I have been keeping a journal since 1982. It was a project started in an English class in high school and I have managed to keep it going for over 20 years now. Every so often, I will look back on a particular day, just to see what I was doing on that day, say 5, 10 even 20 years ago. And I am instantly taken back to that day recalling my thoughts, emotions, feelings and environment. I am reminded of places I have been and people I have long since forgotten. These are priceless recounts of my life that I have to thank Mrs. Kelly for beginning.
Today being October 20th, for example, I went back through the last 22 years to see where I was and what I was doing on this day many years back:
2004 – Had dinner with Ex#5 in DC then went to karaoke to watch Apple Brown Betty perform, then head out to a conference for a few days in
2003 – Had dinner with Ex#4 at Buca di Beppo in DC.
2002 – Sunny, breezy Sunday in DC. Had lunch in
2001 – Took the Jeep to Jiffy Lube in Arlington. I had a dinner date at Pepper’s with my friend, Geoff, and then I saw my friend Aubrey perform at Colours of Fall at Nation.
2000 – My friend Colin was visiting DC from
1999 – Doctor appointment with Dr. Rudski at 3:15, and dinner with Eric at Paulo’s in
1997 –
1996 – My brother, Mike, and his wife Christina and their two year-old daughter Jordan (my god-daughter) visited me in DC. We went to the Zoo and I took them to dinner at the American CafĂ© at
1995 – I had only been in DC a month. I worked until 5:00, and then went to happy hour at JR’s with co-worker Todd.
1993 – Kathy, Jelita and I saw “Free Willy” at the $.99 theatre in Winchester, VA. And apparently I shaved off my beard.
1992 – Rented “Rosemary’s Baby” with gal pals Deidre and Colleen at Shenandoah, then had dinner at Ground Round.
1991 – Saw “The Fisher King” and drove to
1990 – Home on break, went to “Class Act” – a gay bar in
1989 – My mom was cleaning out some stuff and found a box of her children’s elementary school artwork. So Mom, my sister Kim and I spent the afternoon looking at everything.
1988 – Ex#1 had been working in NYC and came home to our house in Sterling, VA, after 6 weeks. I am sure sex ensued.
1983 - A truck loses its brakes and crashes into my sister and brother-in-law's apartment. No one is home at the time.
There are some years where nothing was written down. That happens sometimes now and then. I have, and still do, miss a day now and then - there are days when I just sat around in my sweats and watched a Real World Marathon or something. Admittedly, no one wants to recall days like that.
I thoroughly enjoy your blog! I wish I had kept a journal for longer, now it's just kind of jumbled memories.
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ReplyDeleteDop...
Cool. What a neat way to look back and remember day to day stuff. I had started a long time ago on my own but never kept it up. Not sure I even have that journal amongst my boxed items. For me, simply recall what I consider the momumental memories (or those that effected me the most), good and bad.
Got a chuckle out of the 1993 memory. I can't ever remember a .99 cent movie our here California around that time. How did you guys rate out there on the East Coast?!?!
This blog topic would be a good one for around Thanksgiving.
Take care.
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Do I know you? I am not even sure how I got here. I am off sick from work today and was googling something. I went off on a tangent and now I am here and your blog sounds strangely familiar. Mrs. Kelly's English class? A truck losing its brakes in 1983. Sounds like Frostburg to me. Am I right?
ReplyDeleteYes, Michelle it does. Email me at doptroutman@yahoo.com
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