Not long ago I spent the better part of a work week reading e-mail I wrote and received between September 1997 and June 1999.

I have compulsively hung on to all my e-mail. Here is, I hazard, the first e-mail I ever received, from my dear college friend Rachel:

Date: Wed, 23 Oct 91 22:35:37 CDT
From: rachel marie fumia
To: krb1
Subject: jean paul sartre and the fall of rome

dearest kenneth, i have received your messages. you are not much of a talker
but i love you anyway. jackie says hi. jackie's mailfokenneth, this is
totally fucked up for some odd reason. are those bugle boy jeans you're
wearing? love from fumi