ROVIN'
AND RAVIN' WITH MIKE
Brought to you by Peanut.org
"Mike who?" you may wonder, and why should you care where he roves and why he raves? Let's take that one step at a time. "Mike who?" Since for 35 years, Michael has been the most popular boy's name in the United States, that can have many answers. Specifically, Michael Segers--teacher, restaurateur, poet-wannabe, and once a terrorist at the United Nations. (At least, that was the opinion of five of the largest security guards I have ever seen, but that's another article.)
I've roved around this old world a bit and around cyber-space as well, raving all the way, while I've met a lot of interesting people, picked up a lot of useless information, and delighted in good food, bad movies, beautiful plants, odd animals. A few years ago, I wrote a series of columns about Peanut.org for local newspapers, which earned me praise for playing so convincingly the part of someone who knew nothing about computers. The truth, however, is that I was not playing. My convincing voice of a simple mind was simply that--the voice of a simple mind.
Now, in a new series of columns, which will go directly to the Peanut website (no trees were killed for the production of this article), I'll take you along, not only on my rambles through cyberspace but also on my peregrinations through what I'm old fashioned enough to call the real world. Check in to learn about films (in the theaters or on video), websites and even books (for other old fogies such as I) that have brightened my life, and can brighten yours. I'll introduce you to some of the most unforgettable people I've ever met: from my grand old writing teacher (don't blame her for any of this, however) to the parents of a young Marine killed in Vietnam. And in other articles, I'll share information that intrigues me, on topics ranging from dinosaurs to medicinal herbs.
(Note: This column, the first of this series, was written and posted in February 1999. As it turned out, I did write those columns, so I have added the links to the articles. The Internet, it seems, allows us to move around in time as well as in cyber-space. - July 2001)
Most of all, I hope you'll feel you are joining me as I rove, and you'll feel free to rave along with me. The joy of writing for internet publication is that, as that wise old Canadian Marshall McLuhan said (although he did not live to see the 'net), the medium is the massage. Not the message, the massage, the rubbing together of minds. So, we may create the first massage parlor in cyberspace.
Having grown up in Sylvester, Georgia, the peanut capital of the world and the home of the first community freenet in Georgia, I hope that I can share with my readers some of the special pleasures and benefits of life in a small town in Georgia, a small town with increasingly strong connections to the rest of the world. So, wherever you may be, gentle reader, welcome to the peanut fields and cypress ponds, the dirt roads and pecan groves, that I call home. Kick your shoes off, and let me hear from you.
In every article, I'll share with you at least one World Wide Web site. Since I have talked about rovin' here, let me refer you to the Lonely Planet--maybe the place to start your own roves. Just choose your country (for school, travel or day-dreaming) and follow your cursor to unexpected adventures. Till next time, keep your feet dry and your heart full of noble thoughts.
What happened with Rovin' and Ravin'? How about some more Online Adventures?