It is a luxurious feeling being in a hotel room by myself in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The birds chirp loudly, and the programme feels elite. (In fact, the co-ordinator told us so; it must be true.) The weather is a little muggy, but nothing that I cannot handle with access to a headphone jack.

Thank you for lending your iPod. I do not ordinarily find these units useful, but these are extenuating circumstances.

Please just stop telling me about your philosophical achievements. I could tell you mine, too, but I stray away from such vainglory. It would not be characteristic to boast, and we all know how little I like overriding my dispositions.

You all seem insecure, but intelligent. This is fine. I just hope that I do not across the same. That said, I understand your situation. I can imagine the horror in being brought up in this intellectual climate.

So I do not really want to write in this aphoristic way anymore. I have outgrown it. It is not that I think I do not have the authority to make these overarching first-person reports. Rather, I am simply tired of doing so. I want to wander, and have my fingers lead me to far away places.

Like Vancouver. That is where I am getting haircuts these days. Toronto is a little far away. I live there now. The ocean is intoxicating, and I have been known to frequent a particular beach with a particular pretty girl. Perhaps you have seen me. Perhaps you have not.

I am just so happy. I do not know if you all know how happy you make me. You see, we all float in this electronic sea, and I keep in touch. I read you from various IP addresses, and from different cities, so do not expect to find me on your statcounters. But I assure you I am there. Where else would I be if not reading all of you? Whether you know it, we have all been brought into each other's dreams. I think about you. Send you postcards. Discuss matters with you at Union Square. We are on a leaderless team.

I figure that I should tell you a little bit about my electronic obsessions, because they might just surprise you. Do I really seem like the type to check blogs incessantly? Perhaps not. I am calm. I am wise. But I am also compulsive. I like keeping tabs on those important to me. It is important to me that I keep an eye on the important.

I keep track of details like a tax collector.