The excitement of the new — my silent majority

I am always thrilled when I get an email or comment from someone who writes to say they've been reading boj for years but never before made themself visible.

I realize most people don't have the time or energy or desire to do more than glance at something and have never found fault with those who choose to remain quietly anonymous.

Still, it makes my day when someone new says "Hi" and stops by and leaves a message.

Makes me appreciate even more the stalwarts who make it a regular practice to put themselves up there in the comments bar.

You gotta admit: there are very few other sites where you can leave an anonymous comment and get your name on the homepage.

True, only the latest 10 comments and their authors appear there but it's almost always for 15 minutes or more.