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I am again in the process of evaluating and defining just what it is I want to accomplish with this column specifically, as well as my home page in general. My reason for this is three-fold.

First, my enthusiasm is waning. Over a year has passed since I learned the rudimentary HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) which still forms my pages. This is mostly due to the lack of a need to do anything differently -- if it's not broke don't fix it. But, while it may not be broken, it could be made better. Complacency leads to stagnation and a stale, static, home page.

This column, for example, works fine. I make sure to verify that all of the links contained within my stories work at the time of publication, but what of it's appearance? Should I do anything with colors or fonts? I don't know. You tell me. I've been doing it the same way ever since I started.

The second panel of my tri-front quandary is time. as I explained last week, I will have some time on my hands come November and I am thinking ahead to what I can do during that time to improve my cyberspace home. Although I will have time in the near future, I may not have the time later on. Come January, I may be too busy to keep up a weekly column as I hope to be in school and that will have to be my highest priority.

When I set out to write a weekly column I wanted to see if I could keep it up for at least a year. That year is nearly over and I will definitely reach my goal. I am unsure, however, whether I want to go for another year or not. Perhaps a less demanding monthly schedule would be more realistic. But I have plenty of time to decide since I have decided to maintain status quo for the remainder of 1997.

The third and final question involves the efficacy of my writing. Am I producing the desired results?

The answer to that is sometimes yes and sometimes no. At first I drew enough complimentary responses to signify an encouraging "yes," but the feedback I've received lately suggests otherwise.

An email from a complete stranger who, after reading 9 or 10 of my essays, asked "All your articles are so filled with bitterness or anger, do you not find time to write about the beauties of life?" She then went on to say that she too is visually impaired along with other physical problems but chooses to see the bright side of life. While I was, at first, a little upset by what I considered a misinterpretation of my outlook on life, I realized that this is exactly the type of feedback I both want and need. I sent back a reply thanking her for caring enough to write.

Although it feels good to be praised, it is the negative criticism from which we can improve ourselves. I want to see if I can somehow draw more such feedback.

If you haven't already guessed it, this column is a blatant attempt to do just that, produce comments from you, the reader, which will help me to enhance my little corner of the web.

Overall, I am proud of what I have done with this electronic medium to-date. It is time, though, to re-think my approach, and I need your help. I'm too close to the subject (me) to be objective. How am I doing? What can I do better?

One thing that I am currently working on is a newly designed header to precede my future "Thoughts." I am in the process of writing the text to be displayed by clicking an "about" button. The same may be warranted for other sections too, including my home page itself.

For now, I am only thinking about other possible changes, but be on the lookout for modifications and please let me know what you think.