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ReEntry You can say that again. By Guest Editors (reentry@diarist.net)

Archives Past ReEntry Sites Apply What grabs you? Schedule Upcoming ReEntry Editors   This week's ReEntry editor spends too much time with his left hand. A twenty-five year old Southern Californian southpaw, he often writes about love, sex, and the struggles of living in tinseltown. Hollywood is not all glamour as you will see in his journal. Meet... The Protagonist spacey32@hotmail.com FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 1999 When it comes down to it, after all the nitty-gritty, after the laughs and the tears, we are drawn to certain journals because we recognize ourselves in it. The images the writer creates often reflect our own lives, or the life we wish it to be. They sometimes take us back to their past, and we find familiarity within it. Above all, providing a window to their everday life, we discover an opening through our own soul. Introducing Viv, The Sole Prop, and Mimi. Three ordinary individuals in different stages of their lives that share one common bond: an extraordinary style of expressing their most inner thoughts. Fool's Day First Person Particular "That was the end of April fools jokes in our house. A few years later my parents got divorced. I am not saying the jokes were the cause, but these people were seriously mismatched, as this little story shows. No wonder I'm so fucked up and neurotic, right? I have both those people inside me." Viv is from the Los Angeles area, and for all I know, she could be right next door. She reminds me of that attractive neighbor that teenage boys grow up fantasizing about. The ones we see over the other side of the fence tending to her garden. Or, while sitting in the treehouse, we catch a glimpse of her, watching her sip from a glass of lemonade on her porch during a hot summer day. I'd like to think of her as my own personal Mrs. Robinson... minus the seduction. Her writing is so honest, that we begin to feel her emotions. In this particular entry, she reflects back to when she was nine, a couple of years before her parents divorced. Almost the same age when my own parents drifted apart. When everyone else wrote about jokes and gags on this particular day, Viv chose to reach from her past, and share a bit of her grief. Full of laughs, intimacy with her family, and a different perspective of LA, Viv's journal will certainly go down in diary history as a classic. From her, I've tasted a sample of the true meaning of love between mother and son; and man and wife. Something I have, and something I look forward to having. Before You're Old The Sole Proprietor's Journal "I've seen a question bouncing around some of the journals: if you could go back in time and talk with yourself, give yourself advice, what age would you pick and what would be the advice? "I would choose self at 12, I think... "One chance in a million to change the course of my life and I'm sitting here having second thoughts. 'Kid,' to self says I, 'don't eat the yellow snow, don't take the long goodbye. Kiss you mother on the cheek and know the reason why. Keep your tootsies warm at night and shut the door against the cold. Listen not to my advice, you've years and years before you're old.'" A man in his fifties, I look to his journal for advice, for laughter, and for wisdom. The Sole Prop is the epitome of the father figure I never had. I envy this person in some odd way, and hope someday that I can be as articulate and wise. Living in San Francisco, he provides pictures of people and things that have somehow affected him. But the true pictures are the ones he creates through his words... that are guaranteed to move many readers. Whether The One Is Out There Waste Of Time "There's this whole thing about whether _the one_ is out there. Whether you should sit around and assume that you'll meet someone, or whether you should go out and look for them. And i'm really torn right now... "I'm certainly very lonely, but that's not such a big deal. My life is pretty boring, but it's not going to stay like this." I am mysteriously drawn to this journal. The more I read about her life, the more I see myself. Although she is a couple of years younger, she recently did something I've always wanted to do: leave home and begin a whole new life elsewhere. With her visualization, she takes you through the streets of San Francisco. And with her heart, she guides you through her desires. A twenty-three year old Virginian native, she reminds me of a girl I once dated. In this particular entry, she opens a door, and invites you to enter her mind. She reflects about her parent's first meeting, and the love that grew shortly after. But in the end, she still leaves you to wonder ... is 'the one' out there? I've always wanted to see the world through someone else's eyes. These journals provide that, with near daily updates. So maybe I haven't figured it all out yet. And you have your own journals that effect you in a way that others may not see. But when everything's been said and done, there are many journals that will catch your eye, but only a few will capture your heart. Original "ReEntry" concept by Gus (gus@spies.com) and other DIARY-L participants.