TheBanyanTree: time passes...

[Sachet]

When I began my life online, it was with a 286 computer, DOS, and a 1200 
baud modem. Lag and I sauntered hand in hand and getting booted, along 
with the tedious process of logging back online, became second nature. 
None of that mattered one iota though, because I was On The Web.

In February of 1995 my local electric company inexplicably and 
surprisingly mailed out floppy disks with a letter stating that if I 
installed their Ripterm program then I could go online to "talk" to 
other people on the BBS (computer Bulletin Board Service) along with 
sending email and accessing Usenet groups. All of which was foreign to 
me, but wonderfully intriguing!

Once I talked to the Sysop and set up my account I logged on to the 
server and discovered another human bean was already there! My first 
ever person to talk to online and he was allllllllllll the way in Ohio. 
'Twas mind-boggling! <g> He typed, I saw his words and I typed a reply. 
Magic, incredibly compelling magic! We asked each other every single 
question we could think of during those first few months. Then we got 
brave and began to explore the world together.

Since Ripterm didn't lend itself to browsing and my little 286 couldn't 
handle Windows, we stumbled across "talkers" (telnet talker/chat where 
people from around the world can meet and chat). Everything was in ASCII 
code. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_code] Basic, yes, but very 
effective and efficient. When we logged onto Forest (a talker based in 
Oz) it was like landing on the moon. Aussie's to talk to! There I was on 
my computer in SW Florida and I was talking to people clear across the 
world! What a rush! The learning curve for Forest was steep. I printed 
out 30 pages of commands and help files. Because I couldn't just type, 
like on the BBS. I had to preface everything with a specific command.  
As I learned shortcuts it was much easier to type, but with lag 
averaging 4 minutes, it was not necessarily any faster. So MANY commands 
became second nature and Forest was my home base online. I became a 
resident, with a wonderful group of friends from all around the world. 
ASCII art abounded and when colors were introduced I was in ASCII art 
heaven. It took time to create images, that were saved as "rooms", but 
it was fascinatingly rewarding nonetheless.

Then a friend from the local BBS introduced me to The Scout Report, 
which led to Spoon. My first email list. Spoon opened up the world of 
writing. And introduced me to all the other fledgling writers, who of 
course swore that they were not. <g> We've journaled, posted simple 
renditions of our days, exchanged insights, grieved, anticipated major 
life events, celebrated, and sent a bounty of poetry and prose...all the 
time learning more about each other in unique and treasured ways. Spoon 
ended and The Banyan Tree began....a sad departure in one aspect, but 
seamless in all the ways that mattered.

After Forest crashed and Spoon friends became more real, I discovered 
IRC (internet relay chat) and that was much faster. But there began a 
new addiction as Paul & I were compelled to write commands for mIRC. 
Online special effects with a rainbow of colors and amusing sound 
effects. Startling chatroom friends online became an art form of which 
to be very proud. <g> That led to learning HTML and creating our first 
web sites, without a WYSIWYG. I was so thrilled to debut my first web 
page. My gosh, did I load on the midi's and animated graphics. Live and 
learn. <g>

Then came POWWOW, ICQ and finally AOL Instant Messenger. My nicknames 
varied between Sachet, AlphaMariposa, AlphaButterfly and Babs. Each with 
it's own meaning and jampacked with memories.

The best aspect of going online has been the people. People who were 
mere intangible words on a screen became close friends and beloved 
family. Many I've been fortunate enough to meet face-to-face and we've 
exchanged hugs and shared laughter. Always, always there is laughter 
when we gather together.

Eleven years next month and I cannot conceive of how different my life 
would have been without the addition of online communication and the 
people I've met here.

It's almost incomprehensible that I have yet to meet my first online 
friend, face-to-face. How can that be? Although, we know what each other 
looks like (digi cams were a welcome and wonderful addition) and we know 
each other's voices. Still...some day soon we are determined to add that 
last touch of reality.

Meeting an online friend of many years is the most fascinating 
experience to me. You *know* them, from the heart, and all about 
your/their kids, jobs, day-to-day stuff and dreams for the future. And 
with video or digi cams, video cell phones and the ease of calling, you 
often know what the other person looks and sounds like. But it takes the 
meeting face-to-face to make all of these separate dimensions fit 
together so effortlessly. I always avidly watch the other person's face, 
listening intently to their voice, and reading body language as I make 
all the fascinating facets become so tangibly real and my friend is 
forever, indelibly, defined as the special individual that I knew them 
to be.

It's a treat that I always anticipate with great pleasure.

...Sachet