h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey you got a Procrastinator's Society badge! Is that new? I don't remember seeing it here when I visited last, but maybe that was before I'd tried to join. I still haven't heard back as to whether or not I've been accepted.

I haven't seen you around much lately. How are things? Are you moving soon?

Yes, it's fairly new: I took a while getting round to putting it there.

I'm not sure I was officially accepted as such; I just sort of made myself a member. I've discovered that if I wait around for someone to say "welcome" to these things, it might not happen, because everyone assumes someone else has welcomed me.

I've been playing Civilisation III lately, so haven't been on h2g2 much. I'm the Zulu chief, and I'm doing reasonably well at the moment, though the Americans are starting to look threatening. I've also been trawling other online journal sites. I came across a really scary one last night, full of self-destructive people who like to spend their time out of their minds on hard drugs. Many of them were very young.

As for moving house, we've had to wait a while for credit checks and so on to go through, so we only signed the contract yesterday. We're moving towards the end of this month. I'm counting the days! I had three altercations with the dreaded neighbours before I came out to the library today. I'll miss the cats, though.

I guess I'll have to go over there and get a badge for myself, when I get around to it. I doubt they'd mind if I just posted the badge and called myself a member. Only I won't be included on their offical list of members if there is one until someone there gets around to adding me.

I've only played Civ once on my brother's computer. He gave me a copy of Europa Universalis for xmas but I haven't really played it. I just couldn't get past the elaborate instructions, I guess.

Do you participate on other journal websites, SR? I'm on LiveJournal but I keep all my postings hidden there. I love hootoo but I feel my journal is corrupted by my selfconsciousness about other people reading it now that other people do read it. Why keep an on line journal that you don't let anyone else see? you ask. Well I just do. I think someday I make make the entries visible after they've had time to age.

I hope your move goes well when it happens!

Do you feel the same about talking as you do about writing? Would it help if you saw writing as a form of communication rather than as a creative thing? Any road up, I'm pleased to be one of the people who gets to see your journal, because you're an interesting person who's good to talk to.

I've been trying to teach myself how to write comedy sketches and sitcoms, and I've been really floundering. When I started a few weeks ago, it was like having to learn how to write all over again. I was extremely unsure of myself. Since then, I've read some books and websites full of tips and techniques, so now I'm only *very* unsure of myself. Still, it's fun practising. I see what you mean about wanting to write stuff but not wanting it to be seen.

I don't keep any other journals, but I like to read them sometimes. I think it was LiveJournal where I saw all the drug takers: the Chemical Whores, I think they called themselves. They had formed a sort of group-type thing to chat about how great drugs are. I used to think like them, but I still found what they said kinda shocking. They seem so young, but then maybe I'm just getting old. I wanted to pick 'em all up in my arms and say, "it doesn't have to be this way" and plant them down in some kind of paradise, somewhere too beautiful for horse tranquillizers.

It took me ages to get around to trying Civ, but eventually I just decided to sod the instructions and play it anyway. There was a tutorial thing on the disk, so I did that as a mini-game. I was immediately hooked. I can completely lose track of time playing it. It's not necessary to know the rules when you play: to a certain extent, it guides you as you go along--tells you if there's a problem and some options for dealing with it. At least, Civ III does; I haven't tried the others.

"I think someday I make make the entries visible after they've had time to age."

That's a good idea. You might be able to view them with an objective eye after a lapse of time--as though someone else wrote 'em.