Journal Entry No.1 - Yes Yes I Am an Alien!

"I knew it," Freddo cheered, a bit full of himself as usual. He'd been harping on my unusual mannerisms and odd lapses in pop-cultural knowledge again. "I knew it, I knew it," he repeated quickly, wringing his chubby hands, his bearded face pulled into a wry grin. "There's no way you can't know who Bono is without having been an offworlder, Haha!" He lumbered out of the room chuckling to himself like some self-righteous know-it-all who talks big but accomplishes little-- unless you consider leveling-up a major life skill. His senseless bravado gets on my nerves.

Despite his jests, he had a point. I am, after all, part Tarlingian due to a distant philandering relative. And while I'm otherwise human, I certainly didn't grow up in this world. 2010 Washington D.C. is a far cry from 20,010 Emilierth! Freddo thinks I'm sheltered and behind the times. He has no clue how many populated planets are out there. Plus, this archaic level of technology is about to drive me insane! How do you people live like this?!

...Because you don't know any other way. Sigh.

Nor will you for a long time yet. Progress might come in a few hundred years, but then again, I never paid attention in ancient homeworld history class. Why should I? I've got Symshine right here in my head to remember all that crap for me. Well, I used to. (Yes, yes Shimmy, I know you're still there suffocating in silence behind my right frontal lobe. It is so freaking frustrating! You're there, hanging on my every thought, but I can't access you. Without the proper chemicals in my bloodstream, our telepathy is irreparably broken, and none of these people know or understand our pain. Damn, I miss you so much! Two years into this hell and I am still so alone without you and constant accessibility of the Everweb.)

How I wish I could tell the world who I really am. But for now and perhaps forever, I will live in anonymity, disguised as one of the thousands of faceless living mannequins crowding these city streets. Yet I -- I alone -- am irreplaceable! (Take that Beyoncé! See Freddo, I'm not completely culturally illiterate!)

I am Vivea. Starting today, I will share with you my (way off-) world via this anonymous, equalizing and exasperatingly archaic technology known as the Internet. And you better be paying attention.

Yes, yes I am an alien!