not this oj! well, do what you want but this oj is not, as it happens, my facebook friend.

last night, my father justin (f2fb friend #30) flew in from tallahassee and he made dinner for me and my facebook friend #306.  i never would have thought this would happen, not just because i never thought i’d meet friends 31 all the way through 306, but because last february when i first met justin as part of my facebook project he had experienced a psychotic episode precipitated by a combination of drugs he was being prescribed as part of his treatment for cancer.  go back and look at those blogs.  they’re brutal.  it wasn’t a good visit.  however, this visit is to last a week and so far, it’s just great.

my friend oj dorson drove up from the city where he works as an IT specialist for a law firm.  he had an exciting idea. . . and he started with a question:

what had i ever intended to do with this blog?

i realized that mostly i wanted to capture the friendship experience, to chronicle what i had done mostly for the benefit of my two sons.  children rarely understand their parents so i wanted to create something to let me be more understandable to them someday.  and i wanted to rid myself of some demons, put some closure on some experiences, test the boundaries of possibility.

then he said he had some particular magic — some might call it software. OJ (facebook friend #306) wants to help me create a book which would chronicle last year’s visits to all my facebook friends.  think of it!  an e-book wit embedded video and photographs. . . !  and you can do this with your blog as well!  think of whenever you started to chronicle what your journey was about–think about putting that together.  now–don’t you want to know my friend oj?

in honor of oj's presence, justin cooked chicken l'orange. he roasted some chicken pieces in olive oil. took the chicken out and set it aside. put a can of orange concentrate into the pan, with a little paprika for color. stir gently. put the chicken back in. serve with rice. modestly accept praise.

my facebook project has blessed me with new friends like oj, with a greater perspective and tolerance for the world and also has allowed me to gain peace with some of my life.  with the help of my facebook friend #306 oj dorson i might also create a book!

tomorrow:  facebook gets me a job and eight extra children!  maybe it can do that for you too!