You know, I've been thinking a lot this last week. My princess has been out of town visiting her mother, and I had a great deal of time to myself. Hence, lots of thinking.

And I've come to a major conclusion: my real life has disappeared into a virtual existence.

I work from home, in Washington. My office is in Cleveland. I live in Bremerton. My nearest friends are in SeaTac. I don't have a car. I order groceries online and they are delivered to my house. Once or twice a month I'll rent a car (cheaper than car payment, insurance, maintenance, gas, ectetera) but other than that, I don't often get out of the house.

So, what's happened is that I've replaced my interactions with others with my interaction with my computer. I write blog entries, but really, I haven't had anything worth saying in quite some time. Without life, no new input. No new input, no interesting output.

So I quit. This journal has gone on for five years now, and it's had a good run. I've thought about giving it up in the past but left it going for one reason or another, but now it's more harm than help. I leave a journal entry and then go back to see if anyone has left a comment.

Often.

Because, well, my life is virtual. I want it to be visceral. So, things have got to change.

Maybe I'll go out and actually make friends whose faces I see more often than their phosphors. That would be nice. That would be very nice indeed.

Take care, everyone. It's been fun. Go out and play.

Joseph Haines, signing off from The Edge of the Abyss.