Old Times via New Technology

Ah, Skype.

Tonight, G and I continued a long-standing tradition in a slightly different medium. It's been nearly 7 years since we've lived in the same hemisphere, but we've maintained our very dear friendship via Instant Messenger ever since. Eventually this trend evolved to us getting online once maybe every six months on a Friday night and each drinking a bottle of wine while we chat and catch up.

Before you decry this as sad or pathetic, keep in mind that it's no different than if we were in Manchester or Chicago where we'd meet at a pub or a bar and sit and drink and chat for four hours or so. But that's not possible, so we do it online. Of course, the chats crashed a couple times and the microphone connection on his end was a little unreliable, but you make do.

And as the years have gone by, the technology has definitely improved. What used to be typing as turned into webcams and mics, so now we can see and hear each other. Sure, it's not perfect. Unfortunately, with a six hour time difference, he usually has a head start on me drinking, so he's half in the bag before I get my first sip and then I'm trying to catch up. The other downside is that by the time we got off Skype tonight it was after 3 am there, and because he works early mornings, he'd been awake for nearly 24 hours.

All told, it was wonderful to catch up and talk literature and politics and doctoral programs and to remember our time in Maine. He's not been online as much lately so it was a rare treat. I talk to Amity every day via Skype from Maine to Chicago, and to have gotten to do so from Manchester to Chicago feels just as natural. Best of all, it makes the world seem a little bit smaller. The fact that technology helps me stay that much closer pleases me infinitely.