Just saw Will Smith's I Am Legend this weekend.

Woof! Talk about intense.

I was thinking about you guys/gals watching it with the Emergency Preparedness/Survival aspects in it.

What struck me though was coping with the psychological aspects of survival and the importance (at least important to me) of keeping a journal.

How many keep a journal?

In your Bug Out Plans, do you have the ability to document what's going on, etc factored into your plans?

Do you even consider documenting events/observations/etc important/necessary/or just a luxury?

I have a journal in my bug out bag, I don't use one now but thought that if things got that bad I might need to keep track of certain things. I also saw the movie, wasn't too bad, not what I expected though, guess I was looking for more of the prep's and survival aspects, he had it to easy....lol until he ummmmm !!!! u know...lol
That had to be a real bummer......don't want to spoil it for anyone that hasn't seen it yet.

well if anyone has seen the show afterworld (afterworld.tv) rus keeps a journal. It seems to help him out!?

I keep a log book of my underway watches and I have toyed with the idea of keeping a journal during a disastrous period but I think I would pass on the extra weight (including the paperwork drill) during a bugout situation.

That which happens should be recorded, if for no other reason than the human memory is imperfect.

Space in my backpack is limited. Priority has to be given to those things which can help me survive. If there happens to be enough room for a notebook after everything else finds its place, then fine. But I'm not going to remove other items just to make room for a notebook.

My impression of the movie, without yet having seen it, is that it seems to be a remake of "The Omega Man"; a Charlton Heston 70s movie.

Don't know if you could call it a journal, but I keep about a dozen index cards and a couple of Fisher Space Pens in the BOB. Might want to leave notes, or record important happenings as others have mentioned above.

I also keep a log on the sailboat. That way I can check and see if my trip estimate (distance, time, currents etc.) comes out anything close to the real world. It's embarassing to take a couple of guests out for an overnighter and find yourself 25 miles from home as the sun sets on the second day.

Keep a Journal (I call it a log)!!

I have worked more than a few disasters as a hospital administrator, Ham, Red Cross responder, Search and Rescue responder and during my own private disasters.

Over time I have developed a logging method that works for me. I have referred to it countless times for information that I logged that I really did not know I would need later. Here is how I do it.

I use a small spiral binder. About 3x5. Starting from the BACK, I make notes as things happen. Mostly names of people I meet, radio frequencies, things others might mention, most anything. Usually it is almost incomprehensible scribbles. After each entry, I draw a horizontal line to separate that thought from the next.

When things are quiet, at least once a day, I transcribe the scribbles to the FRONT of the notebook. I add legibility, expand on what I wrote and in general make it so I can understand it a month later.

When I transcribe, I draw a single diagonal line through the transcribed scribble portion. When the entire page has been transcribed I draw a diagonal the opposite direction through the whole page. I do not rip out the scribble page.

When a page is full, I tear off a small piece of the bottom right corner. (I am left handed). Then when I need to open it quickly, I can grab the bottom right corner and end up at the latest empty spot. No fumbling through the pages to find an empty space to write.

I can't stress enough how useful this notebook will become. buy a bundle of these notebooks (12 for about $5 as sams club) and practice by tracking your daily activities.

Keeping log is an acquired skill. In time you will develop a technique that fits your needs. Start a log every time your world deviates from the routine. You start a trip, you start a hike, you have an auto accident, anytime you do anything unusual.

Do it however it works for you but DO IT!!

Both are based on the same novel.
The movie was OK. There were some obvious unanswered questions probably due to editing.
Bill