Well, this weekend I’m driving about 6 hours away to a different Northwest city to meet a good friend whom I’ve never seen in person–unless you count via our mutual friend’s webcam. Ah the age of the internet!
I started out hating the internet. As a late teenager, early twenty-something, I was pretty much a hippy. Plus, all I saw of the internet were dorm-mates wasting their time chatting in AOL chat rooms, while I was out meeting new people and experiencing the world of Berkeley. I did use email but very sporadically and I’d wax poetical about the evils of using the internet to have a social life. Now of course, I have two very good friends, both of whom I met on the internet.
So what happened? Well, I firmly believe in synchronicity, call it God, call it the Force, Fate, whatever. But somehow we all meet the people we need to meet no matter what and who knows, the internet may very well be that medium. Now, to my defense, I didn’t meet them in chat rooms. I met one, “Lionel” on World of Warcraft–neither of us play it anymore. I met the other “Carrie” on a poetry critiquing forum. Somehow, we all became fast friends.
Interestingly enough, my boyfriend at the time really befriended “Lionel” because he was younger and going through some tough times. “Lionel” even came to visit us. Then, after our poetry brought us together, “Carrie” was interested in meeting my other internet friend who lived in the same city she did. I introduced them via instant messaging and let’s just say the rest is history. Now when I visit them they have been sharing an apartment for the past year. It is really amazing though to be witnessing “Lionel” grow up via the internet.
