reverse engineer

Remember a few weeks ago when I said that "Tumblr as a whole makes me tired, especially as an extra project"? Ha, ha, ha, ha. I can't stop myself it seems.

Around Christmas time I went to see Mortified, live readings by everyday folks, divulging excerpts from their childhood journals/diaries (the definition differs depending on your sex/age I have to believe). It was, well, Mortifying to say the least. As an observer I cringed, so I can't even imagine the giant golden orbs (insert appropriate anatomy) it took to get up in front of a bunch of strangers. As each took to the stage I couldn't help but recall my own writings from long ago. I probably have amassed about 20 or so diaries, from 1984-2004. The early to mid 90's were an especially fruitful time (I was 15-18... surprise).

I gave up writing in journals years ago; I can't remember specifically why. I want to say mainly because I felt like they only exacerbated problematic thoughts rather than worked them out. I got tired of myself and once I quit, life seemed better. If I was really honest with myself I would have to admit that I traded that sort of therapy for alternative medicine (hello, this blog for example). ANYWAY, I hadn't looked over all of my journals in forever; they are crammed negligently in various boxes and drawers. After attending Mortified I felt inspired to do a little light reading. If I recalled correctly there was some real tragic crap to pour over.

This is part 1 of where I'm heading here... Now part 2. Also around the holidays a healthy dose of boredom and nostalgia struck (admittedly not a hard match to strike) while I was at my parent's house. Cue the photo albums. I am no memory lane virgin, but somehow I saw each picture in a new light, as if amused and heart-warmed for the first time, also fascinated by my family tree and how we all came to be. I wondered what my ancestors were like, their pocket of life together... what my parents went through growing up, and what they were like as a couple before I came along... and all the little things that occurred to make me the person I am today. Was it all the macaroni and cheese I ate? The A-Team? Kind, funny, and supportive parents? Bizarre extended family that randomly spoke of sheep?

In general I have been suffering from a massive case of "I love my family" lately so the next logical step, if you are me of course, was to somehow turn my look back into a project, combining my love for vintage photos and family with self-depreciation. I have to say that this is obviously more for myself, self-serving and maybe even a bit ego-centric. I would be lying if I denied parallels to existing sites like My Parents Were Awesome and the previously mentioned Mortified (and a million others), however I'm sure it is far less interesting unless you happen to be a member of my family. With that warning I give you Reverse Engineer, a simple site which includes photos of my family along with random quotes from my old journals. And this will be easy to update since I don't have to rely on finding new things! I hope if anything you find it to be mildly entertaining. And parents... hey, surprise, pictures of you guys will be floating around the internet now! Don't be mad... love you!