The internet is pretty cool (I hope it is not just a fad)

I was recently pondering the wonders of the internet. It is quite amazing, when you think about it. If you are watching a movie and see someone who looks really familiar but you just can't place it, just open up your laptop, go to IMDB and voila! mystery solved. Gone are the days of those inconsequential questions looming in your brain and bothering you for hours. Have you ever gotten into a heated debate over song lyrics? Does Michael Jackson sing, "Annie are you, ok, are you ok, Annie?" or is it "Eddie are you ok, are you ok, Eddie?" Debates like these can destroy friendships. But with the wonder of the internet, you can simply Google it and avoid said catastrophe! Writing a paper for school? Forget old, dusty, encyclopedias, we now have an ever growing and changing wealth of information in Wikipedia and as Michael Scott once said, "Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject. So you know you are getting the best possible information."

One of the aspects of the internet I find incredibly intriguing is social networking. Talk about making the world smaller! Facebook has connected me with just about everyone I have ever known in my life. If I want to know what Little Sammy from 3rd grade is up to, I can check out his Facebook and find out. In fact, just today I saw a post on one of my friend's wall from a guy I had a huge crush on in 1999. I literally haven't thought of him in years. I was able to see some photos of his wife and child and find out what he has been up to in the last 12 years. WEIRD! One time, when my friend was in labor, her husband posted regular status updates from the delivery room until they had their baby. It was like a play by play of the birth with baby pictures not even an hour after the baby was born. WEIRD!

Does anyone remember MySpace? (It was that thing that everyone used before Facebook) The thing about MySpace was that it was more public, at least in the beginning. Anyone could see your page. Consequently, I ended up meeting quite a few people through MySpace. I went on a number of "blind dates" (still single, so clearly none of those worked out) But I actually met a few people who became my real, genuine friends! In fact, I still have a couple of friends that I am pretty close with that I met on MySpace back in 2006. It doesn't seem weird to me but when I really think about it, it IS kind of weird that I have some friends that I have known for five years who genuinely know me and have walked me through the up's and down's in life and vice versa. Yet, I have never actually met them.

That was until last week. My friend, Tom, from Colorado, came for a visit and I got to meet him after being phone/email buddies for five years. It was cool (and kind of bizarre) to connect an actual person to a voice on the telephone. There are so many mannerisms and unique things that make up a person that you can't see over the phone. Apparently my voice makes me sound taller than I am and I do a little "head-bobbing" thing when I talk. (which now, I am a little self-conscious about - thanks, Tom) We had a really fun time hanging out and I think it is pretty awesome that I am friends with someone from Colorado who I never would have met had he not randomly stumbled upon my MySpace page years ago.

Yep, the internet amazes me. I love the random friendships I have made and it makes me wonder how many awesome people I am missing out on because they live in another part of the world. It makes me excited about an eternity in heaven; think of all the relationships we will develop when we are not limited by time or space. WEIRD!

P.S. Chris, I know you read my blog... you know it is your turn to come visit now, Florida isn't THAT far away! :)