Junkie (originally written Oct 7)

I went to my first YulBlog meeting (is it a meeting?) last Wednesday, around the corner at Quincaillerie. I’d been toying with the idea for god knows how many months, maybe even a year. But who would I go with? And what would it be like? And what would the people be like? All scary questions. But somewhere in the depths of my superficial mind I figured here might be a group of people who I had something in common with. Blogging. Montreal. Ok! Anyway, I finally got up the nerve last week, and to go by myself, no less. It’s part of my new plan to enjoy my own life without a lifevest. So far, so good.

My greatest fear about the meeting, honestly, was walking into a trap of half a dozen geeks and no girls. I guess that’s why it worked in favour of going that the place is so close to my home. I could just exit lickety-split. I thought about setting my cell phone alarm, which rings like a phone, but that seems tooooo petrified. Come on, how bad could it be? I was feeling good, confident, let’s do it.

Honestly, it went even better than I expected. The people (men AND women) were friendly, and very open. It was easy to talk to anyone, and the whole vibe was very casual and buena onda. (jeje, así que hacerlo con los gringos : meterles palabras en castellano para que cachen lo que es cool). When I left, I was really glad I went.

Right before I was going to leave, a guy sat down next to me and we started talking. He said he doesn’t write a blog, but he reads a lot of them. And he asked me *why* I do it. At first, I was saying, well, that’s a complicated answer, but then I realized: it’s because I’m a junkie. I am and always have been a total communication addict. I *get it* when people call Blackberries “crackberries”.

I’m the only person I know who likes having a cell phone because it means I’m available at all times. If I’m busy doing something at home and the msn is beeping at me, I feel guilty for not focusing entirely on those micro-conversations, and I’ll run back and forth from whatever I’m doing to the computer just to stay on top of it. On the other hand, it really bugs me when people don’t reply to emails or phone calls or instant-messages. Like, it *really* bugs me. Or those people who never answer their phones.

My friend Gina, who I met at a writers workshop, said maybe I wasn’t writing because I’m blogging. But I’ve had a diary since I was six and I haven’t stopped keeping it just because I email, text message, and blog. Believe me, there is like an endless waterfall of words in my mind. Only brain trauma could stop it. Anyway, I hope you realize that while I’ve been writing this, I’ve been maintaining an msn conversation, choosing songs, and roasting some veggies for lunch! Hit me!