October 02, 2007

Journal Entry
FOUND by Peur Evol in Detroit, Michigan
I work at a recycling center (and find enough things to start my own 'found' site). I thought this was FOUND-worthy because of the author's unique style. Maybe they're now hard at work on the next "great American novel???"
Very sick in tired
I can completely identify. Hate pop culture, and change every year too. When did sixth graders get so "perceptive" !!! :-)
+ October 02, 2007 12:09 AM +
Jan in undated with work
The finder's name is an anagram for "Pure Love." Somehow, I think the God theme of the previous two finds is seeping through another day.
+ October 02, 2007 12:15 AM +
M in Cabin
Who's Clair and why won't she talk about her feelings much. Is she speaking in third person? Or about an alternate personality?
+ October 02, 2007 12:39 AM +
sarasara in in the stars
absolutely brilliant call Jan,

Maybe peur evol is also on the next page?!

I think found supports spritual evolution!

Golly. Whatever will tomorrow bring?
+ October 02, 2007 01:19 AM +
wrinkle in time
That pop culture was fuckin' del...never mind.
+ October 02, 2007 01:36 AM +
kleeo in a state of fear
Wow--I'm going to start shredding ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING before I put it in the recycling bin.
+ October 02, 2007 02:02 AM +
Rob in Los Angeles
I guess she's part of pop culture now.
+ October 02, 2007 02:23 AM +
the man behind the curtain in oz
the thinking seems clear and coherent, but the handwriting is the pits.
+ October 02, 2007 04:24 AM +
Ang in the Midwest
Ah, the days of 6th grade maturity...
Two questions:
1. What is 4th 15th grade?
2. Does anyone else think the handwriting looks like an adult male's?
+ October 02, 2007 05:02 AM +
cmc in NL
I agree with kleeo.
I already shred lots, but anything personal I've written gets hit, now, too.
+ October 02, 2007 05:08 AM +
Sean S. in Rockville, MD.
So one has to embrace pop culture just to keep some friends? Someone should take this kid to a punk rock show and he would see that people who try too hard to fit in are lame and those who reject uniformity are the cool ones.

Be yourself kid I would say to him. F what everyone else thinks.
+ October 02, 2007 05:30 AM +
BAT in GA
4th/5th grade
+ October 02, 2007 05:43 AM +
Happy in the sun
All I can think is that this is pretty deep for a 6th grader, these are the kind of questions I started thinking much later in life.
+ October 02, 2007 06:15 AM +
Cotton in Dixieland
Bring on the black nail polish, the blue/black hair, and the multiple facial piercings! This is the birth of a gothic girl!

Can you really blame her? The easiest way to survive in the competitive society of teenagers is to withdrawal from the competition. I think she explains why it’s easier sometimes to go against the norm, than to fight what she sees as a losing battle to fit in.
+ October 02, 2007 06:37 AM +
Gigi in the park near the cafe
Well...like it or not mon amie, you are a part of the "pop culture" now....

Ahhh the journal entries of youth. I am so thankful none of mine have made it to Found.
Having my friends find mine and read it behind my back (while at my 18th birthday party) was bad enough.

I'm impressed that in the 4th/5th/6th grades, she can recognize how she is changing for the better, and maturing. I hope she remains that self-aware all her life.

+ October 02, 2007 07:28 AM +
mona lisa in the louvre
is Found magazine part of 'pop culture'? if it is, (and in my opinion, it is definitely part of it) this kid's maturing her way out of it is all for naught.
+ October 02, 2007 07:42 AM +
Freon in the office
Amazing how fast kids mature these days! The writer has a grasp on her motivations that many adults still lack.

Jan, while Peur Evol may be an anagram for "Pure Love" it also can be pronounced as "Pure Evil" assuming one speaks with a drawl. (e.g. Louisville pronounced lou-A-vul by locals)
+ October 02, 2007 07:55 AM +
Tori in South Cackalackie
Nice find! What an insightful little journal entry that was. I hope that the writer continues to remember to be his/her own person.
As a teen, I discovered that I fit in much better when I *was* myself than when I tried to be who I thought was acceptable. Go figure. Sometimes, being myself means that I fit in with others and sometimes it doesn't. But, I am always respectful and polite to others and I have learned that goes a long way towards acceptance.
+ October 02, 2007 07:55 AM +
~Heather~ in fear of being Found
Forget shredding, I think there will be a journal bonfire in my backyard tonight!
+ October 02, 2007 07:58 AM +
Claire in Buenos Aires
Okay, I'm going to say it... this is creepy. But it's creepy because I can see myself on the other end of this conversation, and this looks like the handwriting of my best friend from elementary school. I.e. this could be her journal entry, I suppose, if it somehow made it from central Massachusetts to Detroit.
+ October 02, 2007 08:52 AM +
Curious in Charlotte, NC
So, was fitting in to pop culture to keep some friends the beginning of her maturity, or was being her own person the beginning of maturity? I mean, for the writer, what is she saying?

*Is* compromise the beginning of maturity? I might have a ways to go, then...
+ October 02, 2007 08:55 AM +
Sean S. in Rockville, MD.
Right on Curious! I feel the same way. I also thought she/he might be saying that compromise is the start of being mature. Truth be told: If you pretend to be someone your not just to get friends, then you are living a lie. I must be pretty immature for thinking that individuality more important then. You have to accept yourself first.
+ October 02, 2007 09:34 AM +
College Student in New York, NY
This sounds EXACTLY like me in 6th grade. I spent all of my time in middle school and high school thinking how much more mature I was than all my classmates and avoiding all the debauchery and boozing.
+ October 02, 2007 09:43 AM +
standing out in the universe
She's the future President of the United States of America ( if there is still a UNITED States by then)
+ October 02, 2007 09:49 AM +
Beth, deep in thought
This is a very insiteful 7th grader. Many people don't figure out till much later in life that Pop Culture is not something they want to hang on to, and that they should be their own person.

However, she (and just by the style of writing I would hazard it's a girl)must remember that if she has to be someone she's not to "keep some friends", those friends aren't worth keeping.

I remember grade 6/7 being full of turmoil and trying to figure out my own identity seperate from my parents and my friends.. I suppose this girl is going through the same thing. Poor thing. I wouldn't go back there for any money.
+ October 02, 2007 09:54 AM +
Paranoid in they're watching...
I find it ironic how many people here who enjoy the Found site have fears of their own stuff being found!
+ October 02, 2007 09:57 AM +
dirty water in my bong
Man, if anyone found my stuff I'd be in deep shit.
+ October 02, 2007 10:04 AM +
my diary reads like a porn novel in the garbage can, sorting through the papers
of course, i made up most of it (that's my story and i'm sticking to it)
+ October 02, 2007 10:09 AM +
Michelle in pacing up and down the hallway...wondering if she'd been FOUND out...x.x
omgggg this looks like some of the notes i'd pass when i was in middle/high school...not the context per se...but still this really creeps me out(there i said it.)
+ October 02, 2007 10:13 AM +
Desperate Cynic
College Student in New York, NY: You were "avoiding all the debauchery and boozing" in the 6th grade? Wow, did I miss out.
+ October 02, 2007 10:49 AM +
sand in your craw
mona, Found is part of geek culture, so she doesn't have anything to worry about.

Very perceptive teenager! Her (I'm assuming) self-awareness will most likely get her through adolescence sans suicide attempts. There may be hope for future generations after all!
+ October 02, 2007 10:49 AM +
Stalker in the hallway, passing notes.
It sounds like the writer is writing to someone older than herself. Someone who may have already figured this conundrum of life out.
+ October 02, 2007 11:15 AM +
Rozie in the land of far2serious.com
I just love this gal. She's on her way to good things.


+ October 02, 2007 11:17 AM +
T
I agree with Kleeo as well.

Creepy Recycling worker!
+ October 02, 2007 11:25 AM +
lucy in the sky with diamonds
i just want to know what's been crossed out.
+ October 02, 2007 11:37 AM +
sand in your craw
lucy, looks like it says 'so I won't talk about Clare's feelings much.'
+ October 02, 2007 11:43 AM +
sand in your craw
When I was younger I would rip everything I threw away into tiny pieces before I put it in my trash can because I was paranoid that my older brother would find it and make fun of me. He never did that, so I don't know why I worried about it. Never dug in my trash, that is. He did make fun of me. But that's what big bros do.
+ October 02, 2007 11:46 AM +
Tori in South Cackalackie
Lucy,
I think it says:
"So, I just talk about class feelings much"

It doesn't make much sense, but that may be why she crossed it out.
+ October 02, 2007 11:46 AM +
L
The girl who wrote this is in the 11th grade now. I want an update.
+ October 02, 2007 12:05 PM +
Alai in deep space
Ahh yes... 6th grade and this girl is already having to compromise her values to have friends. Gotta love it!

Gosh, that takes me back!
+ October 02, 2007 12:17 PM +
Turbo in the Thunderdome
L, I have your update. First, let's call the author of this journal entry "Randi". But her real name is Ranetta or something stupid but Randi sounds more "edgy". Since the sixth grade, Randi has grown and matured much beyond what she expected, namely in girth. When not head-first into an Ayn Rand novel, she can be found somewhere near the Drama Department or perhaps tuning her xylophone. Give her a swimp!
+ October 02, 2007 12:57 PM +
Alai in deep space
Paranoid - I think it's called voyeurism.
+ October 02, 2007 01:15 PM +
mona lisa in the louvre
Paranoid, don't we always find fascinating, what we fear the most?
+ October 02, 2007 01:37 PM +
Just wondering in seattle
Does anyone know the email to send comments about the postcards on postsecret?
+ October 02, 2007 02:24 PM +
Alice in in brazil
How fast kids mature these days, han? I realized that only in the end of the 7th grade. Too bad at the time I didn't had friends like the writer of this found.
+ October 02, 2007 03:06 PM +
j'ai peur de tonnerre in the land of silent rain
I think the Finder's name indicates that the Finder is afraid of evolution. (whether that of 4th to 6th graders or on a grander scale.)

I doubt that the find is a "note" or "letter" to someone else, since it says "journal" at the top.

By definition, anything that's "popular" is a part of that locality's "pop culture". Doesn't matter if it's Disney Channel original movies, My Little Ponies, or Chuck Taylors, safety pins and black lipstick.

It's incredible to me that people would toss out ANYTHING that they don't want anyone else to ever, ever find, without first completely mangling it. Do you think it just evaporates?

Creepy recycling worker? Why? I'll bet just about everyone who checks this Found Site on a regular basis would do the same thing. We're all voyeurs. We just don't like the thought of anyone putting the shoe on the other foot.
+ October 02, 2007 03:51 PM +
sand in your craw
I always felt that the people who made a big deal out of rejecting uniformity were merely embracing uniformity of a separate variety. Those who are true to themselves don't give a damn what anyone else is doing or what others think of them, therefore, they don't define themselves by comparing themselves to others' culture. But it is very encouraging to see someone so young reflecting on her own behavior and what it means for her.
+ October 02, 2007 04:42 PM +
dancing in the rain
Man this reminds me so much of my notes.

I wish someone found one of my diaries or one of those teacher things.

In grade five we wrote notes to our future selves and we get them when we turn eighteen.


It hurts to see how we've changed- mostly for the worse but it's inevitable.

The funniest part about this find is that she's only in middle school and if she only knew how much more she'd change.




As for the recycling I'm kind of interested of joining the recycling club now since i am such a snoop.


+ October 02, 2007 04:56 PM +
Melissa W in Tucson AZ
wrinkle in time said:
That pop culture was fuckin' del...never mind.

reading passiveagressivenotes.com's comments?? boy that one is getting old! :-)
+ October 02, 2007 04:56 PM +
mo in in the compost bin out back
you can't just toss your shredded paper in with the regular recycling...check with your service providers and you will see...
+ October 02, 2007 04:59 PM +
Alai in deep space
exactly j'ai peur!
+ October 02, 2007 05:14 PM +
wish I'd b in a good girl
My diary was a ledger of the value of all the stuff I shoplifted. (I'm reformed now).
+ October 02, 2007 05:30 PM +
Dragonfly in the Dreamtime
Is the "O" in the word journal a Native American symbol? A Four Points kind of thing?
+ October 02, 2007 05:51 PM +
chrome in google mode
Dragonfly, Yes.
http://www.tdstainedglass.com/page49.htm

I think the symbol also graces the back of Jamie Sams' Sacred Path Cards.

"May the Four Winds blow you safely home."

Ang, just so you know, right now, my third grade daughter's handwriting looks so much like my husband's that I can barely tell them apart, except by content. (the daughter's, hopefully, will improve. The husband's.. probably not.)
+ October 02, 2007 06:04 PM +
wawa in woohoo
this is dated 2003. so the girl (or boy) would most likely be a junior in high school now. it would be interesting to see how he (or she) turned out. rebel? or just another norm?
+ October 02, 2007 07:02 PM +
lulu in austin
Cotton in Dixieland said:

The easiest way to survive in the competitive society of teenagers is to withdrawal from the competition. I think she explains why it’s easier sometimes to go against the norm, than to fight what she sees as a losing battle to fit in.

I withdrew in the 7th grade and it made me a stronger, more independent person. It was easier to figure out what I liked and who I was, but easier? No. Lonelier. Definately.
+ October 02, 2007 08:33 PM +
dancing in the rain
This is depressing.

I know we're talking about all this going against the norm to be yourself but honestly can't you find things in common... sort of like found. We're linked we're not as different as we like to think and you don't have to be alone to be yourself.

I hope I don't sound snotty or anything but I can relate, I'm exactly the age that this girl currently is but I went through that stage. From then til' now I made friends people who get me but are not necessarily like me.

It's not a competition because everyone has the chance to win and you don't lose no matter what you still find, yourself at least
+ October 02, 2007 09:22 PM +
Jello in Mold
I never even HAD a journal until I was 34yrs old. I suppose that's when I started to mature. It took me that long to realize I didn't have to conform to what others wanted of me and that I could just be myself. But even just trying to be yourself is a struggle when you're also trying to survive in a society that expects you to conform.

If I had known writing in a journal was going to somehow thrust me into maturity, I probably would have started much later in life. ;)
+ October 02, 2007 09:39 PM +
friday i'm in love
wow, this seventh grader seems more mature than any that i've met in the past few years. middle schools around here could use a few more people like her. mostly because she's actually able to notice the difference between "now" and "then" - the greater importance of the media in her life, realizing that it's difficult to be her own person. i wonder what she thinks now that she's a sophomore in high school..
+ October 02, 2007 09:43 PM +
Jay in the tired Steel City
This reads a great deal like my journals from this period in my life. Who really liked middle school? It was like a big party that everybody was having a great time at except you... and only when you're an adult do you learn that nobody was actually having fun in the first place.

It's all about compromise. We all have to live in the world, however we find our niche, and it's not like the problem of balancing the need for acceptance with the need to be yourself ever goes away... I just hope this girl found her way.
+ October 03, 2007 09:12 AM +
Sarah in the rain
This is totally the kind of thing I would've written at that age and would be completely embarrassed about now. I thought I was so grown up back then; it makes me blush.
+ October 03, 2007 10:18 AM +
Liz in abq
the 'O' in journal is the zia symbol. Its the state symbol for New Mexico (on our flag and everything). Also, the morning paper is called the albuquerque journal - maybe this is journal stationary.
+ October 10, 2007 01:08 PM +
haha in somewhere
that pop culture.. it'll get ya

who writes this stuff?! honestly.. what kind of emo bollocks can take themselves THAT seriously?
+ November 11, 2007 10:22 PM +
Z in far from New Mexico but still connected
following up on the New Mexico link this might sound a little crazy... but my best friend kelly and I use to have friend named clare... no longer a friend...... the handwriting looks just like my friends kelly! very distinctive! this is wild i cant wait to ask kelly to see if she wrote this...
+ December 10, 2007 01:32 AM +
Flargy in doubt
I'm not usually a knee-jerk "FAKE!" crier, but this one just reeks to me. Whether it was faked by the finder or written by someone else as some kind of weird exercise, I have no idea, but I don't buy for one minute that this was written by a sixth grade girl.

Oddly enough, before I even got to the posts about anagrams for names, the post from Dragonfly caught my eye, and I noticed that the best possible anagram of Dragonfly is Don Flargy.
+ March 20, 2008 10:59 AM +
Night in gale
It's 5 years after this journal entry was written. This girl will be a senior in High School this year. Same age as my oldest son.

@Tori and Lucy: the crossed out part says, "So I won't talk about Clare's feelings much." That's funny.
+ July 22, 2008 11:55 PM +
Matt in Ames
Crossed out bit:

"But I won't talk about Clare's feelings much"
+ September 11, 2008 07:28 AM +
Clare in Detroit, MI
My name's Clare, I'm from metro detroit, 19 now, and seriously concerned that this note is a product of one of the many pseudo intellectual conversations I engaged in as a 6th grader.
+ September 24, 2008 05:06 PM +
Clare in Detroit, MI (again)
Is there any way that I can determine what "Clare's" last name is?!
+ September 24, 2008 05:10 PM +

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