Geri is sitting with her laptop on her knee she couldn’t resist going back into Triond to check her content list, just to have another peek and see if she had anymore hits. A little thrill of excitement ran through her as she noticed she had two more hits. She giggled like a wee fifteen year old while thinking she was a foolish silly woman. At this rate she’d soon earn 1/3 of the price of a latte. Her offline friends may laugh but she felt..a sense of achievement. She clicked on explore because she knows what magic lies within the pages and in some small way she has become a part of it. She reckons she is fast becoming addicted to Triond.

Again she feels foolish but she feels she’s had a new lease of life and thinks I must reply to some of the people who have kindly become my friends. She is missing ‘Tess of the D’ubervilles’ one of the BBC’s better shows or so she thinks and she thanks the powers that be for ‘on demand’. She wants to ask some of her friends whether this addiction will pass and thinks it’s a stupid question. She has loads of stupid questions she’d like to ask but feels she won’t because she doesn’t want to look stupid. She promises herself five more minutes to explore the content and then a few replies to people then she really must get back to what she is supposed to be working on.

Hi  Brandon,

I need your help, seriously! In giving Triond a whirl I thought my writing would just flow forth as I was giving myself a reason to write. Instead, I have found myself compelled to check out Triond at every opportunity I can to read the latest news from my new found friends and to see if anyone has read my stuff. I can’t help it! It is all rather thrilling to see my name and work up there on the screen and then to receive comments as well! it has all quite turned my head.

I was hoping to write a topical piece, but it’s no longer topical as the article is now almost a week old and old news but still not finished.  That’s why topical is not my thing my mind is too slow. Well, with a topic about euthanasia and Alzheimer’s and a title “Should we Permit Euthanasia for People with Alzheimer’s?”  You can see my dilemma and why I’d be slow, it is a killer. You can see why it is easier to pop into Triond.  Where there are so many other more entertaining and enjoyable things to read.

I had hoped to write a tongue in cheek piece about this issue a bit in the style of Jonathan Swift’s ‘A Modest Proposal’, but my tongue won’t stay in my cheek. And I am not a genius! I pull my document up, look at it and groan…..Then I pop into Triond to get a laugh, to be amazed, or even gobsmacked or to read a piece from Linda, someone who lives thousands of miles away but who I can empathise with. Then there’s the poetry the wonderful poetry. What a wonderful educational and entertaining place to come across. (You may think I sound sad but I don’t go out that often)!

So could you tell me if this temptation will pass? I don’t want to become just a serial reader but also a contributor. Another thing I have noticed is that (maybe its an age thing) But I am becoming OCD I can’t let this article drop until I finish it though I have a few other ideas I am itching to write about. I was at a wake last week and all the old ladies were ‘venting’ might be the polite word to use about Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’ it seemed a strange thing to talk about with a coffin in the corner (You usually talk about how good the dead person was)and it started me thinking allsorts. Maybe I should do an article on why women won’t be priests as opposed to can’t be. I tried to explain that it was only a story. If it had have been the Wild West I would’ve been lynched, I think they are taking out proceedings to have me excommunicated instead. Anyway for a moment I thought I’d slipped into the twilight zone and was at the dead zone’s Book club. After all there was a slightly bloated waxy looking corpse in the corner and a few people with barely a pulse but  I doubt if Noleen the deceased was worried about Dan Brown’s heresy (If that’s how it could be described, I just thought it was a bit silly). Off course I know he’s laughing all the way to the bank. Me, I was getting the evil eye for my suggestion that it was just a good read. Here in my part of the world Dan Brown is evil incarnate.

Anyway all I was really wanting to know is, is this the natural behaviour of a newbee, will I reach the stage where I won’t bother checking to see if I’ve made another penny or received another comment and if nothing much has happened on my dashboard will I stop feeling despondent and unlovable? For the sensible side of me is saying ‘settle down calm down and get stuck in’ but then I find Loafer’s wonderful Haiku or BC’s  article about interspecies adoption. Then there is Evan’s beautiful article about slime mould of all things! Gobsmacking or what eh? And then your articles that has informed and entertained me about the political people in America such as Sarah Palen and made it possible for me to have a chat with my daughter about things other than family concerns. She loves American politics. What breadth what range and it would take me a lifetime to check everyone out, there’s just so much choice. I am like a kid in a sweetie shop.  Triond is a wonderful place.  (It’s a gut thing)

Anyway Brandon Good to talk to you

Cheers Geri

PS My real messages are never this long

PPS what is the buzz button for? I have been itching to press it but worried I’ll get all fireworks exploding on my screen scaring the pants of me. (Something like that happened before)!

Cheers and happy writing!