In her extraordinary book, M Train, Patti Smith discusses writing about nothing.  That started me thinking that any writer starts with nothing except perhaps a spark or two. Ideas form, concepts sprout out of that nothingness, for we all sit down with the blank screen, the blank paper to face the creation of sentences, formed from the ether of consciousness. So here I am with first notes, the first train car that will be my own line of innumerable cars.

In many way, writing to no one in particular is like tossing a net into an open sea and when pulling it aboard, we don't know if anything or anyone will be there. Life is a series of casting nets, hoping to find kindred souls, seeking answers to questions that I haven't even asked, searching for fellow tribesmen or maybe just a reader who nods their head in agreement. These are my attempts at connection, at drawing lines from one dot to the next with the hope of finding out how they fit together. My nightmare is when I connect all my dots, they simply become a jumble of lines creating nothing definable. But still, I continue to try, as do so many others. Sometimes I think it might be better to stay a dreamer than to take Hickey’s advice and venture forth [from O' Neill's The Iceman Cometh]. At other times taking the chance and putting yourself "out there" is more important than remaining safe, like the person in the cage.

We do have the choice, though. We can mumble to ourselves, like an inner monologue shown in a cartoon bubble. Or we can throw our words against the computer screen, unceremoniously tossing them into cyberspace as have so many other fellow narcissists thinking themselves worthy of an evening’s read.

So what will follow? More musings, a few poems, a photograph or two, philosophical meanderings, confessions, interviews, book reviews, questions, politics, a thought or two about regret, death, longing for things past, and reflections of myself with a touch of contempt for humanity thrown in. If the mood is right perhaps joy and wonder may sneak into a sentence or two, for I have always viewed myself as a die-hard pessimist with a streak of tempered hope. In any case, my ultimate goal is to be as pragmatic and honest as I can. Our species has a tough time with objectivity and I'm no exception, but I'm doing my best to find a path towards some form of truth. 

What I can say is that there will be other cars on this track, so I’ll go from here. Please feel free to comment in a civil and productive manner. We all MUST learn from each other.