"The problem with journals," opined Ian, "is that you can get too caught up in maintaining them if you do daily entries. You get behind, then have to take a week off to get caught up. You end up living January in June." I know what he means. After half a year (one hundred and eighty-two entries entries, but who's counting?) I've managed to keep up to date. I rarely get more than a few days behind with my notes.
Still, there are Cautionary Tales of what can happen when things get out of control, one of which is cited by Chuck Shepherd in his News of the Weird:
According to a Seattle Times feature in March [17 March 1996], Robert Shields, 77, of Dayton, Wash., is the author of perhaps the longest personal diary in history--nearly 38 million words on paper stored in 81 cardboard boxes--covering his last 24 years in five-minute increments. Example: July 25, 1993, 7 a.m.: "I cleaned out the tub and scraped my feet with my fingernails to remove layers of dead skin." 7:05 a.m.: "Passed a large, firm stool, and a pint of urine. Used 5 sheets of paper."
Even though I have no understanding of Freudian psychology, I believe that could accurately be described as anal retentive behavior.
I believe all Cautionary Tales; I'm not going to be eaten alive by my journal. I shall break my perfect 1996 attendance record by not making an entry for 31 June. So there.
