IT obsessed,

To my mentors, Caryl, Peter and Luis Alfredo,
Writing is a hobby which I kept on the back burner when I was employed.  Then I wrote reports, chapters in books, keynote addresses, etc.… As soon as I retired from the United Nations I started scribbling stories, irreverent anecdotes and travelogues.  Brazil and the south of France titillated my inspiration.   Peter invited me to post my articles on his website http://www.the-languedoc-page.com/.  He gave me web exposure.  I never worried whether my articles generated hit traffic!  Peter never cared either, he would upload them no question asked.  I was one of his literary guests.
English is not my mother tongue but I relish the additional challenge and rewards of writing in this acquired language.  French, my native language is not a language for beginners.  It has strict rules and complex codes and doesn’t come to me easily any more.  Moreover, I can’t compete with my articulate French friends who eloquently write about their activities and tend to dismiss everything outside their self-defined norms.  One of my friends has even released a real book sold on Amazon.com.  To write in English is a safer way for me.  It is the lingua franca of my globalized playground.  Last but not least most of my French speaking friends read English, mine in particular.
My New York friend Caryl played a central role in facilitating my literary pursuits.  During all these years, she has been my patient and considerate editor.   A brilliant “track change” wizard, she helped me polish my rough sentences to ensure that they made sense to English-speaking readers.   Caryl may lament that in spite of her steady editing, I still haven’t fully mastered the art of English punctuation.
Finally, my buddy Luis Alfredo, who shared with me an earlier addiction to minerals stimulated my interest in one-way blogging.  He recently launched a blog celebrating luminaries like Keats and Proust.  Ex-geologist and present day “bon vivant”, Luis Alfredo gave me my boarding card to the blogosphere.
Three wonderful friends to whom I owe a mega byte debt of gratitude.
IT: Information Technology.