PLEASE COME IN. COFFEE? TEA? DANISH?

So as you can see I've made a few changes around here -- spruced things up a bit, rearranged the furniture, put on some mood lighting. I hope you like it. If I can figure out how to do it I'd like to have some nice quiet music playing when people arrive, perhaps some ambient waterfall signs (note to self: make sure the bathrooms are clean and there's plenty of hand towels and toilet paper). If I could manage it I'd install and app that offered continental breakfasts for all visitors. Wouldn't that be nice? "Welcome to my blog. Have a coffee or tea -- we have a nice sampling of herbal teas. Do you want a danish? How about a muffin?"

Honestly, that's how I feel. If my blog were a real place in the physical world there would be snacks and comfy couches. Flowers would perfume the air. I would make my library and music collection available to all visitors (I only ask that you wash your hands after eating a danish before you pick out a book) (Note to self: Make sure there are moist towelettes and/or plenty of hand sanitizer available.)

I've also cleaned up at my other place, mdjacksonart. Again if I could manage it there I would serve snack, perhaps some nice cheese and some wine while people wander around looking at the artwork which would be framed nicely and hanging on the walls. The room would be temperature controlled so that it would be nicely warm but not too much so.

The internet is wonderful for reaching so many people, but I sometimes miss the personal touches that make interaction with others so wonderful. How can this virtual blizzard of electronic pulses that go from my computer to yours ever replace a warm handshake or a welcoming smile? How can pixels, no matter how artfully arranged, replace a genuine laugh at a well-told joke or amusing remark? How can it stand in for the genuine warmth and conviviality of a face-to-face gathering?

It can't at all and that's the truth of it. Having this blog has allowed me to meet and interact with so many wonderful people and I can imagine what it would be like to meet all of you in person, to swap stories and laughs, to break bread together. If I had a bucketload of money I'd throw a big party in a wonderful location and you all would be invited. The party could go on for days with people dropping in, leaving for a while then coming back. What fun we would have!

Until then that is just a dream, albeit a wonderful one. And even though I can't offer drinks or hors d'oeuvres, I will try to be as welcoming and courteous a host as I can to all visitors here.

I've been here and there. I've drawn a lot of pictures. I've written a bit, too. I'm not good at this self-promotion thing. Look, you want to know about me? just visit these websites. Okay?
www.mdjacksonart.weebly.com
http://mdjackson.deviantart.com
http://community.imaginefx.com/fxpose/mdjacksons%5Fportfolio