Wow. Fray is two. And I'm forty-two.

I'm swept by a wave of nostalgia so strong that my hands shake on the keys and I'm having trouble typing. It's true: LIFE GOES BY FASTER AS YOU GET OLDER. I lived in Santa Cruz for 11 years, and if I was still living there, instead of Portland, Oregon, I'd probably be in the City right now with you guys.

It's tough to compact all these things into a year-it's fitting, I supppose, that the Grateful Dead's "Touch of Grey" is playing in the background as I write this.

It looks like I'll be getting my wish: I've never been able to call Portland home (dynamic, beautiful place, but it doesn't belong to me), and I've missed the Bay Area almost from the moment I left in '93. I got a chance to return for almost the entire Summer last year and re-connected with friends and places from San Francisco to Monterey. The Monterey Penninsula pierced my heart with a desire to return that did not diminish over time. I returned this year (after a very cold, grey, wet Winter in the Pacific Northwest) to the the 25th Monterey Historic Auto Races at Laguna Seca. Drove over to the beach at Asilomar with friends and there I stayed - hardly anyone else was there; I had a sketch pad thatI carry with me everywhere (about 6x8) and a few pencils. The light was perfect, and the fog bank was hanging just behind me over Pacific Grove. The ocean at Asilomar is this amazing clear azure color-the beaches at Monterey and Carmel are completely different colors. I sketched a 20 yard swath of coast and in the process, felt the bad energy from all the recent changes just slide away. The decision has been made. I will return to the Central Coast. I am home. Happy Birthday Fray. Party on, Derek. I'll see you for number three.

Gregg {dalecure@teleport.com}

Well I wish I could be there to "make it real." Kansas City is far away but the Web makes it closer. Because of this medium I can play, at least, a small part in it.

What a great year it has been. Openness doesn't come easy for me but in a wonderfully strange way, what I've learned on the Web has encouraged me to be more open and honest. Not the least of which, being more open and honest with myself. To best illustrate that, my wife told me a couple of months ago that she notices that I share with her more than I ever have before. It may sound cliche, but the best gift I can give anyone is myself. At least as far as my wife is concerned.

You see, I've always tried to take all the experiences in my life and make them "real." After all, what good is it, if we don't take what we learn, and apply it in our day to day lives.

Now where's the Amaretto . . .?

Thanks alot Derek. Happy Birthday, {fray}.

Vince Vaughan {vince@onlinepress.com}

I moved five times and drove across the country twice. I finally bought a bookshelf. I had a cigar, and began to enjoy coffee. I visited prison.

Ben shaved his head, and I returned the gift. I was on the Jerry Springer show. I tried not to enjoy it.

Happiness became Sunday mornings of coffee, a good newspaper, Coltrane, and a long-distance telephone call. Happiness was a front porch with cheap beer, good friends and Wisconsin bratwurst. Happiness was good company on a fire escape.

And despite these lessons, I put them on hold for a job, which so far has taught me another important lesson: Quality of life is not always measured by income bracket and square feet.

Congrats on another year, D. Sorry I can't be there to celebrate: I have to work. And this, friends, is the story of this year.

Luke {lukeseem@stardot.com}

Integrity will get you through times of no money, better than money would get you through times of no integrity.

Without freedom of speech, there's no individual expression.

And on the web (thanks to sites such as Fray), we have freedom of expression. There may be attempts to stuff the genii back in the bottle, but it's over. We've won.

And thus one can say to many (if they're interested in hearing ;-)) whatever one feels is relevent, interesting, and exciting.

As Fray's been a pillar of this respect through freedom of expression (as long as you answer the question) I'd just like to wish Fray (and the crew behind it) the happiest of second birthdays.

May Fray live forever!

Brian Zisk {zisk@well.com}

At this same time last year, my life was much more different than I will ever be able to believe. My father was near the end of a long fight with cancer. I was going into a new school year with no friends to pull me through it. And I thought I would be a filmmaker when I grew up, even though I had never made the attempt to make a film.

A year later, my father is gone, but still more present in my mind than ever. And through his love of books and poetry, I've learned to acknowledge the power of ideas.

I now have a group of friends that have taught me that the only mark we make on this world is the effect we have on others.

And now I'm not so sure I want to be a filmmaker anymore. In fact, I'm not sure what I want to be at all. And that's the best part.

Happy birthday, fray.

Geoff Gresh {macman@bway.net}

I've managed to spend the last year relearning the basic lessons in life. You know, the ones you already have the answers to. The ones you assume yourself far past learning. As expected, the (basic) lesson that hit me the hardest was who your friends are. Who comes creeping out of the corners of your world to help pick up the pieces with you. How far they will put themselves out to do so amazed me.

Now I am simply me again. There has been a cleaning house of all of the misery I attempted to hide my heart in. I've back to school (didn't I take the SAT…um…15 years or so ago?), quit smoking, quit my job, and heaven forbid gotten myself engaged. Best though, I found a new love in art. Self-improvement is exhausting. Maybe I will take a break now.

I have thanked Derek, now I thank everyone else. Often I visited, finding small comforts in the words and lives of others. Look, I've even tip toed out of my heavily criticized "observers position" and… em….wrote something. Thanks all.

Karyl Ayne {ksep@geocities.com}

I succumbed to the almighty dollar this year. More so than any other time in my life.

I let petty things and people get to me. I became one of them for a while.

I'm contemplating a move that will change my life in a powerful manner. Hint: it will probably include the buying of a mini-van one day.

For the first year in my life, I let my personal art and direction fade while I kowtowed to those who got what they wanted. I ceased to argue the merits of artistic integrity over the whims of the artistically challenged.

I made two new real life friends this year.

I renewed a long lost friendship this year.

I lost a friend this year.

I spent another year with the woman I love, and the woman who loves to argue with me.

And through it all, I still managed to: be somewhat creative; be more free; discover more about who I am; realize what really is important in life (this one's ongoing); read a lot of important books; expand my personal knowledge; piss more than a few people off; and most importantly, I managed to keep just a few around me smiling, including myself.

Happy second Derek...

Mark {mark@spiffle.com}