Confession

Entry for ODAA

*lights up cigarette*

It all started on April 9th 2000. I was in the university library, supposedly working on some assignment or other. So, of course, I was doing nothing of the sort.

I was messing about online. I tried looking up bored.com, just to see what happened, then looked through the links it provided. And there was one for something called open diary. I clicked on it.

I was taken to a site that hosted online diaries. I looked through a few and thought “I’ll sign up.”

That was the start.

I wrote a few entries and got some readers. I started reading their diaries and pretty soon I actually had a favourites list.

But I still thought I had it under control.

*stubs out cigarette and lights another*

Then the surveys started. And then I discovered the different circles the site had to offer. Then the interactive entries. The Peoples Interview, to celebrate every 100 entries. The Quote Comp. The Trivia Comp. Interactive Create-A-Surveys.

But I still thought, it’s not a problem.

Pretty soon, the site was amongst the first I would check every day. Not long after that, it did become the first. I started a host of different diaries, for different things. Still, I convinced myself I wasn’t hooked.

I tried different diary sites. I even tried starting my own blog. But OD, like the sirens on Odysseus, kept luring me back.

Still, I convinced myself that I did not have a problem. Sure, there were some things I’d rather talk/ask advice about here than ask a real life friend, but that’s only natural, isn’t it?

Then I was left with on internet access for a while. Didn’t mind not being able to check my email. It was not being able to check OD. Check my notes, read entries made by my favourites.

That’s when I realised it had happened.

My name is William Forbes, and I’m an ODaholic.

But you know what?

*stubs out cigarette*

If being an ODaholic is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Will