All I can say, it's phenomenal.

I hardly ever miss a day of posting in my blog. And it gives me a sense of freedom. To be able to say just about anything. In writing. Maybe the best part of it is that I've cultivated several personal contacts. We've come to know each other. In nice ways. But also, there have been a few anonymous jerks. Which is all right. Because they are interesting psychological studies. I think the blog has been a good modern-day invention. In a sense, it allows everyone an opportunity to be published. To have a say. Maybe a little like living on a desert island. And sending out a message. In a bottle. The nice thing about a blog, however, is that occasionally a few bottles with messages float ashore on my island. It's a novel way to communicate. Because the blog branches out to other forms of dialogue. Direct. One-on-one. I end up meeting people. Directly. In person. Face to face. And it all starts slowly. With a few written words. Maybe a phone call or two. And alas. Discovery. Used to be that it took a relatively long time to exchange the written word. Letters that took weeks to be delivered. Now it's instant exchanges. Maybe six letters in a single day. Wow! The written word has taken on more significance. It narrows the distance. No longer is geographic separation a handicap. I'm in daily touch with an Italian. By audio-video hook-up. On the Internet. We've arrived in the modern age. And I like it. Sure, the technology frustrates me at times. But hey, I'm mastering it. Because I'm able to go to Italy daily. All I can say, it's phenomenal. --Jim Broede