When we think of a starting point, we tend to imagine somewhere clear.  Zero.  But let’s face it. My starting point was 1984. Not zero. This blog has started today; its starting point is 2010. Not zero either.

This brings me to one of my favorite quotes.

We are like sailors who on the open sea must reconstruct their ship but are never able to start afresh from the bottom. Where a beam is taken away a new one must at once be put there, and for this the rest of the ship is used as support. In this way, by using the old beams and driftwood the ship can be shaped entirely anew, but only by gradual reconstruction. – Otto Neurath

This blog is an online representation of a certain Masafumi Matsumoto.  Since there are a number of people with the same name, I suppose, I want to give you some clues in narrowing down which Masafumi Matsumoto I am.

Having said that, however, I sense most people who read this blog have never heard of anyone with this name. If you happen to be one of such people, that’s great; I can be lazy and stop worrying about how I should introduce myself to you. You can remember me as that guy with a long, strange name (and perhaps I should give away another fact about me: My name was taken from the name of a famous Japanese baseball player, whose nickname was, by the way, Blue Thunder).

But the real trouble begins when you feel like shortening Masafumi to Masa for the sake of convenience. There are many with that name.

This Masa, whose blog you are reading right now, is mostly amused and sometimes absurd. Now you know this much about me. I say that’s enough for a starter.

If you keep reading on, you may find out who I am. A better way for you and me is to keep in touch with one another, though. That way, you’ll get to know me and I’ll get to know you.  That’s how we skip the beginning and get to the middle of somewhere. Don’t you think?