happy new year!

Out of curiosity, I checked over Predictions for 2004 that some of you made a year ago. Hey, some actually came true! :-)

Anyone care to make a prediction for 2005?

Also, a poll: where were YOU at midnight? At a party? With a friend? Asleep in bed?

I was at Reid and Luisa's place with Jeff, Iain, Michael and Ronnie. Luisa and I hung out in the livingroom chatting for several hours (ok, more than several hours) while the others played board games and computer games.

I so adore Luisa. It was wonderful to get her all to myself for a while. :-)

Thank you again for the feedback and support re: my Too Paranoid? Blathering, the advice about self-defense courses, the sharing of similar experiences.

The incident with the stranger itself was minor, in the grand scheme of things; I was more moved by how many of you took the time to post or e-mail me privately since the incident, both friends and those I haven't yet met in person.

And this is one of the things I love most about online communities: the bringing together of individuals who would likely never be able to all meet in one place in real life. The connections that sometimes occur in cyberspace, however briefly, can have sometimes have a lasting effect; even a one-time post in a stranger's message board in the middle of the night can provide support when it's most needed, for example.

I enjoyed reading Allison's 2004 retrospective, especially the last bit:

"Another year of LiveJournal: helpful and supportive comments, thoughtful prose, goofiness, rants, highs and lows, stories, poems, artwork and songs to make me cry, laugh and admire, a welcome break in the day, my link to friends all over the world."

This was so true for me as well, except it applies to other online communities as well as Livejournal. Yes, the package also includes some politics, infighting, sensitive egos; several of my friends avoid LJ because of this. I also don't delude myself in thinking that online contact can replace face-to-face interaction, but unfortunately geography often gets in the way of the latter. :-(

For me, however, it's definitely been worth it and I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it all. I'm deeply grateful for the knowledge, support and friendships I've gained through online communities, and will never take them for granted.

Thank you, all. And have a very Happy New Year!

January 2005 comments: Read Blatherchat | Post in Blatherchat | Livejournal comments