I've been doing this online journal/blogging thing for a long time. I started my first journal in 1999, when there weren't all that many people doing this.
Over the years I've had many opportunities to meet fellow journalers/bloggers. I'm happy to report that each time has been a delight. (I won't bother to post links to those meetings but if you're so inclined to scour the archives of my old journal you'll find them. Many of those people have either stopped journalizing or have moved, or changed names, or something else.)
I've recounted each of my exploits, except one case of really bad manners where I fail to talk about meeting the lovely Carol, but Chuck does that here. It was all that and more and I actually got to sit next to Carol and chat with her and I think I'm the only one at the table that got to do that. (She does have lovely manners.)
The Evaporation's are a far too infrequent constant in our lives, but separately and together, Steve, Viv, and Amy are people well worth knowing.
Last night presented yet another opportunity when my real life collided with my online life, when Chuck, Zoe, and I met El Steve, and the lovely GraceDavis and her entourage, for dinner.
We bloggers/journalers sat at one end of the table and at the other end were Grace's totally cute and sweet hubby George, stepkid Jenn, biokid Molly (who prefers Mollie) and Zoe (who informed me last night at dinner that she now spells her name with two dots over the e). I was able to participate in conversations at both ends because I sat in the middle.
It was a wonderful evening. I adore GraceDavis and wish she lived closer to me. I would like to spend more time with her. She is as sassy and funny in flesh and blood as she is over at her site. And her actual voice sounded just like what I expected it would. Her girls are beautiful and poised. And as I said before, her hub is totally cute and charming.
Grace took pictures, so did El Steve. I promise I'm much cuter in person than I will be if either of them posts those photos. Grace can attest to that.
As a blogger you only know as much of me as I let you. And I know that is true of everyone else out there who keeps an online journal or blog. Reality is often improved (or overdramatized) by about 30% (to quote El Steve, a little out of context, but it applies here) because it makes for a better story.
So you don't really know what you're gonna get when you meet someone and they're no longer just words on a screen, but an actual, three dimensional, flesh and bones person; and there's interaction, live and in person, instead of well thought-out and oft rewritten in posts and comments.
It still boggles my mind that through these pages and the thousands of others like this, that bonds are created, friendships are forged, and lives are intertwined. People from around the world and around the corner can meet in a way we never could have imagined 10 years ago.
Something to be very thankful for.
Posted by beth at November 27, 2004 01:14 PMI think you are right about the value of these friendships. I wrote something about virtual friendships a while back here - http://www.alittleisland.com/little_island/2004/07/virtual_friends.html
Posted by: Little Island at November 28, 2004 11:51 AMDoes Zoe pronounce her name "Zoey"? The Umlaut over the "e" is pretty cute, although give her sort-of an ominous uber-ness to her personna. (Say "ominous uber-ness" real fast at it even heightens the effect.)
The German pronunciation of her name with the umlaut would be very odd. I'd have to do it in person and if I did she might change her mind about it! LOL
Posted by: Jim at November 29, 2004 09:03 AMIt's pronounced Zoeeeeeeeeeee. Her new best friend, the other Zoe, has the umlaut hence the recent fascination.
Ominous uberness, ominous uberness, ominous uberness....ok, will not be saying that, it's hard enough to type.
Posted by: beth at November 29, 2004 09:17 AMBeth is, as we would dreamily say in junior high, "a stone fox." Will post evidence of Beth's, Chuck's, Steve and Zoe's cumulative stone foxness v.soon.
Thank you for the kind words, O Bethra.
Posted by: GraceD at November 29, 2004 06:24 PMBeth (hearts) GraceDavis.
Posted by: beth at November 29, 2004 08:22 PMFound you from Grace's page. Next time she comes to L.A. I wanna know about it ahead of time. You all sound like interesting characters.
Posted by: Stan at December 1, 2004 11:24 AMWe're really not all that interesting. We're just written that way.
Posted by: Chuck at December 2, 2004 04:50 PMIt's unanimous - I'm lovely and have good table manners. Yea!
I've poked around GraceD's blog a bit and must concur - she is eminently (heart)able. And Grace is completely accurate when she calls Beth a stone fox.
Chuck, darlin', y'all are interesting. Accept it. Embrace it. Make mad, passionate monkey love to it.
Posted by: Carol at December 3, 2004 07:25 PM