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2005-04-22 - 2:17 p.m.

I�ve started running banner ads on DiaryLand that link to my journal. A lot of people (probably some reading now) have clicked on them. Indeed, the click-through rate is pretty phenomenal. So I just wanted to thank everyone for reading. And for signing my guestbook, leaving me notes, writing me emails, and adding me to their favorite diaries.

I started writing in earnest just this year. If you check my old entries, you�ll notice that I wrote like once a month until 2005 (my single entry from 2003 is the text of an Evite). Originally, I mostly wrote just for me. Writing out your thoughts is very therapeutic and I suspect that�s in fact why there are so many blogs.

But I�ve realized that writing openly isn�t very meaningful to me unless it�s compelling for others to read. I suppose I could just boringly detail the oatmeal I had for breakfast or my sports picks for this weekend. But I wouldn�t expect you to have the slightest interest. I mean, I guess there are people who write exactly this and that�s fine. I just don�t want to read them.

And let me qualify. I know most people don�t have my life as a source of material to draw on. This is probably a good thing; having MS is not something I hope for more company in. But if you�re writing about everyday stuff (and now that I think of it, I�m not sure I do recount much that�s too extraordinary), I would urge you to do it with some style.

So really, if you�re reading this and you find it even remotely interesting, you�ve made my day. It makes me very proud to know that I�m mildly entertaining. It�s not like I get paid for this (wouldn�t it be nice if we all got paid to blog). But it�s good to know that I�m not just blathering.

What journals do I read? I�m a big fan of Hiss and Tell. She�s a cowboy�s girl on a ranch in Australia and an absolute genius. Also Propel�s diary. This girl is effecting a lot of changes in herself (plastic surgery) and it�s interesting to see how, assuming you want it to, a life can become different with a physical change.

So please go ahead and read my older entries. Hopefully, they�re all at least decent. Personally, I like �we fly home tomorrow�, �Patriots Day�, �my girl Laura�, �the space between�, and my top 5 ex-girlfriends project (oddly, part V is by far my most clicked on entry). YMMV, of course. A lot of people thought �my commuting crush� was kind of sweet or even �a prayer for Alithea�. I�m glad my feelings came across.

And I like when people sign my guestbook. You don�t have to be as touching as Sarah (fourth from last) or as substantive as R. (ninth), but knowing people are out there reading really makes it worthwhile for me.

� 2005 Geoff Gladstone

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