about four:eleven
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Hi, my name is John Cooper. Welcome to four:eleven.

four:eleven is the title and theme of my micro-journal.  Each day -- if I remember -- I set my alarm to beep at 4:11 pm.  I then write down whatever I am experiencing at that moment. 

The quotes, thoughts, happenings, etc., only last a few seconds at the most, and are always within a second of 4:11 pm, EST.  It's a verbal web-cam.

There are a few conventions I use when writing in my micro-journal:

  • double quotes ["..."] represent spoken phrases.  I will credit the speaker unless asked otherwise.
  • single quotes ['...'] are for written phrases.
  • parenthesis [(...)] show a phrase as a thought.
  • a phrase by itself shows a scene, or a happening [e.g. -- there is a knock at the door].
  • a phrase highlighted in red is what I have picked as the "gem of the month", i.e. my favorite.
Why am I doing this? I've found that I'm too lazy to keep a real daily journal, and this turns it into more of a playful thing, instead of a chore.  In addition, I find that each day's phrase becomes a mnemonic for the whole day.  I am hoping that over the years these random verbal snapshots will show trends in the way I am living and thinking (with large noisy spikes of course.)

Why did I pick 4:11 pm? Well, first of all, it's usually a time that I am awake. Secondly, there is the obvious play on words, where 411 is the directory assistance phone number and slang for "information".

So far I have managed to keep the ghost of Heisenburg from appearing too much -- I usually forget about 4:11 till the alarm goes off, and then I am spending a few moments searching for a pen and scrap of paper so I won't forget the magic phrase of the day. It's kind of fun.

The webpage will be updated daily or as close to it as I can get. When I am away from home for long periods I will still record entries to be added later. 

If you would like the e-mail version of four:eleven, use the Wunderland list robot to subscribe.  I'll e-mail a new phrase each day or so.  Thanks!

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posted 6/13/99  last updated 6/25/99