There is a large gap in this journal. The cause is a wrinkle I never have with my paper journal — software. Back when I began this journal in 2005, I had a particular format in mind, a format not supported by the blogging software available back then. So I built my own journaling tool. Which worked mostly (I still had to remember some HTML formatting commands), but over time started getting buggy (bits do indeed rot!) and before I knew it, entering a new post was such a hassle that I found excuses (like cleaning my pencil drawer) not to do so.
Meanwhile back in the analog world, I filled up two Moleskines with thoughts and observations. Bits are great, but they can’t beat paper. My paper-based scribbles remain personal, never spontaneously delete, and their preservation is not endangered by the whims of cloud providers.
Meanwhile back in cyberspace, I no longer need custom journal software. The standard tools are now flexible enough to give us all more creative latitude in designing the format of our online scribbles.