Easy Peasy

According to Philip Keel, there are three reasons people won't keep a diary. ' 1. Not every day is eventful'. True. '2. It actually takes alot of discipline'. Very true. When I was little, I used to start countless diaries in pretty notebooks that would end up sprawled around my room after a few days of writing down my every movement. Turns out I had a really short attention span and didn't really do alot. You'd think I'd learn, but I'm pretty sure I just loved pretty notebooks and wanted an excuse to buy them/ask for them for christmas. And '3. In retrospect, many find what they have written quite embarrassing'. HUGELY AND MASSIVELY TRUE. Finding old diaries fills me with dread and fear and all sorts of other uncomfortable emotions. I don't need a reminder of which boys I haplessly pursued (probably much to their horror, I was 5 ft 2 when I was ten years old) or the hideous self-worshipping thoughts I had because, apparently, I seemed to think I was Kelly from Saved By The Bell.

Keel's 'Simple Diary' is perfect. Every day, he asks you a series of questions that require a short explanation or even just a yes/no. You're keeping a record of your life, but in a manageable way and there's not enough room to do anything too embarassing. The questions can be suprisingly thought-provoking: I've already been asked what I find irresistable about myself and what the number 2 brings out in me. I've only had the diary for a few weeks but it's genuinely been quite enlightening. It may well be very pretentious; I can't really tell because I'm a philosophy student. Even so, I really enjoy Keel's way of forcing me to analyse my day. And I feel all deep and meaningful.