Hi.

I always feel odd when starting a new journal. I have an overwhelming urge to introduce myself - the fact that this is an online journal makes it doubly so.

It's probably a little stupid for me to begin this journal right before I take a trip. True, it's only a few days, but it feels like I'm getting off on the wrong foot. Here I am, starting a project that will require attention almost every day, and I'm taking off.

But there's a reason I wanted to jump in and start this NOW, before I leave. I wanted to be able to include my trip in my journal, and I couldn't very well do that if I started the journal after I left. ("Oh, I took a trip a few weeks ago, here, let me tell you about it.")

I'm going to Canada to see my boyfriend. Yes, he lives in Canada. And yes, I live in Ohio. We met over the Internet.

Don't look at me like that.

Why do people seem to think that everyone's perfect match lives just around the corner?

Anyway, I'm leaving in about a week. So, I should be able to get a few good entries down before I take off.

Which leads me to the question: Why am I doing this? (The journal, not the trip.)

I suppose there's a streak in me that's a bit of an exhibitionist. With an online journal I can wave my life in other people's faces and say, "This is me!" I'm certainly not doing this because I'm bored. I have too much on my plate as it is.

And I need to write. Writing something, every day, in a medium in which I can be held accountable for getting stuff written. I have to spell out my emotions, my experiences, to pour everything through a filter and put it into words.

So, I write. Enjoy the voyeurism.