This is my first-ever blog entry. You'd think as a professional writer I would've started blogging ages ago. But after spending 8-10 hours every day in front of a keyboard and monitor writing, I usually find myself doing anything else but writing once I get home. Who knows, maybe I'll get addicted to it. Now that people can actually find my blog by just browsing Google maps on this cool YourLocalBlog network, I might actually get a few curious passersby.

This network is brilliant because of all the mapping features that are built in, it encourages people to write - and read - about the real-world community around them. For instance, today I went to a car wash down the street (Click on my Stories Map link to see where it's located) and instead of just happily rolling on through, I talked with the attendant, who was an incredibly hard-working fellow who looked to be in his early '60s. I asked him where he was from, and he said "Syria. Do you know where that is?" "The Middle East?", I replied. Considering the current tensions, that's probably not the most comfortable thing to admit, so he quickly added that he was Christian. He proudly proclaimed, "I speak Aramaic -- first language, Jesus!" Wow. What a cool find -- it's not every day you run into someone who speaks Aramaic, especially not at a car wash. The only time I heard Aramaic was in the movie, The Passion of the Christ. He then proceeded to teach me a few words of greeting. I was springing for the deluxe wash this time around, but I didn't know it would come with a free lesson in Aramaic :).

Anyway, this is the kind of chance encounter I'll probably be blogging about on my local blog. Oh, and guitars I guess, since that's what I call my blog. "Guitars and More" -- nice and open-ended. Just how I like it. Well, this blog thing is kind of fun, afterall. And since it's easy to find on YourLocalBlog, it might get some curious blog browsers. "Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, don't be afraid. It's just a Blog. Indigenous to cyberspace, it is completely harmless. Until recently, Blogs had a way of camouflaging themselves and blending right into the 1's and 0's of their environment. But with the incorporation of Google maps into the Blog's natural habitat, blogs will soon blossom into a beautiful, brightly colored, easily navigable main attraction in cyberspace!"

Rock on.