Diaries and Blogs

     I just learned about a guy named Samuel Pepys.  He was an English naval administrator and a member of Parliament who lived from 1633-1703.  Though he did well professionally, what he's famous for is his diary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Pepys

     Beginning in 1660, and continuing for almost ten years, Pepys recorded the details of his life in his journal.  He wrote in a type of  shorthand, so that prying eyes could not read his entries.  After almost a decade of record keeping, the writing stopped.
     Up until the blogging started, diaries were private things.  Pepys wrote in code.  I doubt many high school girls go to that trouble, but they do lock up their books and secrete them away in the bottom of a drawer.
     Pepys memoir includes important historical information about the Great Fire of London and the Great Plague.  There were also juicy accounts of romantic dalliances conducted right under his wife's nose.  His books were also full of boring details about what he had for dinner.  Life can't be a three ring circus every day of the week.
     Samuel Pepys diary is available online, the entries matching today's month and day.

http://www.pepysdiary.com/

     Someone out there has even given Pepys a Twitter account.

http://twitter.com/#!/samuelpepys

     Pepys code has been broken, and his life is an open book - three hundred years after the fact.  Though writing styles have changed a bit, it's apparent that not much has changed since Pepys day.  Check out some of his more famous quotes:
     "I find my wife hath something in her gizzard that only waits an opportunity of being provoked to bring up, but I will not, for my content-sake, give it."  I've heard that the husband/wife dynamic is exactly like this in some households.
     "He that will not stoop for a pin will never be worth a pound."  I tell Mike the same thing when he rolls his eyes over me picking up pennies in parking lots.
     "In appearance, at least, he being on all occasions glad to be at friendship with me, though we hate one another, and know it on both sides."  Have you been following the reality TV show "Survivor?"
     I'm not operating under the delusion that anyone is going to be reading the contents of "Happy in Hainesport" in three hundred years.  Random House is not going to knock at the door asking to buy the rights.  I just want to get this writing thing out of my system.  I hope I can provide some entertainment in the process.