Date: 2009-12-03
To: The Devine Ms. B 
Miles today: 0.0

For those of you unfamiliar with my '09 Journal, I need to pause here and introduce the Devine Ms. B. That would be Break-a-Leg, my old friend from '05 (and the bain of my journaling endeavors), who has recently woken up from her nap. Since I am a bit rushed today, packing for a trip to Nairobi, I shall simply "cut and paste" the introduction I used last year. Then, when she can pry herself away from here current literary endeavors, I'm sure she will introduce herself to this year's readers. I will then do a follow up entry correcting any mis-impressions her entry may have created. And so on and so on and so on....QUOTEI thought it might be appropriate to let you all know what the arrangements will be for continuing this journal once I start my hike. I will take with me a small computer-like machine called a "pocketmail device". It has a screen and a rather smallish keyboard, and I will be typing my journal entries into it -- normally at night, in my tent, by the light of my headlamp. These will be in the form of an email. Then, when I can get a cell phone signal, I will use my phone as a modem to send the email off to my official "transcriber", and hiker buddy from the class of '05, writer extraordinaire, Ms. Break-a-leg herself, Jessica Wilson. "Break", as I will refer to her henceforth, will then take whatever journalistic license she deems appropriate to "edit" my rough-hewn missives. At a minimum, this will consist of running her spell check software, because, frankly, for reasons having nothing whatever to do with the quality of my high school education (in case some of my old classmates might just HAPPEN to chance upon this journal), spelling has never been my strong suit. Having hiked about half of the AT herself in '05, before being forced off the trail with injuries, she will be able to "interpret" what I am trying to say, and if she is in the mood, may even provide an occasional "elaboration" on whatever events I have encountered during my hike, as recorded, however crudely, by me in the said emails. She will then post the "edited" journal entries onto this website for the delight and enjoyment of my fans and loyal readers. She will do this partly out of the goodness of her heart, and partly in an effort to get even with me for some of the trail register entries I recorded in the shelters early in our hike, as I started out from Springer Mountain a couple of days ahead of her in '05. (Just for the record, we are truly the best of friends, and whatever jibes we may throw each other's way are ENTIRELY meant in jest, and are, under no circumstances, EVER to be taken either literally or seriously. Really, that would spoil all the fun!)Why we get along, however, is an absolute mystery to me, given how opposite we are in every conceivable way. At least that's MY take on it. She, however, will probably offer some profound and meditative psychological insight into the whys and wherefores of our alliance, to which I will only be able to respond with...."huh?", being, admittedly, less profound and meditative. (I am however, much funnier, and .... and ... taller.)   Enough said. She will introduce herself shortly. Or whenever she gets up from her nap. In addition to Break, only one other person in the whole world will know the secret password required to access the inner workings of this blog: my long-suffering and patient life partner, known to the intrepid audience of my '05 journal as: "She-who-knows-me-best-and-still-loves-me." (Or sometimes just "She-who-knows-me-best", on those occasions when the second half of that equation may be in doubt.) She, too, will have license to "chip in" on occasion, as the spirit moves her. And here, also (actually, here ESPECIALLY), the wise reader will pay no heed to whatever mocking or subltly disparaging remarks she may offer, as I'm sure they will not be intended to be taken seriously. Right, Babe? RIGHT? Well, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.Soooo, that's about it. That's the plan. I can't wait. This is going to be so much fun!UNQUOTE