Five years ago, I started posting my thoughts to the web on a semi-regular basis. Back then, I was a bit more verbose and (perhaps) had a bit more time on my hand. And I liked to ramble.

I still like to ramble, but I've come to terms with the fact that the "long-winded" format was no longer working for me, as they say. So I've decided to become a bit more "pithy" perhaps. Fear not, fans of the long-winded-ness — I'll still try and do that from time to time. (C'mon, it's not like you were gettin' it from me on a regular basis anyway.) In fact, with this introductory post, I sense some long-winded-nes coming on...

Back in 2000, I was a fresh high school grad riddled with pre-college anxiety and post-break-up anger. Starting an online journal was my way of enacting revenge on a cheating ex-boyfriend. I contemplated launching an all-out "Don't Date This Man" internet campaign, but lacked the follow-through and preferred the more passive aggressive form of lamenting the betrayal: public whining. Oh, yes, there were other reasons for starting the journal: it was an easy way to update friends on my new life in college, it was a good forum to vent my fears about college, it gave my geeky psuedo-web-designing talents a place to exhibit themselves and it kept me writing. Regularly. So I decided it was a good thing and kept on with it.

Then I got over the broken heart, got a bit of stage fright and lost the urge to post the intimate details of my personal life on the web. Because it wasn't just strangers reading it, it was friends and (God forbid) family reading it. And, eventually, I ran out of witty things to say and lost interest and the page fell into cobwebby neglected sections of the web.

If you're a loyal reader (and if you're reading this, chances are you must be pretty loyal) you'll recall I've recounted this all before. Sorry for the redundancy. I'm also going to try and work on that.

Anyway, welcome to the newly designed parenthetical.org. Now, with pithy comments!