Anyone Here Keep a Journal?

GoldenRivet · 11-05-10, 05:01 PM

Back in 2002 i purchased a nice leather bound journal similar to that seen above to "chronicle my life experiences" not only for posterity, but for the reflective value of looking back on times past in detail and to see if it was something i could "stick with" for any length of time.

So far i have filled 12 volumes spanning 8 years, about one year shy of the length of time i have been married. I have recorded virtually every day... and in some rare cases one or two days per month of the past eight years.

I should imagine one day when i am no longer of this world it would make a nice heirloom perhaps.

So far i have recorded things like:

my first time as a CFI to solo a student pilot

A record of the gift exchange of the first Christmas my wife and i shared together as a married couple under our tiny pathetic Christmas tree.

The Shuttle Columbia Explosion shaking me out of bed with Sketches of a crude map of the subsequent "No Fly Zone"

Talk of my limited assistance with the search for Debris from the shuttle disaster. and a sketch of a rather large chunk we found (about the size of a refrigerator door)

My first interviews with the airlines

a midnight emergency 41,000 ft above Nashville

and many other interesting events.

Does anyone else here keep journals?

Platapus · 11-05-10, 05:06 PM

Many of my life experiences I can't share and the ones I could would be extremely boring to read.

Extremely. I tend to live an unremarkable life and I am very comfortable with that.

Congratulations on having the discipline to keep your journal up to date. That can't be easy.

Ducimus · 11-05-10, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

Many of my life experiences I can't share and the ones I could would be extremely boring to read.

Extremely. I tend to live an unremarkable life and I am very comfortable with that.

Sounds like me. If i were to write a journal, it would have copious amounts of, "back in the day" , "i used to do ....", and "back when....", mixed in with current day metaphorical ramblings about watching paint dry.

krashkart · 11-05-10, 05:49 PM

I could never keep my focus long enough to write a journal.

Castout · 11-05-10, 05:49 PM

I keep my experiences in my head

My only fear is what little I know of God would be lost to the family. But of course everything is already in the bible . . . .

Sailor Steve · 11-05-10, 05:50 PM

Yeah, I keep one, but it's in my computer, not a book. The only thing that fascinates me is going back and reading something I wrote years ago, and seeing what I was thinking at the time.

Ducimus · 11-05-10, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

The only thing that fascinates me is going back and reading something I wrote years ago, and seeing what I was thinking at the time.

Yeah, i agree, very fascinating. THough, in my case, it can be down right scary.

GoldenRivet · 11-05-10, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Yeah, I keep one, but it's in my computer, not a book. The only thing that fascinates me is going back and reading something I wrote years ago, and seeing what I was thinking at the time.

Speaking of thought processes; One thing that has captured my fascination is the observation of my literary growth.

The biggest changes took place somewhere around late 03 early 04.

When i was 22 or 23 years old, while decent... my writing skills were not half of what they are today.

I thought about recording these things on computer, not that there is anything "wrong" with doing it that way...but personally:

I enjoy the tactile sense of the pages and the leather cover. I also think that more value will be placed on such a hand me down when my son or grandson holds with his own hands the very journals i once held in my own... additionally, the reader can probably relate on a more personal note with hand written text vs. electronic means of recording.

One has no way of knowing. Perhaps some distant relative 100 years from now will be reading what i had written. perhaps the whole set of journals - by now a prized possession - may be destroyed in a house fire (as they so nearly were).

I know i would do nearly anything to have a set of journals spanning a decade or more from my Grandfather or those before him.

krashkart · 11-05-10, 06:15 PM

I wish my great-grandparents had kept journals. Pretty sure the text would have been written in Czech, but invaluable nonetheless. All I have now are fading memories of Gramma (Grampa died a year after I was born), and believe it or not I was too shy to really talk to her much... not that she talked a whole lot to begin with.

But it would be interesting to have a window into their minds, especially during their transition from the old country.

11-05-10, 05:01 PM	#1
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,726 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	Anyone Here Keep a Journal? Back in 2002 i purchased a nice leather bound journal similar to that seen above to "chronicle my life experiences" not only for posterity, but for the reflective value of looking back on times past in detail and to see if it was something i could "stick with" for any length of time. So far i have filled 12 volumes spanning 8 years, about one year shy of the length of time i have been married. I have recorded virtually every day... and in some rare cases one or two days per month of the past eight years. I should imagine one day when i am no longer of this world it would make a nice heirloom perhaps. So far i have recorded things like: my first time as a CFI to solo a student pilot A record of the gift exchange of the first Christmas my wife and i shared together as a married couple under our tiny pathetic Christmas tree. The Shuttle Columbia Explosion shaking me out of bed with Sketches of a crude map of the subsequent "No Fly Zone" Talk of my limited assistance with the search for Debris from the shuttle disaster. and a sketch of a rather large chunk we found (about the size of a refrigerator door) My first interviews with the airlines a midnight emergency 41,000 ft above Nashville and many other interesting events. Does anyone else here keep journals? __________________

11-05-10, 05:06 PM	#2
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,360 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	Many of my life experiences I can't share and the ones I could would be extremely boring to read. Extremely. I tend to live an unremarkable life and I am very comfortable with that. Congratulations on having the discipline to keep your journal up to date. That can't be easy. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

11-05-10, 05:49 PM	#5
Castout Silent Hunter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Jakarta Posts: 4,794 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 6	I keep my experiences in my head My only fear is what little I know of God would be lost to the family. But of course everything is already in the bible . . . . __________________ My blog: http://exposingsingapore.wordpress.com/

11-05-10, 05:50 PM	#6
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Yeah, I keep one, but it's in my computer, not a book. The only thing that fascinates me is going back and reading something I wrote years ago, and seeing what I was thinking at the time. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-05-10, 05:49 PM	#4
krashkart Navy Seal Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 5,292 Downloads: 100 Uploads: 0	I could never keep my focus long enough to write a journal.

11-05-10, 06:15 PM	#9
krashkart Navy Seal Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 5,292 Downloads: 100 Uploads: 0	I wish my great-grandparents had kept journals. Pretty sure the text would have been written in Czech, but invaluable nonetheless. All I have now are fading memories of Gramma (Grampa died a year after I was born), and believe it or not I was too shy to really talk to her much... not that she talked a whole lot to begin with. But it would be interesting to have a window into their minds, especially during their transition from the old country.