Hi, I'm the New Kid

This was a familiar line to me while growing up as I was the one saying it. Due to the nature of my father's work, we moved frequently during my early school years. Thus, I was nearly always "the new kid". The first day at a new school was always a particular challenge since I did not know where the lockers, bathrooms, or cafeteria were and I had, and still have, an under-developed sense of direction. Bascially, turn me around in a phone booth twice and I am confused. Fortunately for me, phone booths are rapidly disappearing from the landscape and I am confused less often than I used to be.

Entering a new classroom was nerve wracking and a bit exciting, too. Maybe I would meet my new best friend in this room. Surely I would learn something new (always an irresistable draw for me) and probably I would enjoy myself - eventually - if we lived there long enough. (This latter condition was not guaranteed by any means as we sometimes stayed only a few months. One school year I attended elementary school in 4 or 5 different states.)

So here I am again, and this time I'm the new kid on the blogging block. It feels a little nerve wracking (will I get it right ? - will I embarrass myself with some awful faux pas?) and it is exciting, too. Maybe I will make a new friend, learn something new to me, or just plain have a good time. I am up for any and all of those things. Perhaps readers should know a few basics about me, before you decide to read any further. I can be a little too serious when I am worked up about something, much like an old-fashioned radiator when it over heats and you have to pour water in it and let it rest for a bit. But I've been told that I can also be pretty good company and may offer a new wrinkle on things in which you have an interest. It may or may not be spot on. Reading is a life long passion and as C.S. Lewis once observed, on a rainy afternoon there is no cup of tea too large and no book too long. That is not an exact quote, but you know what I mean, if you are an avid reader. I read everything from Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Debbie Macomber and from the Wall St. Journal to my Kindle e-books, as well as two daily newspapers. The news, however, can only be read with strong tea and varying degrees of enthusiasm.

As I write this, dawn is just breaking as I look out our "computer room" window. We do not have an office per se, since in my opinion it isn't that functional or that well organized. I had an office - for a quarter of a century and I know what one looks like. Believe me, this isn't it. We call it the computer room because that is about all it contains - three desk tops, four printers, mutliple removable hard drives, and more wires and gadgets than I can count - or dust for that matter. So if I misspell something, I may have just sneezed and forgotten to backtrack. I think I know why we have so many computers and the accompanying ancillary stuff even though there are only two of us living here - not counting our dog, but she always counts. My husband is a techie, a gadget addict, and he cannot stand to throw anything away. However, he is warming up to recycling so there is hope.

I, on the other hand - or the other keyboard, am a techno-peasant. I don't text, IM, or Tweet. My cell phone is for calling, not for taking pictures or getting stock quotes. But here I am, blogging, because I have always loved writing...and reading...and thinking. And how wonderful is it to be able to do it among readers who may become friends?

So as the new day dawns, both literally and figuratively, welcome to my blog. Have a nice day.