I remember the early '00s with IRC chats and building friendships through bullshitting and joking into the wee hours. For the early internet days, THIS was the world wide web, where you can meet and share with people from any kind of life, from anywhere. The real world bias in physically judging someone wasn't there, and you built the online persona of who you wanted others to see - people were accepted, or ridiculed, on that merit and as such my social skills were sharpened while I learned a lot more about the world than I would have just hanging out in my relatively small town. Insights about other cultures, other countries, and about other people's experiences were made available that I wouldn't otherwise have had. But socially, this was THE place where a lot of epic times were had, and we learned about drugs, people, and life....then shared that knowledge with new friends arriving daily to the thriving community on the web. That era was a favorite memory of mine.
Then things progressed with meetups irl, where a lot of strong bonds were made. The idea of jumping in a car with online friends (and relative real world strangers) for a 4-7h drive and weekend stay at a hotel wasn't insane. Well, maybe it was, but it was the kind of therapy and growing up that meant a lot to me with the chance to really get to know some of these crazy people I loved beyond a screen name. Sharing hotel rooms for a weekend, attending an all nite show like Starscape (sober, or usually not) with these folks, and watching the sunrise....Good times I'll keep with me forever.
Sometimes, these irl meetups didn't need an event, it was just one of us opening up their home for whoever could make it, and having 20+ people crashing on couches or whatever to just share a weekend with friends and loved ones. Hell I've been a part of BL weddings and seen some of those friends now with kids on their own. Even if I'm not in touch with those folks as much today - our lives evolve, we marry adn move away, change jobs or lifestyles - those people are forever in my heart and a part of who I am.
These are some of the best parts of my life, and they are colored with the people I've met here on Bluelight.
