A Very Small World

I am falling out of chairs laughing at Tyler and Jaci today. Jaci has joined us in the world of social networking known as Facebook. If you don't know what Facebook, is, Tyler writes about it here.

When first developed, Facebook was only open to high school and college students. One had to have an e-mail address that ended in .edu to be able to gain admittance. After a while the door opened a little wider and I was able to get in with my ibm.com address, and then T.J. with his verizon.com address. Then the door kept opening wider and wider and now the whole world is streaming in through Facebook's door.

I use Facebook to communicate with the members of Tucson Chamber Artists and the lovely young ladies of Arizona Alpha of Pi Beta Phi. But my network is growing every day. I'm friends with a woman I knew in Caregivers years ago when our husbands were both dying of cancer. And with a young man who is a remarkable musician and will be appearing in a show I'm playing for next month.

Nine years ago, shortly after John's death and Tyler's graduation from Youngstown State, Ty and Jaci moved in with me in John's and my lovely old three-story home overlooking Rock Creek Park. They lived in the third floor apartment, but we used the sun porch on the second floor as our computer room. Our computers were less than six feet apart but we would e-mail things to each other. I thought it was hilarious that we would IM each other or e-mail something rather than just handing it across the desk.

I guess it's no different than in my office at IBM every day. My officemate and I sit with our backs to each other, earbuds pumping our favorite music into our ears, pinging (IMing) each other when we want to communicate something but don't want to stop what we're doing, pull off the headsets, and turn around. Easier just to ping back and forth and laugh like deaf [wo]men.

So when I accepted Jaci's offer of friendship this morning on Facebook, then checked back throughout the day to watch her settling in, adding facts to her profile, I laughed when I saw her status: "Jaci is 'going to the grocery store'".

Half an hour later I checked again and noticed Tyler had "written" on her "wall":
Ok, so I know we're 21st Century when I can't reach you on the intercom and come to facebook to find out that you're out grocery shopping! LOL

I laughed out loud when I saw that. And again half an hour ago when I looked and saw Jaci had gone to bed: "Jaci is 'sleepy and going to bed. Goodnight.'"

It makes me feel less lonely and a little closer to them. I can picture them sitting in separate rooms on their computers, but keeping each other updated with their status.

I love my geeky little family and the small world the Internet has given us.

(T.J., tell Kathryn to come on in. The Facebook water's fine.)