Obviously, we all love Squishy and Miss Pamie, or we wouldn't be here. Who else do you love to read? What other journals do you crave? Inquiring minds want to know.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

Answers

I dabble in a few journals, but the only ones I read every day are:

Squishy - naturally.

Just a girl - written by an extremely talented Australian girl called Georgina, living in Sydney and about to become a business star. I found her journal when I was reading Kymm's Hedgehog Tales once, and have devoured the archives and eagerly wait for her to finish moving and start posting again. I think the reason I like her writing so much is because I'm a New Zealander, she's Australian, and her attitudes and ways of seeing things remind me of home, which is nice (I'm living in London these days). Without meaning to sound rude, I find it refreshing to occasionally read a journal that isn't based in America. You know, just a different perspective.

The only American journal I always read is Love, Curiosity, Freckles and Doubt - because Dorothy is always interesting. She goes places I've never dreamed of visiting, and she reads the kind of books I like!!

The other email I've been reading recently, although it's not been updated for a while, is Bitch, Bitch, Bitch - the ongoing description of waiting to hear back about a job struck a chord!

I hate laundry list journals, but I really really hate journals that get so deeply introspective that the journalist is miserable all the time.

One journal I really enjoyed was Beth's If You See Her, Say Hello, but I think she was wise to stop it when she did - it was obviously becoming more of a pressure than a pleasure to write, and writing shouldn't be like that.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I can't ask a question without posting an answer too... so here goes.

I love to read Life in a Box, by Uncle Aussie. She's really funny and droll in an English-y humor sort of way. She acutally lives in the same geographical area as Pamie does...does Texas breed good journalers?

Next up is Skeletons in My Closet, by Dianne (I think that's her name). Right now, she's going through a tough time. Her friend/lover died of cancer and she's dealing with a lot of greif. I feel so bad that that happened to her. I want to cry when I read her site. http://www.netserv.net.au/dianne/skeletons/today.html

Ahh...Alewife Bayou/Postcards by Columbine. Love it. Columbine is a very clever and witty and DAMN smart person. I leave it to you to see for yourself the rare gem that Columbine is. http://www.inu.org/alewife/index.htm

Sunshine, Mud & Rainbows by Dave Van. I'm sure if you're a Squishy fan you've been here. Poor Dave..I get such enjoyment from his travails with his kids. When I read a paragraph that starts with him saying "I heard Cameron's evil cackle.." I know that I'm going to laugh at what come's next. http://members.xoom.com/DaveVan/index.html

Anhedonia is a journal by a woman. She's got what would seem to be a normal, uninteresting life, but when you read about it, it's interesting as hell. She's a Doll Freak...I love it! She's also a film buff, so if you're into odd little movies, she's the one to talk to about that. http://www.impudence.com/journals/anhedonia/

Nova Notes by Al is about a man, his wife, and his three sons. Amazingly enough, for all that he SHOULD have a tough, somewhat bitter life, he seems to celebrate it and love it and revel in it. Maybe some of the 'things' that life handed him are not what he would have wanted, but he seems to enjoy even the imperfect parts. I like Al. http://www.nashville.com/~Al.Schroeder/journal.html

Chuck'stake is a new-ish journal written by a Hollywood writer named Chuck. He's about as frequent at updating as I am - which means about once or twice a week, depending on his "real life" commitments. I like his entries except for the computer ones. I'm not into computer hardware, so I don't get into passionate discussions about firewalls and such. But I know other people do. When he's not talking computers, Chuck cracks me up...he IS a Hollywood writer! http://www.deadpan.net/stake/

I also like reading the Atropine journal, but I'm not giving out the URL. She hid it for a reason. You'll have to float around the web and try to find it. I suggest you do...she's a very funy lady. Her tale of the worst job interview in the world is absolutely hilarious.

That's about it for me. There are others that I read that I don't mention because I believe the authors are purposely NOT spreading the URL around. There are others that I read sporadically. But these journals that I named are the electronic equivalent to my morning paper. I get coffee, and I plop down and I go through my journal bookmarks one by one until I'm done. It's the best way to start the day.

MellieBee

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

I read our very own MellieBee, Squishy, Atropine, Columbine and Anhedonia.

You have to try out Sick Sad World (www.sicksadworld.com), and not just 'cause Faith is my pal. She's got a wicked sense of humor, but can be touching or serious when necessary.

Jennifer's Diary (http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/Gazebo/6709/) is by another Texan, but is very firmly rated R (or worse at times). Not much there yet, though.

I like the law-school duo of Gracefully Yours (http://members.tripod.com/~gracefullyyours/index.html) and Southern Girl Displaced (http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/9218/journal/), though work and school prevent them from writing often.

Damn, there's a lot more. Go find it for yourself, or mail me for suggestions.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

There's some that I read that I don't put on my links page because I discovered that once I put someone on my links page, they stop writing their journal. so, the ones that remain off are:

The Daily Bleat
Gwen 's Petty, Judgemental, Evil Thoughts
Like Sands Through the Hourglass
Reading Between the Lines
maura.com
Wellsie
Girlwonder
ohio, motherfucker
kim
First Person Particular

and of course, miss MelliBee, although she doesn't update nearly enough.

Most journals I'll stick with for a few weeks, and I'll read every so often to check up on, but once they stop updating every few days, I tend to stop going there. There's some that haven't updated in three weeks, which I think is entirely too long to keep me involved in your life. You tend to leave things out, or too much has happened to keep everyone caught up. That's when I stop going. But, you know, I always come back when they update, because there are so few left that I consider to be great.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 1999

i read atropine as well, but like you said, it's hidden for a reason. if anyone's really interested go here - http://www.moderngypsy.com/atropine - and ask her for the new url, it's totally worth it.

i also read exempli gratia - http://www.mindspring.com/~exempli/gratia/index.html - but i'm not sure why. i mean, i obviously like her writing, but there's nothing about her that i can always relate to. i just enjoy reading about who she is. she's got a definate personality.

zen and the art of psychoanalysis - http://www.misanthrope.org/laurie - i am in love with. i just found it the other day and the first entry i read sucked me in. yay.

tangerine girl - http://digitalv.net/tangerinegirl/ - is great.

hmm, pamie of course.

chuck, who's been mentioned. also columbine.

moira, who writes fluidity - http://fearless.interspeed.net/fluidity/index.htm - and sometimes rekeshi (rekishi? rikishi? eep) written by the other guy who writes at fluidity. lol.

i used to read moments.org but she hasn't updated since april 11, and i think a month before that was the second last one. granted, she just got married, but i can't really claim to be reading her journal when she doesn't really have one.

i read quite a few journals in the on display list infrequently, probably because i'm a core member (yay, flatter myself 'til i can't anymore!) but also because they're very good. but i think that's all i read regularly. and i write my own journal, and read it by way of a proof-read, but that doesn't count.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Actually, I know why Tiffany reads exempli gratia. It's because she has designs on my imaginary boyfriend George.

(JUST KIDDING!)

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Good topic!

This is my first post although I have been lurking for a while. So I'm assuming I can use HTML to make links, but if not, please don't make fun of me.

Besides those already mentioned, I read: Kalamazoo Days
[Cringe]
Never
Aries Moon
Digital Ink
It's Only Life After All
Nobody Knows Anything
Perplexity & Redemption
Shivering & Stunned
Last Girl Scout
Rainy Day Stories
Shelleyness
Medea's Memoirs
Words

Those are the ones I check daily anyway. Most update at least every few days, some daily.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

And I am a big dork for forgetting my br tag. Sorry.

And you forgot to close the a href tags as well. Don't sweat it, kim. I fixed it for you.-- pamie

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Okay, so I spent an hour reading the "Just a Girl" site. I really do like it.

Another one for me to stalk until i learn their updating pattern.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

I'm mostly attracted to journals that have a lot of social/political commentary mixed in with the personal stuff, like:

not me sold out my people but they me
Melty
Slantgirl
Pow! is defunct but its author now does an e-mail list called Babemonster that is in the same style. On some days I do the social commentary thing in my own journal, but I confess lately it's mainly been self-indulgent navel-gazing. I also read a lot of other journals already mentioned above.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Oops, I forgot to close a tag, too. You subscribe to Babemonster by going here.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Here's one that I really like that no one has mentioned:

Scotty's World
I was hooked from the very first entry I read a few months ago.

-- Anonymous, May 14, 1999

Check out The Secret Page. I saw it on my ISP and it is what has led me into a life of voyeuristic reading. It's how I found Pamie (and she's great!).

-- John

-- Anonymous, May 15, 1999

I think Confessing my Sins on www.sins.ca is good, but I'm biased -- it's mine.

Seriously, though, one of my favorites is Betty's Green Room (http://www.angelfire.com/yt/chumchum/). Betty is a great writer, and her entries about dealing with her mother's cancer makes me cry. She's taken a break since March to spend time with her mother in her final months, but you can still read her archives.

-- Anonymous, May 17, 1999

Oh, how I do suck. I haven't updated mine in, I dunno...eight weeks? Oh, the shame. Actually I'm re-doing the whole thing, and when it's done, boy, I'm going to be an updating fool.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Since no one has mentioned it (and i thought he'd do it on his own... :-) ) I'll just plug Stung's here.

I like it. It's like really peeking in a boy's journal.

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

Actually Elizabeth of Atropine doesn't mind her URL being given out to the journaling community, and as far as I know, the situation that caused her to move files around has been partially extinguished for now.

But I guess I'll let you all mail her and get the low-down on where it's at, so she can get lots of fan mail. :)

When I have a little more time, I might come back and give some good journal links... I need to read more anyway, too. There are a few that don't update enough.

The Girl With No Free Time, Wellsie

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999

I've been rejected from enough webrings to have started my own. If you have a journal, you can read the homepage and see if this webring is for you. It's at http://edit.webring.com/cgi-bin/membercgi?ring=lazy;addform.

Thanks.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 1999

I suppose I must be under the influence of pamie. I just started an online journal of my own. I am now walking among the exhibitionists in this side-show that is the web. Exciting! Visit my site and tell me what I am doing wrong, as I am sure there is something.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atrium/2958/

-- Anonymous, May 25, 1999

I spent a part of today reading a collection of journals I found at Squinty.

Check em out, if you're looking for something new. Neat designs.

-- Anonymous, June 08, 1999

Before I give you my opinion on what I look for in a good online journal, allow me to give you some background on how I got hooked.

Recently, I moved into a new apartment, and with that move, a lot of changes were happening all around me. A new home, new neighbors, a new grocery store, a new route to work - change was a good thing. I decided to take this opportunity to rid myself of one of the great "evils" of life - cable television.

My new place doesn't automatically have cable T.V. installed, but it does have 13 local channels. They're free and any T.V. with rabbit ears would be able to pick them up. With much trepidation, I decided to NOT get cable installed, even though I was bombarded with flyers, advertisements, phone calls, and even complaints from friends that would come over. I stood firm, and to this day, I'm proud to say I do not have cable television (its been 4 months).

But what I did notice was that my time spent browsing Online shot up dramatically. Now, realistically, I spend quite a bit of time Online because, on the side, I host a webpage for a local organization. And during my "researching" phase in building the site I came across Squishy.

It was love at first...um...sight(?).

I was amazed that anyone would want to host a site where the basic premise is to expose their lives and their friends' lives. That's what makes a great journal - courageously inviting strangers to browse your personal thoughts. The best journal writers are those who have conquered the fear of what "others may think". And those writers that can extract the humour out of everyday life, are truly talented and rare to find.

What I like about Squishy, in particular, that some other sites lack, is that it has developed into a well-rounded adventure. The Forums are the best way to interact with readers, the Archives are the best way for readers to "fill-in the holes", and the Lists are the best way to keep the "gendre" going.

What I wish Squishy would have more of is contributions by other Squishy characters (i.e. and "Eric's Reply" section, a "Chuy-ing the Phat" page, or possibly an "Adventures of a Tiny Wooden Hand" section). That would add a whole new depth to the site and would get around the "chronological" monotony of most web journals.

Reading quality journals (and contributing to them) has become a welcomed obsession in my life, that has replaced the one dimensional act of television viewing with the two-dimesional act of journal writing. Sharing favorite Squishy moments with friends and hunting down the latest e-journal celebrity makes coffee breaks a helluva lot more interesting.

To all those who scribe in this new media, pat yourself on the back. It's a pleasure to take part in what's sure to be a revolutionary change in the way we communicate.

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1999

I really don't think my journal is all that x-rated. Descriptive...but not x-rated. These are some that I love: 1.Squishy:Cracks me up every time! 2.Stung

-- Anonymous, July 03, 1999

I've done it again! Just as I pulled Miss Sei Shonansheena-sha-na-na's-my-favorite-group off my links page, I go back today and find that she's writing again!

My links page rules. Now if only Jackie would start up again. I pulled her off... might be time to pull off Empress Lee. That'll get her started again...

-- Anonymous, July 15, 1999

I'm quite into this one called Saranwarp. I found it while I was searching for something else and started coming back. Nice layout and photography. It's odd because I go there fairly frequently and just lurk. Usually if I go somewhere a few times, I make myself known.

never-ever.net is cool too. So aesthetically pleasing. And the coolest e-mail address I own!

Oh yeah. I have one, also.

-- Anonymous, August 31, 1999

Oh god. We shouldn't have bothered trying to impress with our HTML skills, should we? I forgot to de-font it. Sorry about that.

-- Anonymous, August 31, 1999

oh i've been SO sucked in to the online journal thing. there are SO many good ones! i've limited myself to : Bad hair days, squishy, chucks stake, sunshine, mud & rainbows, sleepwalker (thank you beth), diffusion, down the rubabdub (i LOVE this guy; he is an english boy who read "on the road" and decided to travel across the U.S.; and now, this drinking, partyin' boy is on the most amazing spiritual journey! if you're interested, hit the mexico words/pictures section of the journal. just amazing stuff that rory is going through. i hooked him up with a friend in new mexico as he was passing through albuquerque and needed somewhere to stay, and she just loves him and keeps telling me i have to meet him. hopefully he'll pass through washington; right now a friend of his has taken over the journal. if you're not into spiritual stuff, don't read it.), i just discovered 'the diary thing' - a guy in toronto. gardners, or anyone really, read this entry - the raccoon story will make you laugh. and then this journal led me to the whatever column - the link is a sample. he's very very funny.

i spend my lunch hour catching up on most of my daily reading. beth and pamie usually get shared around the office. the new shoe entry started a tally of number of black shoes owned by the women in my office - it was so funny 'cause everyone came in the next day with an exact number. we'd all gone home and counted. it was shocking. and then that one pms girl entry - that got emailed around the world. lots of laughing girls. ps hope i did the html right. first time i've tried it in here.

-- Anonymous, August 31, 1999

oh one thing i forgot - could someone please send me the link for beth's journal - wife of chuck'stake? did i perhaps miss the entry where he posted it? did he ever post it? i read her "guest entry" awhile ago and it was SO funny that i'd like to read her journal. plus i think it would be neat to see their respective perspectives on the same day.

-- Anonymous, August 31, 1999

Since you reminded me to go back and see what Rory (or his friend, I guess) is up to, I'll pass on Beth's URL. It's Stitches in Time.

Rory was supposed to visit me last winter, but it didn't work out. He has a spot on my sofa any time he wants it.

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

did you make it back to read his entries? he's in crestone colorado right now on a spiritual retreat of some sort; all by himself in the wilderness. he also asked for donations for his travels - i can't remember the where and why, but it's in the archives. his transformation has been crazy - the pictures are incredible though. he's got some talent for photography - and writing of course. for the longest time he was talking about putting a book together - and actually got started. then with a toss of the coin and a gut feeling he was off again! he's living - REALLY living - this amazing life. it's wonderful to read. keeps me on my toes and my focus fresh.

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

did you make it back to read his entries? he's in crestone colorado right now on a spiritual retreat of some sort; all by himself in the wilderness. he also asked for donations for his travels - i can't remember the where and why, but it's in the archives. his transformation has been crazy - the pictures are incredible though. he's got some talent for photography - and writing of course. for the longest time he was talking about putting a book together - and actually got started. then with a toss of the coin and a gut feeling he was off again! he's living - REALLY living - this amazing life. it's wonderful to read. keeps me on my toes and my focus fresh. thanks for the link :) i made it over to her page and went through some archives, so now i'm up to date.

-- Anonymous, September 01, 1999

Pamie,

I can't believe you didn't mention Stee! The man who wrote you "Officialy, the best e-mail ever" with the infamous Bill Pullman letter.

You and Stee are my absolute favorites! I read you both daily.

Since you didn't I will. Check out Stee at Plaintive Wail here: http://home.earthlink.net/~plaintivewail/

I remember reading your entry about Sugar and Preserve and the breakup of Wil and Kim, I was so glad to see that I was not the only one who freaked out. I still go by there every now and then to see if she's got a new address or any new info. I really do hope she comes back.

As for me, I threw my hat in also and am just getting started. I would be honored if you dropped by to http://www.yayuh.com. It's gonna get interesting.:) Any words of kindness or criticism are welcome.

T

-- Anonymous, September 02, 1999

How about checking out:

http://www.altern.org/pseudonym/splash.html

Glenn's journal has been around for a couple of months or so and it's pretty good.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2000

I just started reading Squishy in November. Since then, I've followed a few of Pamie's links, really enjoying Bad Hair Days, Stee, and the Mighty Kymm. (I just haven't been to the others yet.) Pamie is quite the inspiration, and I've started putting my own online journal together. (http://midnightgarden.com/pamela/journal)

Thanks to all of you!

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2000

Okay, this will probably just seem really sad to most of you, who are schooled in the ways of html, etc., and have wonderful, exciting, hi-tech websites of your own. But for those of us who don't know diddly about starting or maintaining our own websites and would like to have an online diary, I recommend www.diaryland.com.

True, it's mostly young 'uns who use it, but that really doesn't matter to me. I use it because it's free, incredibly easy, and it logs my entries in order and basically keeps everything all nice, neat and accessible, with no effort whatsoever on my part. I just log in, add a new entry, name it, and that's it! Perfect for dummies like me.

I know, it's much cooler to have your own domain and all that (is that what they're called? domains? see, I don't even know) but if you aren't burdened with too much pride, it's worth a try. Easier than typing dailies out in Word, printing them off at work, taking them home and TRYING to remember to put them in the 3-ring binder designated as a journal, but often losing them before I get that far, like I did in the past. Scary to think where some of those copies may have ended up.

Mine's Maggie Z Cat, if anyone ever wants to read it. I'm not saying it's interesting, I am just saying it's there. Oh, and the guy who runs it posts Featured Diaries every couple of weeks. That's kind of neat, although I don't always agree that the ones he thinks rule are really that good. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, though, and it is his site, so whatever.

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2000