Cyberspace is a funky place

The world is your oyster and the information highway (which Al Gore apparently created) is an ocean full of wonders. With a simple Google search and the click of the mouse one can find people all across the globe sharing similar backgrounds and stories. I have "met" some fairly interesting people, have stumbled upon some fantastically entertaining Web sites and have found my soul sisters at Flylady. At a time when I was a house-bound SAHM with mono, depression and two kids with special needs I found an outlet and a group of friends. And I am glad I did because I don't know where I'd be today.

I need funky toys and stuff for my boys and their therapies. Where do I go? E-bay. I need to find out who that actor was in the latest B-movie. Imdb, of course! Can't find that no-longer-manufactured cleaning product? Google it, and you can buy a case that will last a long time. Amazon.com, blogger, flylady, the list goes on. Without the internet things would be much simpler. Which may or may not be a good thing.

Unfortunately the internets also bring all of the scary people in the world to the surface. You might think you are totally anonymous when you sign into such-and-such a Web site, but you'd be surprised at how easily strangers can fund you. You make a comment or contribution on a site and they can find your blog, your E-mail, you name it. I have had people in cyberspace tell me I am worthless, a loser, a no-talent hack, a biatch, a c-word, a bad parent and an attention whore. And yet I started out with the simplest of notions, just to contact people. Just to find someone out there like me, who appreciates a decent "conversation" or someone who can answer questions or provide information when I haven't a clue what I am doing with my kids.

Blogs, forums, sites are fun. So is shopping. But some people out there take themselves WAYYYYYY too seriously. I mean, it is the internet. It ain't real, folks. You're staring at a machine! Emotions and facial expressions don't transmit unless you have a Web cam. That is why it is important not to believe everything you read, not to take anything too seriously and not to expose too much of yourself if you can't take harsh comments and criticism from folks you don't know about subjects you hold near and dear.

So, while I kinda keep this blog so other people read it and understand where I am coming from, part of me keeps it as a diary. Something out there to reflect on. But I don't think of it as anything more. I am not trying to write the next great novel, I don't care if I have fans and I am not just saying things to get people to read it. I am just being me.

And for those of you out there who don't have nice things to say, there is always the delete button. I have enough crap in my life, thankyouverymuch!