So I’m trying to get a friend of mine a job where I work. He’s a pretty hard worker, good guy, just started a family, and he an his wife are really good people. I’ve known them for a couple of years now, and am really good friends with his Uncle and his Wife. I used to spend hour after hour each day hanging out with these people, and after a while have really come to appreciate and enjoy them, and are happy that they are in my life. There’s just this one little thing…
I’ve never met them.
Not in real life anyways. I met them on xbox a couple of years ago while playing ghost recon II (Graw is the shit!).
We all had our mic’s set up and would literally spend a couple of hours hanging out playing video games. No doubt that for a while there I spent more time with these people than I did anyone else in my life.
And as far as the game goes, we would actually spend more time in the lobby of the game hanging out bullshitting then we would playing the game, because when you run a match then (1) you have to pay attention to whats going on, thus ending the bullshitting (somewhat), and (2) unless everyone was on the same team then we wouldn’t all be able to sit around and bullshit.
So thats what I would do, back when I first became a single parent living on his own. Go to work, come home, get the kids to bed, and hang out with some friends on xbox. Now, fast forward two years.
I hardly ever get on and play my video game, but I still keep in touch with all these people via myspace, facebook, etc. And so I got to talking to my friends wife the other night on IM, and she mentioned how they had considered moving to MI to find work. Turns out we’re hiring here at the shop, and I’m pretty confident I can get her husband a job here, making nearly twice what he is now to start out.
So we chatted about it for a while, and then he got off work and we talked about it a bit, and so now, sometime this week or next they are going to be driving up to stay with me for a wekk or two during the interview process. And then if he gets the job (which I’m sure he will) they will likely stay with me for a couple of more weeks while they look for a place to rent.
And I can’t help but think that is the coolest shit in the world. I’m literally bridging the gap between internet and reality. I know some of you will understand when I say that for the most part I lead two lives, my real life and my internet life, or, maybe in place of the word life it would be more accurate to switch it out with the word Friends. I have me real friends, and then my internet friends, and I am just totally geeked about the fact that very soon a couple of my internet friends are going to step into my reality.
I mean, these are people who have never met me in the traditional sense of the word, who have absolutely zero doubt or hesitation about staying with someone they’ve never met, because even although up to this point we’ve just been voices and photos, not having ever shaken hands hasn’t prevented us from being friends.
And that shit makes me pretty damned happy.
Add to the list that somtime next month will be the MI 43T rendezvous between me n smarts n aspiring nerd!
So…(and this part is directed to one specific person, though I wont say who…) for those of you out there with the goal “Make new friends”, you better not discount the internet people in your life damnit, cause I count too, regardless of the medium of our friendship. Just sayin :)
