In the end, I’m glad I sorted out that Facebook thing.
For the most part, I thought of Facebook as the home of countless teenagers with nothing constructive to do. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to get sucked into the whole thing, because it was just one more distraction to keep me from doing more constructive and creative things. However, Facebook really proved it’s value today when one of my wife’s friends from her college days in Sydney, Australia sent her a friend request. Not only that, but an hour later they were chatting on the phone and gleefully catching up.
Her name is Yonna, and she’s one of my wife’s friends whom I actually got to meet when I was in Sydney during Christmas of 1998. I got to talk to her for a bit today as well, and it was cool to hear how she, her husband and their young son are doing. They live in Canada now, and we’re now thinking about taking a drive across the border to meet up with them the next time we visit my hometown in Michigan. The thought of getting together with friends and seeing a whole new side of Toronto sounds like an excellent time.
It’s kind of fun to get a glimpse of what actually having a social life is like, and makes me all the more interested in a potential move to Texas where we would have built-in friends and activities to do. I’ve long had a habit of making myself deliberately obscure, which Yonna joked about today: “I found your Wolfenstein website, but it said ‘I would prefer that you didn’t contact me’!” Touché.
A few nights ago I went through Facebook casually and located several of my own friends from the past — including Dave, the auto enthusiast who now races a Subaru WRX on dirt tracks and is a fan of the WRC, and Charles, my childhood best friend who I drew comic books and made recordings with. My anti-social and self-deprecating tendencies have thus far conspired against my contacting them, but having witnessed a pretty cool Facebook-fueled reunion today, I think that will be on my agenda soon.
It’s funny — I think I acted a lot like a closeted old man in my youth, but the older I get, the more interested I become in youthful pursuits. Admittedly, I may be using the spectre of a move to Texas as a springboard to a better, more social and engaging life more than anything else. And you know what? As an excuse for restructuring your whole life, it’s not half bad.
Edit: I found this old photo of myself, Apple and Yonna in Sydney, Australia, taken back in 1998. I look ridiculous.
Jim-bo.
JIM-BO.
JIM-BO!
Salamander!
(Also, it’s funny that Apple’s friend found your Wolfy page, when we were kinda discussing that community and stuff over Twitter the other night.)
Ha! You know, I tried searching for him. But with a name like “James Miller,” and given that I don’t know where he lives now, I didn’t have much luck. He’d be one person I wouldn’t mind talking to, unlike say almost all of our high school classmates.
Speaking of which, I did find “Doch!” guy. He still goes by the same nickname that used to bother Miss Kelly so much.
…And I’m sure you immediately friended him!
EDIT: These donuts from Happy Garden suuuure are tasty…
The Donut-own I had earlier was pretty good, too!
MOOHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Yep, I shot him a friend request and suggested that we get together for some nostalgic shouting of “Die bell hat gerungen” and “Misthaufen.” It’ll be just like old times. Wait, no it won’t, because I wouldn’t give that guy the time of day much less a friend request.
I would normally be jealous of your foodage, but we pigged out on Thai food and sushi tonight that was utterly DELISH. MMMMM. (No doughnuts, though.)
God, you are such a baby in that photo. I can’t believe I let you go all the way to Australia by yourself…what kind of mother am I, anyway??? LOL
He will always have a baby-faced:) I think you are a good mother to let him go all the way to meet me. We wouldn’t have had a 10-year anniversary recently!