Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous

Here's Amy number one. She's Amy number one for a simple reason -- she's the first one we found. Amy Alison Small is 16, the best thing since sliced bread, and has an internal clock that is running 6 hours behind the rest of the world.

As Amy says, "I try and find the humor in everything. So, even when I'm telling about my awful day, big fight, or the reason why I'm depressed, I always try and seek out the absurdity and irony in that situation. I want my readers to take the cue and take their own life less seriously, and look on the bright side. It's never good to mope and whine about anything unless you're going to bother to look for that silver lining."

Lifestyles stretches from April to August, and is presented in a continuous, scrolling format. Every entry (for each month) is on the same page. Some of you may get irked by this, but it's an easy way to present the material to the reader, without making the reader 'navigate around.'

Q: Have you ever seen chasing Amy (the movie)? What did you think?

A: No, I haven't, I'm so embarrassed! I have been told, and even threatened, that I NEED to see this movie... I know the basic plot, and I think it sounds good.

Scrawls: A life in Writing

Here's Amy number two. Her name's Elizabeth Amy SomeThingSuch. Or, you can just call her Vindictu. OnCommon asked Vindictu if she had any favorite entries, and which they would be:

March 2, 1998 -- "Tax Refunds By Force" about getting my tax money back from the idiots who are reconstructing the (perfectly fine) street out in front of the house. June 2, 1998 -- "Saying Goodbye" about my father's death. August 14, 1998 -- about sifting through photos and finding the soul-stories in each one."

Vindictu hasn't been "Amy" since her senior year of high school, when she stopped dying her hair blonde and went for the red. Vindictu gave up giggling vacuously, and started reading Nietszche. "Nobody, in my mind, could be Amy and an intellectual."

As for Vindictu's site, you might say that she is captive to it. "After reading this journal despite their assertions that neither would, and that they would -ask- me if they wanted to know anything, they have instigated legal proceedings based on some of the commentary in the journal."

Vindictu has a collection of links, a 'cast of characters' and some tips for those who are just entering into the Online Journaling arena. Vindictu is also the web ring 'mistress' for On Display. Vinductu has a memorable site, replete with great coding, and great content. As for the legal squabble, is it a crime to be too honest? Read scrawls and find out.

Medea's Memoirs

Amy number three isn't an Amy at all. Amy number three is a Scott. How did that happen?

Scott saw the title "Chasing Amy" and it struck a chord with him. His fiancee's name is Amy, and back in July 3 and 4 , he wrote an entry about how "we met, broke up, and met again.

"And so it went. Every day for the next 2 weeks I went there for lunch, asking her to describe a new Korean dish, trying to say one extra word to her with each day. 'Hi' on day one. 'Hello there,' on day two. 'How are you?' on day three. You get the idea."

Scott's site features excellent and intimate writing, as well as original artwork. It's sometimes slow to load, but it's very user friendly besides that. Please check it out.

Well, let's wrap up this week's OnCommon by thanking those who have participated in 'Chasing Amy.' We've been chasing Amy for two weeks, and it wasn't as easy as we originally conceived. Therefore, this week's installment is largely brought to you by those helpful readers who have been chasing Amy along with us, and especially through the help of the above profiled writers.