Anonymity personified ... (part one) ...

This is my 13th post. Absolutely, I must do another one tomorrow ... can't have the month end with that number! (Not that I'm superstitious, or anything.)

I'm feeling the warmest of fuzzies right now. I'll start from the beginning, tho, so you can see where I'm coming from.

In September of last year, when I retired as a full-time professional driver, I knew that I had do something part-time to supplement my social security income. (And yes, it's true what they say, folks -- there's no possible way to survive on that!) Brain-storming sessions with Darling Daughter (DD) and her husband produced several ideas which I'm currently exploring.

Meanwhile, DD suggested that -- now that I had the time -- I should learn how to use the computer. I had been putting it off for years. To tell you the truth, I didn't see how or why I would ever have any use for the contraption! I was working, already, 24/7. I wasn't going to live that long, anyway. I was home only long enuf to sleep, shower, change my clothes, and run back out to work again. It would be just another dust-gatherer. You make up the excuse, and I probably used it (or thought of using it).

It was time to "stop already" with the excuses. Action was required! I stopped procrastinating and started learning "Word" on DD's computer. It was slow going, at first ... still is, kind of, but I think I'm getting better. Hope so, anyway!

So, I trekked out to their house many times to practice. They kept telling me how wonderful I was, how much progress I was making, etc. ... you know, all those lies people who love you tell you to try and keep you going? Then, for Christmas, guess what I got?? (You guessed it.)

Well, one day when I was playing with my new toy, I decided I'd try and find DD's blog site. I knew she had one, knew she'd had one for a few years, even knew the name of it, but I didn't know how to go about finding it! I did a Google search, and there it was. My goodness, it worked! I amused myself for several minutes reading through some of her posts, and decided I might like to comment on one or two. Then a new problem arose ... creating another identity. That accomplished, I added my comments.

Meanwhile, back at DD's ranch, she was very curious about this stranger cruising through her posts -- she has some sort of fancy tracking device (Who knows what that's all about?!) -- and leaving comments here and there. When she figured out who it was -- and it didn't take her very long with her stealth tracker -- she immediately called her husband and screamed, "Guess who's leaving comments on my blogs? She's doing it!" Then she called me and said, "Aha! Gotcha!" (or words to that effect)

I asked, "How does one go about setting up a blog, anyway?" Well, next thing I knew, we had set up mine. "And now," as Paul Harvey has said many a time, "you know the rest of the story."

I wrote a few thoughts for posting, and wasn't getting much of a response. I don't know what I thought would happen, really. I'm pretty sure I thought that someone would see one of my posts and make some sort of comment.

DD advised me that, "It isn't how it works, Mother. There are many thousands of bloggers out there, of which you are only one. Editors are not "cruising the internet" -- (My term. I think the correct phrase is "surfing/browsing the web".) -- looking for their next feature writer. What you might want to do, now, is find some other bloggers whose sites interest you, that you might want to add to your 'Favorites' list." Then, of course, I had to ask her how to do THAT, for crying out loud!!

I was quite concerned about "buying" comments, but DD assured me that if they didn't want to comment, they wouldn't. SO, I went about the -- kind of fun, actually -- process of prospecting for my own network of fellow bloggers. What did I do? Why, I cruised the net, of course! (What did you THINK I did?)

Along the way, I made a new friend, Tammy. (By the way, I just tried to link one of her posts to this one, and -- although I have taken just a gazillion notes on how to do this from DD's ever patient instructions, obviously I need to take some more! I don't seem to have the skills to do it yet. Can't call DD. It's 2am here, and she's asleep. At least, I hope she's asleep!)

Also along the way, I inadvertently blundered into the middle of a session between a professor and a student. (Well, what can I say?? They were on the "public airwaves", as it were, and I was trying to "expand my network".) Nonetheless, my comment caused a bit of consternation.

The reason for my "warm fuzzy"? I had been trying to find a way to communicate my apologies for the interference when today, I did, and you know what? You'll never guess, so I'll tell you ... the professor wrote me an e-mail back, thanking me for my kind explanation.

He didn't have to do that, but he did! A really warm fuzzy.