Thursday, June 28, 2007

My online friends

I first went online back in 1997, and I remember how way back then I was afraid to talk to anyone I happened to meet through any of the numerous multi-player games I used to play. There was always a barrage of chatter in the chat box in this one particular game that I was totally addicted to -- Acrophobia. This game had tons of different rooms to play in, as any online game does, but I always seemed to play in the same room every time, as well as many other regular players.

Slowly I managed to get over the fear that talking to strangers was not a good idea, and I'm so glad I did. I have three very close friends that I'm still in contact with from that game, and a whole lot of memories of other friends that came and went. Two of my friends are in the US, both on opposite ends of the country. I've had the pleasure of meeting one of them, and her husband when they came up to Niagara for a few days. I've yet to meet my friend in California, but I know I will one day. My other buddy I've met several times, as it turned out she lives in my home town! She wasn't from their initially, but moved there a few years after I moved away from home. Needless to say I always hook up with her for dinner, drinks and a good gab session when I'm back home visiting.

The thing about developing a friendship with someone you've met online, at least for me, is that meeting them in person for the first time is unlike meeting anyone else. My husband was with me the first time I met Daphne when we were out west visiting my family, and he's not at all interested in the computer, the Internet, or any of this wonderful world! However, he knows me well enough to know that I'm a very shy person when I meet someone for the first time, so he was totally blown away by the way Daphne and I just started gabbing like we were long time buddies, yet we had really only met online a few months prior. Same thing when Denise and her husband came up from Massachusetts. Denise and I are very close friends, and it took about six years before we ever actually met in person. Naturally over that time period I had even come to know her husband, from talking to him on the phone whenever we call each other, so again, there was nothing awkward about our first time meeting. And one day I hope to be able to meet Marilyn in California. She's a busy lady these days though, with their family business taking off like gangbusters the past few years. So I'm thinking maybe we could do a girls weekend trip to Vegas or something, and all meet there. We all know each other, so it would definitely make for a fun weekend!

Olivia

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