Another dose of doubt, and a seal of approval

Tonight, in in the car, on the way to a cafe where I was going to plug away at the dissertation and AR was going to decorate some graphs about with strange symbols for a deadline tomorrow (that's about all I understand about his job: he studies machines, makes graphs about them, then goes around he world to convince people his graphs are better than theirs), I asked him again why he was concerned about this project.

The answer, it turns out, has nothing to do with the manifold ways in which I would certainly end up burdening, bothering, badgering and otherwise bedevling him by going offline for a year.

Instead, he was worried that if I shut myself off from the world, the sacrifice wouldn't be worthwhile in terms of lost time, opportunities and income.

As usual, he has a good point.

But then, at the cafe, I got this email from NLJ, my sister's boyfriend and the one who suggested this project in the first place. I sent him a link earlier to the previous posts, with this subject line:

my new blog. it's still totally under wraps. what do you think??

 His reply:

Roxi-

I think this could be a huge hit! I think you need to do it. Set up your email for an automatic response explaining your position(i.e. I am w/o internet for 365 days, you can write me at the following address, fax me here, or call me here). Bring back the hand written note in full force. Your blog posts would have to be written on a typewriter and transcribed online by someone allowed to use the internet(i.e.a group of confidants that would assist you(FYI, I'm in). 
You could explain the inconveniences, impossibilities, frustration, joy of being disconnected(Ok, that's a little far fetched, but who knows).....there's just too much good stuff to write about.  I see a book deal. DISCONNECT!!!!

Of any assistance,

N

He also has a good point. If someone else was daft enough to go offline for a year, I admit that I would want to read about it. I would definitely stare at her, study her, with that special mix of fascination and repulsion we reserve for the most opaque and senseless of creatures. I'd swear I could never be that person, never like that person. And then I'd bookmark the site and check it every day.