When I first mentioned that I wanted to create alliances with other bloggers, The Odd Mix e-mailed me almost immediately. He likes the idea. So. Today I am introducing him as my first alliance.

The Odd Mix is a man who is madly in love with his wife ... as he reveals in: How I found my forever love. (I'm still hoping for the wedding story.)

He solves life's challenges with a dash of the mischievous. Check out the poor goat down near the bottom in Pictures, Primarily.

He knows how to keep it real: 101 Odd Facts and You wouldn't know ...

He knows how to admit when he's wrong. I can just hear how this converastion went ... Mr.OddMix: It's a beefalo. Son: It's a Yak. Mr.OddMix: It's a beefalo. Son: It's a Yak. Mr.OddMix: If that thing's a yak, I'll blog that I'm wrong.

He's a man with a dream and a plan: Burry those slippers, Toto.

And he knows how to make a person stretch to view their world in new terms. If you are into photography and writing, you must check out The Odd Mix's Weekend Words Challenge.

Finally, I want to point out that The Odd Mix allows deeper questions to surface and be pondered.

In Pondering today, Mr.OddMix asked "... when do I say I know you?" He was speaking to everyone who reads his blog and asking them to define which conditions exist before we can claim we know a person. I bloggled my way through a comment that turned into an essay and ended up saying, "When you know a person's stories. When you know what defines their joy and sorrow." (very paraphrased)

But then in explaining it to my husband, it dawned on me that, in perspective with the whole post, Mr.OddMix's real question is in the middle of the post.

My heart breaks for AT who has lost his love. My heart breaks for his sons who have lost their mother. And it breaks as if I knew them well, for I have been getting to know them for two weeks, though they don't know me.

So here's the question. What does it mean when I say I know you?

And then a little further down he asks,

"Must you know me in return? Can I know a person without being known."

What I hear you asking, Mr.OddMix, is this: "Is this strange new way of "knowing" people legitimate?"

First, I want you to know this question has probably been asked since someone created the first pen-pal system between "strangers." I can assure you ... it was asked when email groups were created, and then IM's have been thoroughly questioned, and forums, and now it's the blogosphere's (and social networking sites') question.

Second, having lived through all of the above systems, I want to assure you ... it's real ... it's legitimate. Friends and acquaintances and experiences shared and gained through the Internet are extremely real. Interacting with people on the Internet has Real-Life consequences and directly affects how we interact with our spouses, children, friends, even our work.

Your reaction to AT's loss is as real as if he were your neighbor because he is your neighbor. You may only wave during the good times, but ... it doesn't mean the sad times are phony.

In Real-Life, you'd still show up to give a helping hand in a crisis. You wouldn't avoid the whole situation and say "Oh I only wave to him in good times. I don't really know the man." And, just fyi, in real life, the grapevine acts as the Internet. So, you would know your neighbor's story.

Mr.OddMix, remain real in your writings because, yes, you are creating real-life impact. And we need men of good character teaching with their lives ... because you never know when the next old or young person is going to stumble into your life via your blog and be encouraged to keep trying ... just simply because you manage to keep trying.

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