Can't wait for my birthday either (April 10th... I'm just saying...) **g** I have a MySpace page but I've never done much with it and I forget to check it. I'm fairly computer and internet savvy but setting up the page seemed more difficult to me than other things I've done. Maybe you just have to be under 21 to understand. *shrugs* I love those ClustrMaps. Last year ours was covered the world over. Just don't get too upset when they reset it. All your dots will disappear. :-( Hope you get your 500th member in the alloted time! We'll break out the cyber-champagne.

Marilyn, I love the icon you use for MySpace. It's so classic! You're right, I'll be crushed when they erase my little red dots. I've become very attached to them.

Ok, you've got me. I went and opened a MySpace page and it was pretty painless. Now I've got to make it look nice. I visited a lot of your "friends" sites and they are amazing. Thanks for getting me into the 21st Century!

So many of my friends have a My Space page, but I've been avoiding it. It's enough I'm addicted to email and blogs. Isn't Marjorie Liu gorgeous? As well as smart and talented, of course. :)

That's so sweet of you, Barbara (and you, too, Edie). Happy New Year! PS: And if there's anything you guys are interested in me talking about while I'm in China, let me know!

MySpace Muppets Unite!!!! Seriously, I fought MySpace. Rowena Cherry insisted I do it. She prodded until I finally gave in and I cannot thank her enough. I have connected with Bobby "Boris" Pickett before he died; The Brothers' Four, a 60's group that did one of my favourite song "Greenfields"; am now a friend of Elvira, who won't reveal her secret with the tassells; William Shatner and William Peterson(but he might be Bebo). Even found a long lost cousin! I have made good friends, have had fun and it's all FREE. Simply amazing!

Deb McG flashed email through one of the yahoo groups (obviously we're both in it) with info about your 'quest' for friends on MySpace. Thanks for the opportunity to send you vite/invite. My sentiments about MySpace are similar to Marilyn's (hers is the first comment) I sweated bullets doing my page all the while not quite grasping why I was doing it or why I 'needed' it as quite a few of my writer-friends insisted. And, like John Travolta said in one of his movies (think it was Broken Arrow) - I don't know what the big deal is. I really don't. All my friends also belong to my groups so that's where I 'touch-base'with them; have blogs - that's where I chat and argue with them; and have emails - that's where I say helpful things to them and otherwise. So, I really don't see the big deal about MySpace...or Facebook to that matter. My kids though think it can only be rivaled by aliens landing on Mouth Rushmore. Happy New Year and best of everything you wish. Edita.

How exciting for Marjorie to see her book on display in a foreign country. I checked out her blog and love the video clips of everyday life in China.

Barbara, I'm honored to be your friend on MySpace.