Internet Friends

I have been on the internet since Dec of 95. We got the computer and my husband signed up with MSN so I started using the message boards. That was fun but I really hated how long it took to get replies back. I had very limited knowledge of computers. I soon found out every time we logged on it was a long distance call. The phone bill ended up being $1800.00!! Then my husband hooked us up to a local isp, but I had lost my message boards and I didn't know what to do!!! Well as he was playing around on the internet he down loaded MIRC an internet relay chat.

I was so shy, I didn't know what to say and there were so many rooms to choose from. One day I wondered into a room called The Mirc Lounge It was a help channel for newbies like me. I met so many wonderful people there!! Marv and Mouse the owner of the channel and his wife. I met PSullie,Rota, JJTX, Bluey^,Pentium,Taxi,Carrot, HP Drifter, to name just a few. I couldn't wait to get home from work to visit with my new friends. We would talk way into the night. We laughed and joked, but if someone had a problem people were there that cared. One of the really great things was if Ihad a question on how something worked on the internet or my computer I had people that would teach me. They never made me feel stupid. If I asked my husband he would act like I was the dumbest person in the world. After my husband and I split up, it was these people I would turn to when I had problems and they listened and gave advice. I had the computer for a couple of months after I split up. That is until my ex broke into the house and took it. The police said it was legal because we weren't divorced yet. I was crushed, how would I talk to my new friends?? This was my social outlet being a new single parent I didn't have very much money. A friend from the area would let me come over in the evenings and use her computer to chat with my friends. It just wasne't the same. but at least I had some contact with them. Then about a month after I had been without a computer I came home and there on my computer desk sat a computer with a big red bow on it. These wonderful people had chatted together and decided to build me one. Parts were sent from all over to Marv and he put it together. JJTX down in Texas called and set up an ISP for me. he had a hard time explaing he was paying for it from Texas but it was for someone in Idaho. All I had to do was connect it up. My friend that let me use her computer to chat was in on it. She had brought it over and unpacked it. I must admit I just sat there with tears running down my face.

Well there I was back with my new friends. they were all so wonderful and supportive.

How often we hear all the bad things about the internet how the people are all phony ect.. I admit there are some bad apples, but there are also alot of people that are very good. One day I was in the chat room and ask if anyone knew of a home remedy for an ear infection, it was the weekend and I didn't have the money to take my son to the emergency room. Marv and Mouse sent me the money that day by western union so I could take him. My son was having alot of medical problems plus he was having a hard time with the divorce. My ex-husband and I had a verbal aggreement that he would pay for his private school cost every other month, and I would pay the other months, Well I found out in Dec, his check for Oct had bounced and he never paid for Dec so I was told he wouldn't be able to come back after the holidays unless I could come up with the money. I just didn't have it. and knew I would never beable to come up with it that time of the year, I was telling one of my new friends my frustrations, and bless him he sent me the money to keep him in school. When my son was in the hospital to have his spleen removed people sent flowers and cards and get well wishes. People I have never seen face to face.

I started visiting a channel called The Texas beach House, alot of the same people were there. The Mirc_Lounge was a learning channel so they had rules about using popups. Well thats a type of art and when you learn to use it you want to use it all the time and some can be very big, The Texas Beach house was a great place to use these. and you could be in both rooms at the same time. I met even more friends there. but because of time and live as we do with any friends we tend to move on. I didn't have as much time on the computer as my children started getting older and were involved in more activities at school. I still keep in touch with some of my chat friends through email. I miss chatting with them daily. Now I build web pages and I belong to internet groups. I have met some more wonderful people through these groups. We have what are called egroups that we use. It is an email program that you post through the groups. So everyone can read your post and respond. We share laughter and tears.

I guess I wanted to do this page because there is so much negativity about the internet and the people on it. I wanted to share that there are wonderful people on here also, people who care about others not because they can see them with there eyes, but because we feel each other with our hearts.