which I never did like but was using on the site I came here from, just because I couldn’t think of anything better at the time so picked THAT because it’s short for ANOTHER Tom Waits album – Swordfishtrombone – and I had used it as a password for ages. Of all things. And I am NOT obsessed and unimaginative. I just think Edna Million has a nice ring to it.

When did you first get an online diary?

October, 2001. That’s hard to believe. I started on Free OD and moved to Not Free OD about a year later. Amidst all the angst and upheaval and general brouhahaness.

Why did you first start an online diary?

When I first realized that people kept online diaries, I thought it was the craziest thing I ever heard of in my life. I mean, why on EARTH would you let the whole world read your DIARY?? I’ve kept a journal since I was 12, and have always taken enormous pains to make sure nobody read my diary. Then I started actually checking out other people’s diaries, and got hooked.

How did you find Opendiary.com?

I used to frequent a journal board on About.com – just a message board about journaling. It was there that I read about people keeping online diaries, and someone there mentioned Open Diary. The About.com board died, sadly – it was an interesting place – and I ended up here. MargUk came over from the About.com board as well!

When you are writing an entry, do you believe you are writing for yourself or for the reader?

When I’m writing here, I’m writing for the reader. If I want to write to myself I write in my paper journal.

When writing an entry, are you completely honest?

Well, that kind of depends. I never lie, as in deliberately tell mistruths in my diary. I do take the occasional liberty of poetic license. I am fond of exaggeration for humorous effect. And I may withhold a fact or two now and then for one reason or another. But I think basically I am honest as I can be.

Describe your writing setting:

Right now I’m lying on my back on the couch with my laptop on my legs. Stella was also on my legs until just a minute ago. It was a little crowded. It’s also kind of hard to type like this, or at least to do anything that involves more than straight typing, since I hit the wrong keys if I venture away from the basic alphabet. but I persist.

Is anyone that you know in real life allowed to read your diary?

Baker B is, although he usually just reads it when I print it out. I’ve told one of my cousins about it, and Kim knows too, but I don’t think either of them are regular readers. I’d just as soon keep it away from real life people. I think I’d feel more like I had to censor what I said if people in non-cyber world were reading it.

Do you know anyone in real life with a diary that you are allowed to read?

I’m not too sure I approve of the way you keep insinuating that this ISN’T real life. But no, I don’t. If any of my so-called "real life" friends or family have a diary, they didn’t let me know.

Has anyone found your diary that you really didn’t want to find it?

I hope not. I don’t think so. Although I DID just realize YESTERDAY that all anyone at work would have to do is check my history on my computer, and there I am! I don’t think anyone I work with is digging around on my computer, but I guess you really never know. The students in our office do use it once in awhile. I don’t have anything but good to say about them, though, and Drama Queen quit, which I don’t think I ever mentioned. Still, I hope not! I should probably start erasing my history.

Do you believe writing in your online diary is therapeutic?

I do. I also feel my paper diary is very therapeutic, but they are therapeutic in very different ways. I think this is more like group therapy. My paper journal is just me having my own little private session with, ummm, me. It’s WAY cheaper than real therapy.

How many entries do you have?

771. I am actually very surprised that it isn’t more. I did lose some in the Great Entry Disaster last year – or year before?? But not THAT many.

Do you have any entries that are private?

I am also a little surprised to see that I have 38 private entries. Don’t start feeling all left out – they are ALL either surveys I’ve saved or things I’ve started and never finished. I’ve never made a private entry just for me. I use my paper journal for anything that is THAT private. And I only have three favorites-only entries.

If you answered yes to that, without getting too personal, why don’t you want people to see them?

Oh, oops, I jumped ahead there. And I believe that WOULD be too personal to answer, if I did in fact have private entries that were really personal and not just saved surveys and stuff I never finished.

How many favorites do you have?

Something like sixty. Although a number of those haven’t updated in ages or I never would catch up. Being a packrat, I rarely delete anyone.

Do you know who your first favorite was?

I hate to admit it, but I can’t remember her name – it started with a B and she was the first person to note me. She was a very sproradic writer and finally just vanished. None of my Free OD notes transferred over, so I can’t look it up. But, in checking my oldest notes, the very oldest was from PoetXtreme – who actually also came over here from the About boards, but vanished long ago.

OH, it was Breena! I do have notes from her on my notes list. Oh, and DUH – these ARE Free OD notes. Looks like my oldest favorites who are still on my favorites list are MargUK and Forever In Motion!

Have you ever written an entry while too intoxicated?

Too intoxicated for what?? I don’t recall ever writing an entry while under the influence. Well, of more than a beer or two, at least. Not intoxicated.

Do you feelaccepted by the diary community?

Well.. ummm.. I guess so. I’ll probably be all paranoid about it now, though, thanks so much!

Have you secretly fallen in love or had a crush on a diarist?

I just have to note that this originally asked if I had fell in love. Grammar police, grammar police!! I don’t know if I can recover enough to answer after that. But, no. No, I haven’t.

Have you ever read an entry that really moved you? Has anybody written an entry that made you cry?

I’m writing an entry right now that’s about to make me cry, because it’s TAKING FOREVER AND IT’S NEVER GOING TO END AND I’M TIRED OF IT!!!! But, yes. To both.

 What are your favorite kinds of entries to read?

The ones that are about an eighth as long as mine are. Especially this one. NO, no, I really don’t mind long entries. My favorite kinds, regardless of length, let me into other people’s lives. And make me laugh. And have photos.

After writing an entry, how long do you wait to see if you have notes?

At least fifteen seconds. It’s embarrassing how often and how quickly I check.

If you don’t have notes, do you feel let down?

Only if by "let down" you mean abandoned and unloved. And like everyone has figured out that I’m boring and not at all funny and that there are about ten gazillion MUCH more interesting diarists to spend time reading. But no, no, of course I’m perfectly FINE with not getting any notes! My self-esteem is just dandy!

How many notes do you usually get?

Judging by a sampling of a few recent entries, usually 10 or 12.

Did you know that the more notes you leave, the more notes you get?

Well, duh.

Do you delete mean or nasty notes?

I’ve gotten very few mean or nasty notes – I can only think of one or two, ages ago. And I didn’t delete them, because I just don’t delete ANYTHING. I may need that some day!

Have you ever left a nasty note and not signed your name?

Certainly not.

Have you ever left a note on a person’s diary just to make them feel better?

Only if I actually had something to say that I thought might help.

Do you keep a paper copy of your online diary?

I do, but I haven’t printed it out in ages. I really really really need to do that. How quickly we forget.

Do you go back and reread your entries?

I do. That’s part of what keeping a diary is all about. At least for me.

What’s the most interesting thing you can think of about Open Diary?

I think getting to peer into other people’s lives. Because I am very very very nosy. And getting to strike up friendships and finding people you really like and just that whole community thing.

OooOOOoo, I’m done! Finally! I need to go try and pack – I’m going to see the Indigo Girls tomorrow in Asheville, of all things. With Kim, who really likes them. I like them too, but have never even bought an album. Interestingly enough, when I lived in Atlanta back in the mid 80s, we saw them – they were playing at a restaurant, before they got all famous. We were sitting outside and they were playing on the patio. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant now, but it was on Peachtree Street and their speciality was sandwiches served in little clay flower pots. And something that we never did figure out, which looked for all the world like a plate full of cake. Assorted slices of cake. Those crazy 80s!