Midnight Train

I have Suzanne Vega's song "Tom's Diner" stuck in my head. I heard it on the radio this morning, and I knew that it would be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. I like being right!
It has been a full couple of days - hence, the lack o' blogging. I also attended Thursday night's presentation of "Why the Web Matters" with David Weinberger. There are great "live" accounts to be read over at Tripp's blog and AKMA's blog, as well as good comments at Jane's and Mark's. Much of the post-lecture conversation involved a discussion around on-line identity: what does it mean to "be" on the web? what does it mean to "know" someone on the web? is this the same kind of "knowing" as face-to-face knowing? No, of course it isn't the same. Its not the same with people you know in "real" life, and its not the same for people you've never met in person. If it were the same kind of relating, why would we be experimenting with all these different ways to connect online? The conversation reminded me of some chats I've had with a non-Seabury friend. She is moving home this weekend, and has discovered that she now has three "homes", in three different states. Each place is very different, and fills a different part of her heart. For some, this kind of segmented life could lead to a person who is never at ease in one place. For her (and me, as I learn what it means to have more than one home), these places make her a more complete person. I feel that way about on-line relations. I am able to express myself in different ways, to know others in different ways, and those interactions have changed me. Unfortunately, they seem to have changed me into someone who stays up way too late! Goodnight y'all.