Lauren’s Journal Keep Out 96-97 (1990’s)

Sometimes I blame winter (no sun by the time I get home = no natural light = no good photos) for my lack of attention to Salt and Roast, but I think the real struggle comes from the fear that in fifteen years, I will look back on it the way I do the following collection of writing:

(Obviously the intended subtext is: if you are reading this in 2697 or 5496, this priceless document is from the 1990’s. (Editor’s note: That’s A.D.!))

Inside the front cover, I glued a 1991 penny. Next to it, I wrote “1991 penny (big deal!)” Next to the penny I included the words “cursive” (written in cursive), “parallelogram,” and “quadrilatearl” (almost!).  The pasted relics of 1996--including wool at various stages of cleanliness--are mysterious entries in the journal, whereas the prose is transparent and ripe for analysis a decade (and a half) later.

Regarding my Himalayan cat: Whenever I get him new water, he bites my ankles when I come down the stairs! He pretends to be a tiger and pounces at your feet whenever he gets the chance! One time he barfed up a hairball.

Bipolar reflections on schoolwork: I don’t like homework. It’s boring. It’s no fun. Some people like homework. Sometimes homework is fun. I hate homework! (Sometimes.)

Reaction to a mime: Today we saw a mime today.

I can’t agree more: I hate having a binder because my “not hole” papers get smushed!

Amidst the comic gold is a self-awareness that makes me want to write back to Fourth Grade Lauren (perhaps directly in the notebook, as I did as a fifth and seventh grader) and say: “I wish you would have written everything you held back!”

Do you want to know something weird? When you are in 2^nd grade or first grade, you think up things that at the time are cool, but when you are in 3^rd gr. you think they are dumb.  I bet when I am in 5^th grade I will think what I’m writing now is dumb.

Marginalia: Hi! This is me as a 5^th grader and I was kind of right and wrong about this.

Well, as long as it’s both, I’ll have a recipe soon!