Here're my survey results, Paul :)

People:
1. How did you find out about/why did you become of estrip?

-I actually found out about estrip through the Beast's blog. In a strange twist of fate, they were bashing Artvoice and either (e:Jason) or (e:Joshua) (can't remember which one of you Larsons..sorry..) was defending a point and mentioned estrip. So I came to check it out and have been around since...

2. How "out" are you about having a publicly accessible online journal. Do your friends know? Does your family know? Do your co-workers know? Does your boss know? Do you use your real name? Do you use your real photo?

-Most of my friends don't know...my family definately doesn't know (not that I think they could find it anyway..)...coworkers and boss...not unless they're tracking my work net usage. lol I use my real name in entries, etc...and there are real photos of me in my journal.

3. How many epeeps have you met real life?

-Hmmm...I'd say 10 or 12.

4. How has estrip changed the way that you meet people, on and/or off line?

-I don't think that it's "changed" the way I meet people...but it has certainly supplemented it. I don't think I would have met quite the array of people that I have if it wasn't for estrip.

5. How has estrip affected you love life?

-Hmmmm...you'd have to ask this one, eh? I think it's affected it to at least a small degree. I've met a couple of people....been on dates and semi-dates. Interesting times with fun people overall.

6. How many of your friends have joined estrip because of your influence?

-None

7. Are you from Buffalo/do you live in Buffalo?

-from Western NY/Yes

Equipment:
1. What type of hardware or software purchases have you made as a result of using estrip?

-None

2. Have you used the mobile version of estrip? Why or why not?

-No...I barely know how to fully utilize my cell's normal capabilities..lol.

Lifestyle:
1. In what way has estrip changed your Internet surfings habits? Describe the amount of time you spend on estrip, when you use it and about how long?

-Estrip has become one of my "must visit" daily sites. I usually spend a couple of hours total each day hanging around and reading journals. Most of the time is at work/during the day.

1a. How many journals do you usually read per day?

-4 or 5 usually...

2. In what ways has estrip changed the way you perceive your local community?

-I think it's definately opened my eyes and given me an "in" to a group of people I may not normally have been a part of.

3. How has journaling about your life affected the way you spend your free time?

-I don't necessarily think that it has affected the way I spend my free time...I still do pretty much the same things I used to, I just write about them now.

4. Has estrip changed your living situation in any way?

-No.

5. Do you find that you mediate/document more of your experiences now that you share them with others?

-Probably not...my journaling habits tend to be more restricted than others. That is, I tend to only write when I feel that something has "happened", an event of some sort, etc.

6. Has publishing on estrip affected the way that write?

-It has probably killed my writing...lol. I think I tend to write a bit more coloquially now...and ignore every rule of grammar.

7. Do you have other online journals? If so, with what service and has estrip affected your usage of that journal?

-No other online journals.

8. Have you ever gotten in trouble for using estrip at work?

-No...and I don't forsee it happening.


9. If you have stopped using estrip, why?

Okay, time for a couple of random thoughts:

1) It's official...we have no opposition party in this country. When all you have to do to possibly block the scariest Supreme Court nomination in our generation is vote along party lines and you can't even muster THAT...there is officially no true opposition to the Republican juggernaut that is quickly destroying the Constitution.
I spend most of my time now vasilating on what I feel is the best course of action for the political left in this country. Whether to try and salvage the bloated, festering corpse of the Democratic Party or to scrap the whole mess and try and form a new opposition party. Of course, the real crux of that is the time and effort involved in forming a new party and the viability of the party once it is formed, since this country puts so much stock in "tradition".
Let me explain a little. I grew up in a family that is basically Canadian. That being said, they still followed Canadian politics even though they lived on this side of the border. Anyone who has followed Canadian politics since the Mulroney era can tell you what happens when you divide an entire side of the political spectrum. In Canada's case, it was a divided right, not a divided left. The conservatives in Canada then spent the next 12 years dividing their votes between two and sometimes three new right-wing parties...losing the the Liberals in each general election (until the most recent). Now, it took them 12 years, but they finally put together a party which could win enough seats in the House of Commons to establish a government. What scares me, however, is that Canada is a smaller country and it is less firmly tied to "political tradition" than this country. That is to say, I think Canadian voters are more likely than American to give a "new" party a chance. That's where my issues with viability come in. Building a new party from the ground up would take a LOT of work, and in American society where instant gratification is king, I'm not sure a new party would ever reach "critical mass". Would people become overly discouraged when said "new leftwing party" (this is why I don't run political campaigns...) didn't win many races initially? (and by "initially", I mean maybe for the next 20 years?) And what would happen in the interim? How much damage would the Republican party be able to do with a completely fractured left?
Anyway...those are the political thoughts that keep me up at night.

2) I need to GET OUT more. I've been trapped inside the past few weekends and I'm going completely crazy. This past weekend, being trapped at home was a function of the most ridiculously high natural gas bill I've seen in my entire life. Now, admittedly, I live in a two-bedroom duplex all by myself...but even still, I should not receive a bill for $350 for ONE MONTH of service. It's not like I sit around in shorts with the heat cranked to 85 everyday. This is just ludicrous. So, needless to say, the entertainment budget was cut WAY back at that point. I spent pretty much all weekend playing videogames (I love Gamefly...). I beat "God of War" in 12 hours (that's 12 STRAIGHT hours...for those counting...). Yeah...I'm a loser...a currently poor one at that. I think others on here have mentioned this before, but I make the second highest wage amongst my group of friends, and I'm the one who never seems to have cash. I can't figure it out either........


I'm sure there are more...but seeing as how I'm being paid to actually do work, and not to post journal entries, I should probably get back to actual work....