December 30th, 1603-

My New Best Friend,
Greetings. My name is Galileo, and I am looking to you to keep all of my feelings and secrets safe. It is a very rainy and lonely day today, and I decided that it would be a wonderful idea to create you, Diary. I went to a scribe and bought a book from him. You are an elegant book. You have red covers and gold on the edges. But enough about you...I, unlike you, am not very beautiful. I have curly, gray hair that is that is slowly balding. I am a professor of physics at the University of Padua. I am deeply interested in the field of astronomy. May I tell you my first secret? People think that I am a very happy and productive man. If you want to know the truth, I am very sad. And lonely. It is getting dark and very cold. Sleep well, Diary, for now I am going to gather all of my blankets together to create warmth in this cold and lonely house.
Galileo

December 31, 1603

Dear Diary,
I hope you had a wonderful night's sleep, for I did not sleep at all. The cold was numbing, and all I could think of was the friends I wish I had. It is New Year’s Eve, and I will be celebrating with no one but you, unless you have already planned otherwise. You know, Diary, friends are hard to find. Every day I go to teach, knowing the only people that respect me are my students. My students’ respect is a good thing, of course, but I don’t have anyone to talk to, to share my feelings with. A world without friends is a world without hope.
Galileo
 

January 2, 1604

Dear Diary,

I am sorry that I didn’t talk to you yesterday, for I was engrossed in grading my students’ tests. The University of Padua had asked me to lead a lecture of astronomy, which occurred today. Diary, I will tell you straight out ­ I am in love. With a woman named Marina. She was at my lecture today, and she caught my eye. She smiled at me. I am planning to see her again, tomorrow in fact. I am very excited to finally have a friend with a heartbeat, of course not excluding you, Diary. I promise to speak with you very soon, and I will tell you all about Marina.
Galileo

January 4, 1604

Dear Diary,

Marina is my life. She is the most beautiful woman walking the face of the earth. And believe it or not, I believe we will get married soon. Yes, Diary, this is all happening very quickly, but I’m glad it is. I want to have a living, lifelong friend who I can share my feelings with whenever and wherever. I love her, and she loves me too. Diary, I must share some very sad news with you ­ I don’t think that I will be able to talk with you much anymore. Now with Marina, I have someone to keep me company. You really have no idea how amazingly happy I am. But trust me, I will miss you. And every now and then, when Marina is not with me, I will talk to you. I feel very harsh and stupid doing this to you, Diary, but now that there is a human in my life, I must. Goodbye for a long time, my first and best friend.
Galileo