During winter break of 1998, I lived on campus with few friends around, no money, lots of time, and, best of all, my roommate's new computer. I found myself spending most of those dreary winter nights online, exploring the new world that, until then, I'd had relatively little experience with. I went to chat rooms (I know, I know...), played endless games of Acrophobia, and finally, miraculously, surfed into Allura Ellington's homepage and since-then-discontinued online journal. From her page, I found myriad other beautiful and intriguing pages and journals, names that are familiar to web neophytes: Water, Glassdog, the Fray, Soulflare, and so on. Something in those pages touched me the right way, making me realize that I wanted to, needed to, create in this medium. The unique way in which stories can be told here on the web is a source of wonder and inspiration for me, and I can only hope to contribute to the wealth of individuality and creativity that can be found here.