The internet is nothing if not nostalgic.
I’ve mentioned before that my love for blogging came from years and years spent on LiveJournal. And with two or three posts per day fairly common for me then—I can’t tell if this should sound horrifyingly overwhelming now OR if I should be pissed I worry so much about posting ‘finished’ work now—I was thrilled to use any pre-formatted content like quizzes and surveys. At the risk of sounding ancient, I’d argue my generation was in an odd spot with the internet because we had the ability to post everything without realizing none of it ever truly went away. That dangerous combination made it the perfect place to overshare and quizzes were the ideal outlet. Cue the nostalgic cringe.
I’ve actually had a hard time posting lately, if ya couldn’t tell. I don’t like using the internet to complain, but things have been tricky the last few months. Fuck, even the last year. Fertility treatment has screwed with my head and body and soul so much I wake up feeling, and looking, like a different person some days. Self employment is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me, but it comes with a new type of anxiety (and schedule) I’m still learning to balance. We lost two important family members in the last few months, hence so many trips back to Denver. There are days when sharing these things with you is cathartic, and there are days a shitty comment about a personal topic makes me wonder why I even entered a field like this in the first place.
Recently a friend of mine, seemingly joking, posted about how much she’d like to do a MySpace quiz. In an instant the ridiculous formatting and invasive questions came back and the little LiveJournal-er in me screamed “FIND THE QUIZZES, STAT.” It sounded like an easy smile and a quick blog post to kick myself into gear after skipping the last two weeks. So thanks for the inspiration, Amanda; this was one of the only quizzes I found from my LiveJournal that contained questions adult me would dare to answer.
Complete with weird spelling, I bring you a quiz from my 2004 journal with updated answers.
A – Age
2004: 14
2018: 28
B – Band
2004: The Clash, The Rolling Stones, Less Than Jake, Taking Back Sunday..
2018: Rancid, NOFX, Less Than Jake, Suicide Machines, Nekromantix…
C – Choice Of Meat
2004: Uhm.. prolly chicken
2018: Steak
D – Dream Date
2004: It’s not really the date, it’s the person you’re on the date with. But something with looking at stars would be nice, or having Tiny Dancer by Elton John sung to me, heh heh. I sound so girly now, oh my.
2018: Well that’s an adorable answer. My dream date now would include a nearly abandoned arcade (no lines!) followed by drinks at a (small, ideally) punk show and dessert after. Here in St. Louis that would be Start Bar, then Fubar, then The Fountain on Locust. Yes. Lance, take notes.
E – Excites You
2004: You
2018: Still you—it’s just that you is now about 10,000 more people than when I originally started taking surveys on blogs. And that makes me really, really excited. And also astonished. And also mildly horrified. But mainly excited.
F – Favorite Food
2004: Banana cream pie, coffee, or sandwiches
2018: Can Thanksgiving dinner count as one food?
G – Greatest Gift
2004: My dad got me a Belle Barbie doll once when I was sick, it wasd pretty awesome.
2018: My mother gave me her lucky bracelet when I graduated high school.
H – Happiest Day Of Your Life
2014: There have been a few
2018: Hmm… likely the day Lance proposed.
I – Internal Conflicts
2014: Ya know what? I’m getting kinda okay with myself. Fuckin right.
2018: Aww, that’s so cute that teenage me had a moment of confidence! In honor of my former days of LiveJournal oversharing, here are a few very real things that mess with my head: the uncertainties of fertility treatments and trying to get pregnant; irrational fears (bugs, things involving eyes/teeth, flying, falling, small spaces, the list gets longer with each passing year) that I feel I should be able to outsmart but, to date, cannot; the low-key structure of my form of self-employment and the worry it will fail now that I’m finally enjoying my work; the balance of wanting to stay in and keep to myself versus a fear of death and a life wasted inside; everything about post-cancer life, as a whole… Should I stop before I bum you out too much? Or should I take another page from the LiveJournal playbook and add some emo song lyrics? BRB, finding a Brand New record to quote…
J – Jealous
2004: What about it?
2018: Rarely
K – Kool Aid
2004: Eh, it’s okay. I haven’t ever had very much.
2018: Overrated. Don’t @ me.
L – Love
2004: Looks nice
2018: Is nice
M – Most Valuable Thing You Own
2004: Pictures
2018: Technically? My house. Emotionally? My pets.
N – Name
2004: Julia Ann Margarette Christensen
2018: Julia Ann Margarette Cain
O – Outfit
2004: Striped pants, blank tank, Wendell’s shirt
2018: Leggings, clearance tank top, sports bra
P – Pizza Topping
2004: Supreme
2018: Pepperoni and mushroom
Q – Question I Want To Ask
2004: Why?
2018: Why doesn’t Flint have clean water yet?
R – Roots
2004: I’m Danish! Woot
2018: Honestly not even sure anymore that I’m Danish. Ha!
S – Sport To Watch
2004: Stock car unprofessional train races
2018: Football (but the aforementioned sport is the best shit show on wheels)
T – TV Show
2004: South Park
2018: Ah, how TV was different in 2004. Now I have all the shows! ALL THE SHOWS! But right now I mainly watch Law & Order reruns because I’m painfully basic.
V – View From The Window
2004: Stars and moon at night, another house and trees.
2018: An empty house that some of our best friends are about to move in to!
W – Weather I Love
2004: Rain or nice and warm or snow
2018: Chilly fall weather. See my aforementioned basic explanation.
Y – Yesterday’s Best Meal
2004: Coffee and a Reeses
2018: Avocado toast with Red Hot Riplet seasoning and a Vess and vodka, as I’m clearly trying to be as St. Louis as humanly possible.
Z – Zodiac sign
2004: Pisces
2018: It’d be weird if that one changed.
