Author Archives: Deborah Khuanghlawn

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What’s in a name?

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I am pretty lenient about a lot of things. But I have one hard rule that 99.9% of the time I will not back down on.

Never call me Debbie. NEVER.

If you ever meet me, you’ll soon find out that I refuse to be called Debbie.

The first time you do it, I’ll let it slide once. I’ll just assume you made a mistake. Even then, I’ll give you a look. It doesn’t matter who you are. The second time you do it, I’ll correct you. You do it again after that? I won’t respond to you. To quote Rumpelstiltskin, “That is not my name!”

My parents named me Deborah after the judge in the Bible. It’s gone out of fashion as the years go by. Other than one other girl I met in college, I don’t know a single person my age or younger named Deborah. Every other person with my name has always been older than me. They also spell it lots of different ways. Sometimes I wish I had a different name. Deborah seems very boring and combined with my middle name, I either have a 50’s housewife name or a very Jewish name. At other times though, it’s unique and I do sometimes like the fact that I am usually the only Deborah because then people know and remember me just by my first name (especially since spelling my last name is extremely difficult).

However there are many people who also go by the name of Debbie.

I do not.

Forgive me to any readers of mine or who come across this that go by that nickname. I’m sure you are all very nice people and I hold no ill will to you at all and I hope you are not offended by this.

I however am not a Debbie. A Debbie to me is a very peppy, very preppy 80s cheerleader name.

Or:

Or

Or a grown up film that includes a city in Texas of which I will not reference here because I don’t want Google search keywords finding it that way.

I have never been a Debbie. Even as a little kid, I also corrected people who insisted on calling me that. I never have and I never will be.

There is only one exception I have ever made to this rule and it involves two of my very good friends and their adorable baby. I’ve allowed them to refer to me as “Aunt Debbie” for him. I basically lost the battle with this but he’s so cute that I’ll allow it. But no one else gets this. Not even when I have future nieces and nephews of my own.

Interestingly though, I will allow Deb as a nickname. It’s not preferred but I’ll go along with it.

It just think it’s funny how people will just shorten your name without your consent. It’s one thing if you introduce yourself as Mike instead of Michael. But it’s another thing if I start calling you that without you telling me it’s ok to do so AND after you tell me to call me Michael. I realize that to some people it’s a small thing that they probably don’t care about. But to me, your name is your identity. And if someone respects you, they should follow your wishes when it comes to something like this.

My point is that my name is not Debbie. it’s Deborah. I would be pleased and honored if you called me by that name.

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All For One: Recapping The Musketeers

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Two months ago I posted about how I was going to be covering The Musketeers for Entertainment Weekly. I was a bit excited yet apprehensive about covering the show. The first show I had done was kinda meh and did not have a large audience at all. This new show I thought would be more enjoyable and with a slightly bigger audience but was it really people’s cup of tea? Would anyone really be interested in it? Would I really enjoy it?

Two months later as we approach the season finale on Sunday night, I’m going to miss this most awesome show until next year.

MusketeersSwords

 

If you’ve been watching the show (or even if you haven’t), feel free to catch up on my recaps on Entertainment Weekly. I also really enjoy comments (hint hint) so if you’re catching up, even ones on older episodes would be great!

A lot of people don’t have BBC America (which is going to be a pain when Doctor Who starts up again on Saturday) so I know that it’s not as accessible as shows on network stations or basic cable. Which makes me quite sad because IT’S SO GOOD that I feel a broader audience would be great for it.

However after talking with folks on Twitter and Facebook, I have yet to come across a person who started watching this show and disliked it. Everyone I know who has had the chance to raves about The Musketeers.

Why have I enjoyed this show?

  • It’s a historical action-adventure drama. Period pieces are my favorite genre to watch.
  • There’s humor. When the writing is on point, there is some incredibly witty and hilarious dialogue.
  • There’s sword fighting. Which is the best kind of fighting.
  • There’s hot guys. And all so very different so you can and choose!
  • It’s a lot of fun. It’s really one of the best shows out there that you can sit back and just enjoy yourself.
  • You don’t have to think TOO hard while watching but you don’t have to sit there and feel like you lost brain cells after it’s over.

Because I enjoy the show so much, it’s been actually a bit hard to recap it properly. I fangirl so much while doing it that I have to leave things out and not do so much OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes my recaps are too long but it’s because there’s so much that’s happening and it seems hard to leave things out. My notes are mostly illegible even to me because I’m constantly having to write down everything and then going back to see how something isn’t really that important.

Peter Capaldi is leaving the show because he’ll be starring on Doctor Who which makes me a bit sad because I’ve really enjoyed his character. He plays him to perfection and I’m going to be wondering what they’ll do to him on Sunday night to replace him. This is a video of him, not acting, but I laughed a lot when I watched it.

If you’re a fan of the men, then you’ll definitely enjoy this video.

It’s been a bit hard to interact with the show and actors on Twitter even though I’m recapping it. The show originally aired in the UK earlier in the year, and while BBC America is promoting it heavily, since you CAN look up to see what happened most of the anticipation is gone. Plus three of the 4 Musketeers (plus Capaldi) don’t have Twitter so that’s been a bummer. I have been retweeted and favorited by several of the actors so that’s been encouraging. Though to be honest, I’m not sure they actually read my recaps. Still I’ll take what I can get.
MusketeersTwitter

There are some issues in the show that I find a bit troublesome. I’m not a fan of some of the historical anachronisms such as Milady walking around in public or that some of the female costumes seem a bit too modern. Also, while I know that having affairs was commonplace during that time period, I really am not a fan of how Constance handles her relationship with D’Artagnan and also with her husband. I think (as I said in my recaps) it’s more to do with how they’ve portrayed (or rather NOT portrayed) their relationship and I feel like there’s a lack of a story. It’s also really funny that there are other relationships that I (while again I don’t condone adultery) the chemistry of the characters makes that relationship so much better.

Blips aside, I know that I can’t wait til next year when the second season comes out. I hope I’ll still be covering the show but at the very least I’ll be watching as well. If you’re going to be watching the season finale on Sunday night and are on Twitter, come find me (@beatccr). Hopefully I’ll be livetweeting while watching or at the very least tell me what you thought!

Also…if you’ve read down this far, you’ll be the first to know that the next show I’ll be covering for EW will have another Doctor Who connection. I’ll be recapping Selfie starring Karen Gillan and John Cho. More coming on that soon!

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We Come Running

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Hopefully by the time you read this I will either have completed Week 3 Day 2 of Couch to 5k or I will be about to start it. I swear all my posts aren’t going to talk about running but because that’s what I’m doing a lot lately, it’s been on my mind. I don’t post my runs or my workouts on my Facebook though I will occasionally talk about it on Twitter. Otherwise I’ve actually been pretty good about keeping it on the down low. Why?

Because I feel like everyone else can do it better than me. Even though I’m pleased with myself that I can currently run for 3 minutes at a time without stopping seems like it would be uber lame to everyone else. Especially to all my friends who run all the time. (You can run 3 minutes? I ran 3 HOURS) Also multiple posts on any subject that seems like humble brags get annoying because it seems like people are just begging for applause and approval.

Yes yes I know. I’m supposed to be doing this for myself and not for anyone else. I know that the fact that I’ve gotten up and have been running for four weeks now is loads better than all the other people who keep saying they are going to run but don’t.

And I am quite pleased at my progress. Currently I alternate between running outside and on a treadmill. I listen to music while I run mainly because that gets me going more so than an audiobook would. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE audiobooks but I when I listen to them I need to concentrate fully and I can’t do that while running. My mind wonders and the beat of the music is good background noise and keeps me from hearing my own breathing.

I just have a feeling of being late to the game and that everyone else is doing it better than me. I’ve been reading message boards and Reddit on other people doing Couch to 5k and it’s both been encouraging and discouraging at the same time.It’s great to know that other people are out there just like me and finding themselves being able to do things that they thought they couldn’t do. It’s super motivational and I find myself getting pumped up for my next run.

But then at the same time, I feel like I’m still doing it wrong. Like for example, people talk about the number one reason why they prefer to run outside vs the treadmill is because they get bored on it. Call me weird but I don’t find it boring at all. Maybe it’s because of my weird overactive imagination but I enjoy using the treadmill. I know that running outside is better for you but sometimes I can’t do it everyday. I’m not comfortable running during rainy weather and sometimes the heat is too much for me. That being said if I get the chance, I DO run outside but some days I’d just rather head to the gym and treadmill it up.

Or the fact that I feel like I’m running too slow. Yes, I know I’m only week 3 so I still have a long ways to go before I’ll be able to do a 5k in the 30 minute range. It’s just a bit discouraging to read other people’s experience where they are running faster and still in the same time frame as I am.

I know that it’s ok to be different. I know that not everyone has the same experiences that I do and as long as I keep it up, I’m doing a lot better than I was even just a few weeks earlier. I know I need to stop comparing myself to others. I guess it’s just the feeling of everyone else knows what they’re doing, they’ve been doing it forever, and I’m behind.

Interestingly my devotional for today touched on a lot of the very things I’ve been struggling with lately regarding running and my faith. Sometimes I feel like everyone else is so grounded in their faith and they seem to not feel shaken even when bad things happen. I feel left behind because I still struggle and even though I’m doing everything I can to strengthen my faith, I still feel left behind. Even though I’m not giving up on my faith by any means lately it’s been easy to feel discouraged.

But I know I need to keep at it. I’m not about to stop just because of what everyone is doing or how they act. My faith (just like my running) is my own experience and I need to keep at it at my own pace. This devotional focusing on Hebrews 12 sums it up better than I ever could.

Just keep running. Keep persevering. Don’t give up.

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Wearing scarves in non-scarf weather is the essence of cool

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I got called out the other day that I always wear scarves. Even in the summer. Apparently it’s become my trademark.

I used to think that scarves were simply for winter. And even then, I didn’t see much point in them. They never really made me feel any warmer. And if they were to cover up your neck, wouldn’t it make more sense to put them on your neck first and THEN put on your coat? So what was the point on how they looked?

It all started about three years ago. At this point I only had your basic wool scarves for winter. I also didn’t realize that there were ways to incorporate scarves in everyday wear. I guess my image of women wearing scarves was limited to this:

But then I went through a few phases where I was trying to find my personal style. And I realized that I really liked wearing scarves as accessories. I had been wearing the same necklace for years and realized that it was time to give it up. I soon learned that they could liven up almost any outfit and with so many colors and designs they could fit a move. I’m not a big fan of my neck so this was a great way to cover it up fashionably.

Now I have at least 23 scarves. I have winter wool scarves, I have infinity scarves, I have chiffon scarves, I have silk scarves. But before you think I spent tons of money buying these, you’d be wrong. Thanks to gifts, clothing swaps, and insanely good sales, the most I’ve ever spent on a scarf is $6.

To me, scarves are my best accessory. While I do wear jewelry including lots of necklaces, I prefer the look of scarves better. You can wear a scarf for almost any occasion. It can be professional or casual. They can go with almost any outfit. While there are many websites and videos out there that can teach you how to do this, this is my go to page: How to Tie a Scarf with over 50 videos and all sorts of different ways to tie scarves.

Here are just some of the ones that I have:

PicMonkey CollagePicMonkey Collage2

 

Yes that IS a Harry Potter scarf! Go Hufflepuff! Also the red and green scarf was knitted for me. It sparkles!

Basically if you ever talk to me in person, the odds of me wearing a scarf are quite high. And if you ever find yourself in the position of needing to buy me a present, you cannot go wrong with a scarf.

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The British Invasion

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Just want to start this out first by saying I’m proud to be an American.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I am an Anglophile. I love all things British. If you’ve known me for at least six months, then you know that I have a soft spot for anything from the other side. .

Even though my focus for my history degrees were in American history, my absolute favorite history class was the one I took in British history. Actually I probably would have focused more on British history had my colleges offered more classes. Now I’m not a big fan of the rest of European history. I can’t remember most of the French, Spanish, German, etc. history that I studied. But British history, with all of its kings, battles, and culture? This is how I feel about that:

I’ve talked about some of my favorite British interests on my blog:

The Beatles

Tom Hiddleston

Doctor Who

But there are SO MANY MORE. Harry Potter, James Bond, Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Jane Austen, Lewis & Tolkien, Shakespeare, etc. My favorite actors are all British: Kate Winslet, Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, etc. Basically if it’s on Masterpiece Theater or was shown on BBC, I’ll probably enjoy it. The best done Marvel Cinematic Universe movie? Captain America: The First Avenger. Why? History and British people + comic book superheroes = BEST IDEA EVER.

It is on my bucket list to go to England one day. I do want to visit the rest of the United Kingdom, but I definitely need/want/must go to England before I die. I don’t think I could see everything in just a few days. Maybe I could move there for a year or so.

British accents are awesome. I love listening to audio books read by a British speaker all day.

And while I know how some people feel about the idea of a constitutional monarchy and I’m fully glad that the US won its independence from Great Britain, I do absolutely love learning about the British Royal Family. And Prince Harry is still available. One can dream. And perhaps write a future fangirling post.

I’m not even really going into everything that I enjoy about Britain right now because it would be too much for you. I just know that it’s a fascinating country, with a rich history, heritage, and culture that I really enjoy.

I know I’m not the only one here. What are some of you favorite British things?

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The Power (and Danger) of Imagination

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I don’t know about you but I have a really big imagination.

Ever since I was a little kid, I used my imagination to help me get through things in life. And yes sometimes I still do that to this day.

If I have to eat something that I absolutely hate but I HAVE to eat it, I just sometimes pretend that I’m on the Oregon Trail and this is part of my meager portions that I need to eat to survive.

While I’m running, when it gets really hard and I feel like I’m about to die, I pretend that I’m being chased by zombies and I just need to go a little further to make it to safety.

I read a lot of fiction and I watch a lot of movies. While I do read a good amount of non fiction, I prefer fiction because I enjoy seeing how others use their creativity.

Imagination does get me in trouble sometimes however. There’s the whole daydreaming when you’re not supposed to, like in class or in church during a sermon. Sometimes it’s hard to focus when the speaker just goes on and on about a boring subject and they refuse to attempt to make it interesting.

And then there are those times when I worry or have anxiety and I let my imagination run away with me. I will gather just the bare bones information of what I have and I will concoct a wild and crazy scenario that will probably be completely untrue. Sometimes I am right, sometimes I am wrong. Either way the thing is, I don’t know 100% what’s going on.

Sure, I can be realistic and prepare for something that could possibly happen. But if it’s something that I’m dwelling on without confirmation? It’s my imagination running away with me and THAT’S when imagination becomes a problem. Because that’s when the worry, fear, anxiety, and stress will all kick in just because I start to think something may be happening based off of assumptions and an overactive imagination. Though I will say, if you don’t respond to a reasonable amount of texts, voice mails, emails sent over a significant amount of time and no one has any idea if you’ve fallen off the face of the earth, I may start imagining that you’ve died in your house and we all just don’t know it yet.

It’s perfectly fine and healthy to have an active imagination. But you have to know when it’s real and when you’re running away with it. As long as you can tell the difference (and perhaps confine it to a certain room), you’ll be fine.

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Here’s what’s been happening since last time

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So let’s update on things that have been happening in the last few weeks.

Running – I’m on my 3rd week of running! I’m using the Couch to 5k app from C2KFree and it’s been really helpful. I made myself go over week 1 twice so that I could do a whole week’s worth of workouts without stopping so technically I’m on week 2’s workouts right now. The first day was awful. Even though I work out, I’m not used to running and I basically felt like I was going to die. But I didn’t give up! I’ve been running outside and on the treadmill. I’m not going to be the fastest runner but by George I’m going to keep at it.

Soccer – World Cup is over but I got to go to my first MLS game thanks to one of my friends. We saw DC United take on Toronto FC. Our seats was in the supporters section and those fans are intense! Be prepared to get drenched in beer if DC scores which meant I got covered in beer three times. Michael Bradley from the USMNT was playing for Toronto so that was super exciting.

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D&D – We started our campaign and I had a blast! Since we’re playing with a starter set, the story was preset though our DM tells stories very well and can ad lib on the spot. Our adventures went a little crazy because our wizard decided to go off on his own while the rest of us was battling wolves and goblins. Because of his decision we ended up getting attacked by everything in a cave with most of us basically dying before the day was over. I also now have a reputation of being a wolf slayer. There was a room with three wolves on leashes. The wizard put one of the wolves in an enchanted sleep. To save another member of our party, I shot and killed one of the wolves with my bow and arrow. And then I beheaded the sleeping wolf with my sword. Apparently it was pointless and I didn’t need to do it and I killed a defenseless animal. Sigh. I still had a lot of fun and our next session is at the end of month. We also indulged in a bacon wrapped Oreo each.

bacon

Wedding – My friends (“Lizzie & Darcy”) got married and it was lovely! I’m so glad to have been a part of it and I cried watching two of my best friends make their love for each other official. I also missed the bouquet toss and most of the dancing but not on purpose. I got roped into helping decorate the cars and it took a lot longer than we expected. I also really liked how the hair dresser did my hair. I asked for a fauxhawk and that’s what I got!

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 Via Beyond Studio

Concerts – I’m going to see Josh Groban next week. NEXT WEEK. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. There will probably be another update on that later. Since I’m going two nights in a row, I was told I should bring a sign saying “Josh! I’ll be here tomorrow too!”. I countered that I have a feeling there will be plenty of older ladies doing the same thing as well. Then I was told to add to the sign “And I’m not old either!”

And finally, my recaps on The Musketeers on Entertainment Weekly is still going strong. My latest recap was featured on the main EW.com home page!

EW

So that’s what’s been going on with me. How have you been?

 

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Jumping on the Bandwagon

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We already know I’m a late bloomer for everything. One of those things is that I get into late after the game is fandoms where everyone there has been fans for years.

It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s geek stuff, music, or sports. When it comes to those categories, I never seemed to be around right from the beginning. The one exception is maybe books but even then sometimes I’m late to the game too.

I came across this article on Cracked the other day: 3 Fan Communities That Hate Their Own Members. And it’s something that I’ve noticed whenever I (or anyone new) starts liking things well after the fact of it being established: how much people hate on other fans who all like the same thing.

I just started watching Community this past week. When it first premiered, I was at a stage in life when it didn’t appeal to me. As the years have gone by, I’ve been recommended by several people insisting I would like it. I’ve been meaning to watch it for a while but I never had access to the DVDs and it’s not streaming online. I don’t do the whole torrent thing so basically I was at a disadvantage to watching.

But once I started watching it, I loved it. I was mad at myself for not discovering it earlier. Sure I was late to the game but I could share my love about it others who did because then we’d all be fans together, right? WRONG. While I did get some positive reaction and happiness that I too now was a fan, a lot of reaction was “Late to game!” “Duh, we told you about this for years.” “Fair weather fan”. And I’m like seriously? You’re not happy for new fans?

It wasn’t as if I watched one episode, or read one comic, halfheartedly watched a game, listened to the ONE hit song a band had. When I start liking a fandom, I do my research and I go full force into it. I want to prove to myself that I can be there and so I study up. So to be told that I wasn’t really a fan because I started super late ticked me off. It also made me feel like I had to hide the fact of my excitement of discovering new things that I really enjoyed.

I remember when I went to go see New Found Glory in 2002. I had been a fan of them for about a year and a half at that point. There had been fans who liked them before I did. I’m not sure how they found out about them (find the one CD in their local record store? saw them on stage when they first started) but I know that I got into them because of other people’s enthusiasm. At that last concert, there were several young teens that only new their latest album. They didn’t know any of the old songs at all. Did it peeve me a little? Yes. Especially since they didn’t know “Hit or Miss”. But was I going to get all angry at them and tell they to get out because only true fans deserved to be there? No. Because I wouldn’t have fit that definition anyways.

I guess I’m just trying to figure out this kind of behavior. Whenever someone starts liking something that I’ve liked for years and they genuinely like it (not liking for dubious reasons), I’m excited for them. If anything I want them to like it as much as I do, though I know that overloading them too early can be fatal. I would never mock someone for being a new fan nor would I try to discourage them. Even if they ended up changing their minds and not liking it, I know they that gave it a try and I could respect that.

What makes you better than someone because you discovered it first? Does it mean you’re a better fan? Does it mean you’re a better person? Are you annoyed that you’re not the only one anymore? Is it an identity issue? Do you just hate new fans jumping on the bandwagon? What makes a true fan and why are you one and not someone else?

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I don’t NEED your approval but I secretly want it

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Validation. What is it? It’s getting feedback from others that “what I do and what I say matters to you. You hear me. You see me. You think of me. You thank me. You acknowledge my accomplishments. You appreciate my efforts.”

The opposite of validation? Non-recognition. “I don’t give a damn what you want, what you say, what you think. Who cares? You’re overreacting. You’re nuts. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” (http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/09/21/the-importance-of-validation/)

I could question the fact that I’m writing about validation on a blog.

But you know what? I know I’m not the only person that this can be an issue for. Sure there are a ton of people out there (even some who read my blog) who don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks. And that’s fabulous! It really is. They don’t need to be told they’ve done a good job. They just do what they want. And this is how they react when they think someone else feels like they need approval in their life:

Social media can play into a huge validation trap of wanting likes, comments, retweets, favorites, page views.

For example, sometimes when articles I write get published I feel like they get lost in the ether. I sit there and watch what seems to be everyone else get recognition from everybody under the sun and all the page views in the world. And meanwhile, my work gets pushed to the back burner and no one notices that I’m there. It’s not that I’m jealous of other people’s accomplishments. It’s that I can’t figure out what I did wrong or what I should be doing to get to that level. For some people they don’t have to make any effort at all. And while I AM proud of my own work, I also do wonder if maybe my work isn’t as good as I think it is? Is it really bad and just no one is telling me? Did I pick unpopular topics? Is there something else I should be doing?

I could be completely wrong and I may be making a huge assumption that might blow up in my face but I feel like extroverts probably suffer from this more than introverts. In my mind, if being alone makes you feel better, than you’d be completely comfortable if other people didn’t notice you or keep trying to get approval from others.

Do I need to have people constantly telling me all the time how well I’ve done? No. Please. I don’t want that.

Sometimes I feel like I’ve done something and no one notices at all. I’m not really good at self promoting, in fact I hate it like a champ. I’ve learned that people don’t like bragging. And maybe it can just be some of the people I’ve been around that anytime you just mention things that happen in your life they seem annoyed or cannot be happy for you. It makes me just not want to talk about anything I’ve done. Maybe that’s my own problem though.

If no one ever said anything, that’d be really hard. Sometimes it makes me feel like what I do is a waste. If it’s really worth the time spending if no one says anything at all. Even if I enjoy it, what if I’m wasting time that could be spent somewhere else? At the same time, I need to be do things for myself and not try to get the approval of people who really just don’t care. I’m not going to simply change my interests just because not everyone likes something I do. There’s a fine balance here somewhere.

And now I’m going to close this by Jesus juking this post:

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

Additional reading: 10 Signs You Might Have a Need for Approval

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Add me to your buddy list

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This past week I came across a post on Buzzfeed that brought back all sorts of memories: “21 Signs You Were Addicted to AIM While Growing Up“. I could relate to pretty much everything on the list.


I don’t remember exactly when I started using AIM but I think it was my senior year in high school. My family didn’t subscribe to AOL on a normal basis but every now and then we used the free trials from those CD roms that always came in the mail. Therefore I knew all about how to use Instant Messenger.

I used the screen name ‘beatccr’ for several years. I had created that name freshman year in high school because I was a fan of The Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival. After a while I decide to change things up and switched it “I Worry Easily”. Yep. That was a thing for a few years.

Listening to these sounds brought back all the memories.

I entered college RIGHT at the peak of the use of AIM. Everyone was on it. You could hear those blips and bloops as you walked through the dorms. Even if you were in the same room with someone you still IMed them. The best would be when you messaged someone across the hall about getting dinner and they yelled back at you.

I went through several color palate and font changes. It was like trying on new outfits until you find what suits you. Away messages was where I posted all my emo song lyrics. I would like to apologize to all the people who kept seeing Dashboard Confessional show up in my messages every other week.

There were so much passive aggressiveness in my profile. I never called out anyone but a lot of stuff was clearly directed at certain people. 98% of them never said anything about it. But I’m pretty sure that they knew it was about them and didn’t give a _____.

Anyone else put up that link where you could stalk whoever checked your profile? And you didn’t put it so it was super obvious. You did it in a Rick Roll type of way and then you’d try to figure out who were these random people who found your profile.

Do you remember buddy icons? And how you had to pick the perfect one in order to fit your personality? We used to visit sites like BadAssBuddy to get them.

The longest I ever stayed on AIM was at least 44 days 3 hours 57 min. That meant that I never turned off my computer for a month and a half. Also that the power never went out for that long either. Oh those were the days. Also when you had to go somewhere else, like the library or math emporium, you’d get on AIM express so you could always stay in contact with people.

I made (and lost) a lot of friends because of AIM. Some of them I still talk to though we’ve moved onto different messaging platforms. In the past three years I’ve been using Gchat but it’s not the same and I think the novelty is also wearing off. Not everyone uses it and I think that it’s dropping

Sigh. Real time chatting online is now a thing of the past now that we all text with each other. I guess I could also talk to people in person.