Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Online Friendships: What makes them so invaluable?

My friend Carolyn and I were IMing on Yahoo last week and she told me about a comment she posted on someone elses blog about our friendship. She also mentioned to me that she was going to blog on her own blog on Monday to watch for it. So now it's my turn to blog about the subject :).

I've had some frienships come and go, both online and real life frienships. I've got one friend who I met while Role Playing soap operas (something I have not done in YEARS). She and I have been friends for about 10 yrs. And have lived somewhat similar lives. I tell her just about everything, there are somethings I don't tell her but most of the time I do tell her.

I have another friend who I met online and then met in person. I was going through a rough time in my life, and realized I needed to lose weight, so I joined TWO weightloss sites. One of them no longer exsists, well the site does but the forums don't (Carolyn, correct me if I'm wrong). Tiffany I met on the slimfast site. We emailed every day and she was helping me through some personal things and when it came to Christmas cards she asked for my address, so she could send me a card. I sent it to her and asked for hers, and she sent it to me and then I got her phone numbers with "in case you need them" which I did. My grandmother had been pretty sick and did pass away shortly after Tiffany sent me her numbers. So I called her, and let her know. We had to have two memorial services for my grandmother one here in Wisconsin, the other in Florida to lay her ashes to rest. I was able to meet Tiffany the day after Christmas. We had a fabulous time. Our friendship has only grown stronger since 2003.

My other online friendship with Carolyn is similar, but haven't met her, YET, although who knows if the opportunity to meet will present itself. Carolyn and I have been friends for close to 10 yrs, I started somersizing in 2001, but then with the health of aforementioned grandmother I was really stressed out, and fell off the "wagon". In 2003, after dealing with my grandmother's death I revisited the somersize site and somehow started communicating with Carolyn more regularly. I knew of her in 2001 through the chats we'd had with other members, but then when I came back to the site something changed. We became co-leaders for the somersizing board on ivillage.com. I was asking carolyn to put in a word for me to help co-lead another board when she asked if I would be interested in helping her with the somersize board, so of course I jumped at the chance. When she told me and the Community Moderator that her husband was being transferred to London, I was crushed. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for her, but I felt like I was losing a part of something. I never told Carolyn how crushed it made me though (well til I posted on her blog earlier today). It didn't change our friendship in anyway, she was just SEVERAL hours away. We would send emails and catch up through IMs and on the board, but like I said, I felt like I lost something. When she said she was coming back to the US I was estatic, probably because she was just an hour ahead of me instead of the said several before.

Are Sarah and Carolyn's friendships any different to me than my frienship with Tiffany, ABSOLUTELY NOT! Just because I haven't met them does not mean that they are any less of a friend than she is. I may get to talk to Tiffany a bit more because I can call her or say "hey I want to come visit", but I know that Sarah and Carolyn have my back when something in my life goes crazy. Carolyn and I have daughters that are close in age, actually about a year apart, so if I'm going through something with my daughter I know I can always ask her what to expect. But that hasn't happened lately. I may not be able to call her up and ask if I can come over to just talk but I know that I can leave her an email or send her an IM and know that she'll respond.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Holy no posting! I forgot my password, OOPS

I've been knitting up a storm lately, which is good. I started my Kalediscope Fibers KAL sweater June 25th. Um, slight problem with that, I may be done before the KAL even STARTS! The KAL doesn't start until the 27th of this month. I am almost half way done with the sweater. I have two more to knit though so maybe if the one i'm doing now (for me) is done, I can do my daughter's. Then hopefully I have time to do a few more for gifts.

Speaking of gifts, it's almost 6 months out to Christmas (Carin I know you're gonna say something next week possibly about the Christmas countdown, oh well). Let's see....

My mom... a tank to go with her Dofuku kimono from TWO years ago.

My dad... a pair of socks, I think (don't normally knit for him)

My brother in law.... a pair of socks (knit him a pair two years ago, time for a new pair)

My sweet little girl... a sweater and possibly more wrist warmers

My cousin and his family... dishcloths and baby things (Rachel will also get a shawl)

My cousin... dishcloths and a shawl

My uncle and step aunt....dishcloths and a shawl for my step aunt

My inlaws are NOT getting anything this year handknit wise, they have been terrible to me (the one brother in law I'm knititng socks for is on my side of the family not my husbands, so it's all good)

I'm doing the Sedona Knit by C2knits. SO fun and easy. I have the collar done and the sleeves are on stitch holders for later, and about 2 1/2 inches of the body is done. I have 11 1/2 inches yet to go. Should fly, although it's in stockinette stitch for most of it and 2x2 rib for the edging. But I'm sure it'll go fast. I just need to get more yarn whenever idiot husband can send me some money (stupid inlaws are being terrible about his spousal support to me, but whenever a marriage goes south with him, they always blame the ex, dont' get it cause he's the one that fouled up with the affairs not the other way around).

I am also working on a Firaments Lace Shawl for myself, which is ALMOST done, I just have some more of the last pattern row of repeat eight to go, then a plain knit row then I can start the LAST repeat of the body and then work on the dangblasted perpendicular edging, that sounds like SO much fun!!!