Grampa said he would write for me if I wanted to write something down for the family diary. He says it's called a journal but I like diary because it's our story. A journal sounds like a newspaper. Oh this is Greg, sorry.

I got so many cool things I want to put in here & some stuff that's not that cool, but kind of neat anyway. Grampa said I can put in anything I want. He wants to know what everybody thinks about this whole stupid thing.

Well I think it's stupid, this smallpox stuff. I don't like being stuck in my room. I don't like not being able to watch TV or play on the computer. I don't like eating all that weird stuff mom is making. Most of it is okay, but I want pizza for once. I like being at Grampa's but I want to go home. I want to be in my own room again. I'm not gonna tell mom this but I want to go back to school so I can play with my friends again. And it's my birthday soon & I don't think I can have a birthday party this year. I was gonna go to that cool Laser Place. Now I don't think I'm gonna have a birthday. There's nobody gonna be able to come.

I don't know why someone decided to make everybody sick. Okay not everybody but a whole lotta people. That's mean. Didn't they worry about their own moms & dads, their kids too? And daddy says we dropped a biiiiiiiiiig bomb on the guys that made us sick. I guess a lot of people got us sick 'cause a whole lot of people died. I think that's really stupid. If so many people are gonna be dead, how come we made more people dead? I don't get it.

Grampa said maybe I should talk about Timmy, how me & Sammy found him. That was neat. We were playing outside after the big snow making forts & throwing snowballs & sliding & stuff. We weren't supposed to go out front, but it just kind of... HAPPENED. Didn't mean to be bad. We were playing & thinking maybe we should go inside 'cause we'd been out a long time & Sammy was tired & we were kinda wet.

Sammy saw him first & he got scared. He said: "Look Timmy, there's somebody coming. Is it a bad guy? Call Grampa, quick!" Sammy's little & he's kind of stupid sometimes. I looked & it was just a little kid, even littler than Sammy & he was crying. He was all wet. I went over to ask him what his name was & where he lived. He's really little 'cause he knew his name but didn't know where he lived. That's dumb! But he was really cold & he said he was hungry.

Sammy was really scared. He didn't want to bring him inside & said Grampa would be mad. No way! Grampa had said if we stayed inside & didn't go outside a lot, we wouldn't get sick. So I brought Timmy inside so he couldn't get sick like all them other people who keep getting sick here. We're not sick at our place & we've been staying home a lot. So it's easy. If we bringed Timmy in & he was already sick, he'd get better. Sammy said that's wrong but what does he know; he's just a little guy.

Anyway, we bringed him in & I had to help him get his clothes off & not wake everybody up. I made him a hot chocolate all by myself. We got his clothes hanged up too & nobody helped us! We finally stopped crying when I said he could stay here & we'd give him something to eat. He said his mom & dad were sleeping & couldn't wake up. I'm not dumb. He thinks his mom & dad are sleeping & Sammy does but I know that means they got smallpox & are dead & won't wake up - ever. So I'm glad we told him he could come in & stay with us.

I guess that means I got another little brother & I guess that's okay. It beats having a little sister. My best friend Max has a little sister & she's a pain in the butt. That means she's a pain in the ASS, but I'm not allowed to say that or I get spanked. That's dumb 'cause people say that all the time on TV, even kids & they NEVER get in trouble. Mom & Dad can be dumb sometimes. I hope they don't read this or I'll really, REALLY get in trouble - I think.

Anyway Grampa told me I was kinda wrong about the smallpox stuff. That we were supposed to stay away from everybody in case they got us sick. I thought if we brought them here, even if they were a little bit sick or gonna get sick, they'd be okay if I brought them in here. Mom & Grandma told me better and I feel SOOOOOOOOOOOOO dumb. If anybody gets sick it's gonna be my fault now & I don't know if Grnadma can fix them. I hope so. But maybe nobody can get sick & we can go out of our room. It's boring in here, nothing to do but play games & we can't watch tv cause there's no 'lectricity.

I'm helping Timmy learn letters & words & stuff. He learns fast. I think he's way smarter than Sammy but Sammy got mad when I said that. I wasn't trying to hurt Sammy's feelings. I just wanted Timmy to feel better 'cause his mom & dad are dead & he forgot to bring his teddy bear with him & he misses everybody. So then Sammy was crying & Timmy started crying & Sammy is such a dumbass. How come I'm not allowed to say that anyway? I was listening to some of Annette's CDs & people singing say that all the time & it's a neat word. Dumbass - yeah. A lot of people are dumbasses. The people who made us sick are dumbasses. They're worse than that but I think Grampa would get mad at me if I said what they are.

I miss seeing everybody. Grandma & everybody won't tell me how long we have to stay in here. They keep saying "a bit longer" but it's already been forever. I'm gonna ask Grampa if he'll tell me exactly when. Maybe we can go out tomorrow. I hope so. I'm tired of reading & writing all the time, even reading to the little guys.

I like Timmy. He's neat & he likes me a lot. He follows me around even if he can't follow me far cause this room isn't big. But he tries to follow me to the bathroom & that’s stupid but I think he’s scared that I’m gonna fall asleep too & not wake up like his mommy & daddy. That’s dumb ‘cause I’m not sick & I’m not gonna get sick, dad keeps telling me that. So how come they won’t let me go downstairs?

Well that’s all I want to talk about right now. Grampa is gonna read to us. He’s gonna read a new book called The Swiss Family Robinson.