Do you remember Chat Roulette? When it used to be the hype and everyone would get a kick of seeing who would be on the other end? I do. I remember seeing a lot of random things... people lip syncing, people partying, people from half way across the world... and then some other not so nice things I don't want to mention... and a lot of dks. So many dks.
The funny thing is, I actually started chatting with someone on there - and we have stayed in touch for the past 8 years.
No joke. 8 whole years.
I remember it like it was yesterday... I was bored out of my mind from hours of studying and decided to hop on the then-popular chat site to see which other lonely souls would surface. After a bit of trolling, I was stopped by the phrase,
"You have such gorgeous nails.".
Not really a line to win most people over, but I had just had a manicure that day and my self-conscious yet egotistical young adult self was hungry for all the compliments she could get. (That and some Ramen noodles on a college budget... but I digress...)
Ironically, he was a teacher at another institution half way across the country, so we actually had some pretty interesting conversations about the topics I was studying, what I planned to do when I graduated and general management philosophy. It was the start of a beautiful, weird online friendship. We added each other on Skype and continued to chat now and again and exchanged e-mails. The correspondence continued on which ranged from philosophical, to racy (he and I would exchange tidbits about our encounters) to the completely mundane.
I learned about his troubled relationship with his wife and how he would peruse the ads on Craigslist looking for the next thrill. I would tell him about my complicated love life, how work was tough and how things started to get a little crazy when I ran with the wrong crowd. We shared intimate details that on one else would know. In a way, we were each other's pen-pal-like confidantes, if that makes sense.
I had the opportunity to meet him for a few beers years ago when I was passing through his city. It was actually kind of cool to meet the person who I had been talking to for the past few years face to face. Just like our e-mails the conversation flowed easy and it was like talking to an old friend.
Fast forward to about 3 years ago - the most ironic thing happened... I moved.
To his city.
And oddly enough, I am still here (for now, that's another story). We still meet up, of course, now and again when our schedules aren't too crazy. I just find it funny how such a random connection could last so long and have always wondered if there has been anyone else who has experienced the same thing, and also wonder how much longer we will remain friends.
I'll post in another 5 years and let you know.