An Introduction

the first article/essay in the book

      Sometime during the nineties, I started writing an editorial column in the hopes of convincing the local town newspaper that it drastically needed more than pictures and short notes about local events, especially sporting events, to maintain readership. The editor completely agreed with my presentation and then flatly stated that the ownership of the newspaper had no interest in editorial columns. I had put a lot of thought and time into the four columns I had used for the presentation and really did not want to just toss them into the garbage can. I was an avid user of the internet and, at the time, was playing an online game that encouraged social interaction (Neopets). When I complained in our weekly chat session that I did not know what to do with my columns, several members of our little community asked to read them. As I was emailing the articles out to those that had requested a chance to read my writing, I added in a few close friends and family to the mailing list.

      Runa’s Ramblings, in the beginning, was a weekly online column. At the end of each column appeared the following:  “Runa’s Ramblings is an online editorial column that contains the musings and insane thoughts of the author herself. No one else can be blamed unless the article was forwarded to you by a friend. If you do not wish to receive any further commentaries, please contact the person who sent it to you. If you would like to be a part of the First Wave Recipients, please contact the author at runalindi @yahoo.com (now gmail).

      When Facebook became a popular method of sharing on the internet, I created a Facebook page that housed the still�"in-existence articles (some columns had disappeared into the ether during a computer switchover). At that point, the column had ceased to be weekly and was sporadic. However, the column still went out via email as well, with the following addition to the bottom-line statement: “If you would like to add your own thoughts or argue any points, please join us at the Facebook group, surprisingly titled Runa’s Ramblings.” For a few months we had some interesting discussions started up by the subject of my column and I basked in the glory of being a self-published author.

      Then, as is likely to happen, financial needs required me to take on a new job which in turn left me little to no time for hobbies, which is what Runa’s Ramblings, in reality, was. When I finally quit that job, one of the first things I revived was the weekly column, but once again it grew sporadic and I realized that many of my readership were simply not as interested anymore. The Facebook page disappeared without a complaint or whimper and I concentrated on the new book I had envisioned. Again, finances required that I take on more work to pay bills and again the column disappeared altogether. Lately, it is starting to show signs of life, like an ember buried under warm ashes. Who knows if it will ever be more than a sporadic outpouring of my latest thoughts again, but it is alive and this is a compilation of the existing columns, hence the title.

      In preparation for this compilation, I re-read each column, changing each to a newer word processing filing system, repairing errors that neither I nor my readership had caught before, setting every column to the same format and font, and in a couple of cases, adding comments. Likewise, to make the compilation available as inexpensively as the original columns, it has been necessary to switch to a completely different file saving format. I apologise if any of this has led to strange spots in the articles themselves. For some reason, it is no longer necessary to add a hyperlink to email addresses or URLs and it is difficult to remove the automatic hyperlinks that the newer word processing programs automatically insert.

      To American and foreign readers: I am Canadian and have only a limited understanding of what it means to be a lifetime resident of another country. I often refer to concepts that are much different than similar ones in your country. The best example is the American government’s refusal to use the metric system. Another is the differing statutory holidays from our country to yours. Please be patient with those concepts, and if necessary, send me an email allowing me to gain a better understanding of your reality. As well, I mostly use Canadian spelling for certain terms and a lot of Os are followed by Us before Rs. Some Canadianisms do not translate at all and for that, you will have to accept my offer of a place to stay while you gain some insight into them.

      As always, my columns are my creative property, but you, the reader, are welcome to share them as long as you give me credit as the author and provided that no exchange of money or scholastic credit is involved. As I always say: I write to get the thoughts out of my head so they will stop hounding me as I drive my bus or try to fall asleep. Once I have written them down, I let them have a life of their own and allow them to go where they may. So, enjoy!

 

Love and laughter, Runa