Completion of My First Month
Well I have completed my first month of online chess. It's been a blast! I've chatted with new friends and truly appreciate the UNRATED GAME. 
It's given me some time to relearn fundamentals. The training is awesome. Can you imagine my confusion watching my first online webcast between a couple of masters? I was totally lost. That's right their play was so fast I was unable to comprehend any mentality to the moves. It was a very humbling experience.
Then one of my new friends online told me: Don't worry about it, just play and have fun. He was right. I don't have to be a master to have fun! That has to be the most important thing I've learned during the last month. I noticed in the online master match the disturbing comments accusing someone of cheating. The Master playing kept telling people: "He is not cheating." "Stop talking about it!" Yet the chatter continued. I found that to be sad. "Here were two awesome chess players, in an educational match and the focus had switched to conversations about computer programming people use to cheat at online chess." That reminded me: I'm playing for fun and friendship with new people.
I've learned a lot this last month. In addition to fully acknowledging why I was playing, I also learned how little I know. Time and again I found myself admitting that I had no idea of a plan beyond a couple of moves. I lack any sense of direction and have decided to make that my primary focus from this point forward: "I will develop some kind of focus, leading to an end-game, win or lose I want a plan.
With all the resources available, I predict: my new friends will help me become a better player and I will realize a whole new world of insights that come with developing an attack for bringing the game to an end.
I've also volunteered to keep two games open for new unrated players, to help welcome them as I have been welcomed. I am a little dissappointed that I won a couple of those games waiting for the new person to make his first move and time ran out.
