the first of, presumably, about 20

First, I feel like I need to make a confession: I hate blogs. I hate blogging, I hate when people call themselves "bloggers," I hate reading blogs, and I even hate the word. It sounds like vomit. But here I am.

I had a livejournal in high school that I kept until my senior year of college. My friends and I used lj to stay in touch, even though we were hundreds (and in one case thousands) of miles apart. And I used it for more personal things, too, and there was some comfort in the relative anonymity of the Internet. We, my friends and I, found ourselves saying things to one another that we wouldn't have dared confess in person. And while it drew us inevitably closer during those early years of separation, it made our later reunions all the more awkward. In the silence of those gatherings, unspoken conversations: Did I really say that to you? It didn't mean anything. No, I never felt that way. I can't believe you still remember when I told you that. Wow, I was a bit dramatic back then, wasn't I? No, of course I thought I meant it. Please, that was two years ago. Are you sure I said that? I was drunk. So many apologies should have been made, but too many things were left unsaid because the sins had been committed online where they were real but unreal at the same time. Can there be absolution for things you don't have proof happened? If I'm not looking you in the face when I tell you something, have I really told you it? The early days of blogging killed some of my relationships. I guess blogging is a symptom of technological progress, progress is a battle against the past, and every war will boast its casualties.

But, as I said, here I am. Not yet sure what I'm doing this for, but here I am. Superficially, of course, this is to fulfill the Pamunkey Library's "Web 2.0: 20 Things" program participation requirements. And now I guess I can check off Numbers One and Two on the list. Congratulations to me.

(Chej, łat gód yz sakryfajsyn jur prynsypls yf jó dont rełord jyrself?)