Reminiscing About the Internet

Do you remember the things you did when you first started using the Web and how it has changed your life?

It took me a while to catch on to the internet. I even had a direct connection in my dorm room for a year in college and didn't use it at all (my roommate, a pre-med student, did). Before I sent my first email, I remember I used to give my friend Lisa money to email people for me.... she was on Compuserve which charged a certain amount per email (ridiculous if you think about it now).

It was my boyfriend Eric (who was a Freshman when I was a Sophmore), an electrical engineering major at UNH, who introduced me to the internet and helped me create a web site. I thought the concept of having my very own page online pretty cool, and I remember I just had to learn how to do it. Eric taught me HTML from scratch (which actually helped me to get my current job because it was kind of a rare skill, not needing an editor), since there weren't any editors back then, and whenever I had questions about how to do something, I'd ask him. I also had a book on writing HTML, which I still have in my bookcase.... there isn't much in the book that still applies, but its tattered and well-used, and I don't really have the heart to part with it as it brings up fond memories. I actually owe a lot of my computer related talents to Eric...he was the one that started all the interest in that stuff. I think I spent more time working on my web site and sending emails than studying for my courses.

Once I started emailing in 1994.... that was it... I was forever hooked. I remember my first email was sent on a no-frills UNIX terminal in a computer lab. Back then, whenever I emailed someone in a different country, the email would take hours to get to its destination. Email wasn't always instantaneous like it is today.

As great as email was, I find it sad that handwritten letters are almost unheard of now, and I used to send them all the time when I was younger. At one point I had over 30 pen pals from all over the world. I shudder to think of how much I spent on stamps and packages in those days.... but there was definitely something a lot more personal and special involved in getting something in the mail. I used to practically babysit the mailbox everyday waiting for letters. There were days that I would get ten or more letters... and it was so fun and exciting to open them and respond. Most of the pen pals I had were creative or artistic in some way... so each letter and envelope was like a work of art.

To this day, whenever I have the opportunity to hand-write a letter, I try to make it special... with some creative lettering, rubber stamping, or drawings/doodles. Some people have told me they've kept my notes because not many people actually try to make them look unique.

It also means a lot to me to get something thoughtful and handwritten, since it so rare these days. I tend to keep it, even if its a short note about something simple and unimportant.

I still have a huge collection of letters I've received over the years, which prompted me to start my online letter gallery: http://www.starfirescircle.com/lettergallery.html

I'll be putting a lot more up there as soon as I have the time. My first love, Brian, who was originally a Pen Pal to me, decorated all of his envelopes - and I really want to put them up on the site for people to admire and enjoy.