Matchmaker, matchmaker …

I have had a personal Web site since 1995, but it has only been since February 2000 that I have maintained a weblog. Prior to that my site was mostly a glorified “about” section sprinkled with bookmarks disguised as content. One of the features of my old site was a list of friends—many of whom I had met in online chat rooms—who traded live music and included links to their tape lists and a notation on where they lived.

However, as my web design skills increased, I eventually decided to clear up the clutter, find my voice, and join the Blogger Revolution.^TM I wasn’t chatting any more, and with the exception of a few friends with whom I still maintained contact, I didn’t communicate with many of the people on my taper’s page.

So it took me by surprise when my friend John’s girlfriend, Erica, told me that they had met because of my taper’s list. Erica told me a beautiful story about how she had found my list of tape traders, and contacted John to ask if he would record a few shows for her. John, being the sweetheart of a person he is, complied with her request, but rather than simply popping the cassettes in the mail, they made arrangements to meet. John and Erica were married in December of 2000, and at their wedding they made a speech thanking me for my role in their love story. It touched me deeply.

John and Erica’s love story came to mind because lately I have had reason to wonder if I am somehow being rewarded for my role in their lives. Recently an online—and real life—friend introduced me to the woman with whom I want to spend the rest of my life. I can’t thank you enough, Skarlet. You may not have known what you were doing when you invited Sarah to Atomic that night, but I certainly appreciate that you did. Thank you.