The One with the World Wide Web

When I was in college, I was introduced to some new things that for a long time I didn't want any part of. I eventually succumbed to the peer pressure. I started looking at the internet and emailing.

It all began shortly before I graduated from college. My mother, brother, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, everybody was cc'ed on one big email, planning a trip to Pensacola for my graduation. It was so much fun--everyone replying to all with their witty comments, planning menus, routing their trips to Biloxi--and it all revolved around me! This was my first emailing experience. I would go to the campus computer lab between classes and sit at a giant computer under fluorescent lighting, reading my emails and doing that silent laugh that isn't so silent. You know, the one where you sound like you're doing Lamaze exercises while your shoulders shake violently.

Anyway, the point is that I have come a long way since then. I currently have 8 email addresses, 2 instant message addresses, 2.5 blogs, a Facebook account, and about 150 items spread out in virtual shopping carts across the vast, vast internet.

My favorite part about the internet is that it allows me to keep in touch with people so well. And with Facebook, I am now keeping in touch with people that I didn't even know that I knew! The other night, however, was a new internet first for me.

By pure luck, my brother, sister, and I all ended up online at the same time. They graciously invited me into their instant message chat, and we spent an hour catching up over a glass of wine. We looked at pictures, made jokes and basically acted just like we did when we were kids, all in the comfort of our own homes (for some of us many, many miles away). Thankfully, I don't have to go to a computer lab anymore, but I still caught myself doing that convulsive-looking silent laugh. But this is definitely the best use of the internet yet. Who cares about online banking, directions, converting quarts to gallons? For me, it's all about getting together for a glass of online wine and staying close despite the distance.