About a year ago my wife wanted to leave me. I learned that I wear a mask, and so do most people. I endeavoured to learn what was behind that mask.

With each layer I peeled away over the course of the next several months, All I found was another mask underneath, and I began to wonder if that's all there is. If maybe people just wear masks, and if maybe that's not such a bad thing.

About a month ago my father passed away, and I looked in the mirror and I didn't see the mask anymore. Now I'm wondering where it went.

I look back on my writing of the past year and have recently realized that my attempts to communicate with the outside world via the Internet have been rather one-sided.

I used to wonder, why can't someone like me have a place on The Fray? The answer is because I haven't submitted anything. I mean maybe a submission of mine wouldn't be accepted, but I'm not going to know that if I don't try, eh?

On September 25th, my little mask on the Web will be one year old. I hope it makes it to two.

Happy birthday, Fray.

Zach Garland {zachsmind@yahoo.com}

Unless you can include an increasing need for love and an explosive outpouring of hostile cynicism part of growing up, well, then I haven't grown in the last year. Ever more inwardly dynamic and outwardly timid I have to continue to invent my own existence as nothing new has been invented in my life by anyone else. Ever since leaving school a year ago I've been damning the word 'graduation' and longing for silly yesterdays. The real world isn't real. Anything real couldn't cause such intense pleasure and intense pain at the same time. My insides are at extremes while my outside is a lesson in monotony. I wish there was a story to tell, I don't want to get old, I want to get young, so many stories stem from years ago, so insignificant the occasions, so real the experiences.

Happy Birthday Fray - thank you for keeping it real.

J {heydicky@hotmail.com}

In this past year I have been forced by many things to come to grips with who I am and where I am going. I now have to carry on all the lies and deception that I've caused. I've lost a few good friends and lovers, gained a few new ones both ways. I have decided that I am going to live another year.

starr madison* {firebird_34@hotmail.com}

when i discovered the fray, i was amazed.the web was being used for something personal and beautiful. and it was something i liked.

this year i discovered the fray. this year i lost some friends. in the last two years, i made a webpage. i learned a lot. and i'm discovering who it is under this clothing. it's me.

*deeANNA* {QuietPlume@aol.com}

This year I finally quit the teachers union. I had enough of being a hypocrite and paying money into a political group that I couldn't stand.

So I just quit. I put my paperwork into the system and I no longer have to get information from the NEA, the NJEA, the MCEA, or the DEA. Its just such a relief to not be apart of the union. Now I can just teach the students and not have to worry about how many minutes of prep time (read break) the teachers get. Its great- I'm a teacher... not a union member.

Bruce Cattanach {bcattanach@iname.com}

In the past year I have met the woman I am going to spend the rest of my life with. SO, in a way, I had a birth(like) day too. Happy birthday, fray!

guigrrl {am2is@hotmail.com}