Ok, I want to share with you three quick stories how in the past few weeks Facebook and/or Twitter has reconnected me with great friends from my past. We all joke about social media and the role it now suddenly plays in our lives – time waster, stalking, pick-ups and flirting, voyeuristic – its all of those things. But for me it has also been an incredible tool to reconnect with important people who I’d lost contact with.
I want to start with someone quite a few of you will know, Mrs Woog. Mrs Woog and I were drinking buddies at Uni and at one now infamous Bar Night we married in a scandalous ceremony conducted by SawHole. Mrs Woog took on a variation of my surname that can’t be repeated here for reasons of decency. The year was 1994 and we were hideously glamorous and practically Prom King and Queen. We soon shipped out for our very different career paths only to re-discover each other with a vengeance again last year.
It started on Facebook, moved onto Twitter and became a deep love affair through blogging. Mrs Woog is my mentor, my teacher, my bosom to nuzzle. I was so inspired by her and what she was doing at Woogsworld that I started these pages. But still we had yet to meet up after our 16 year separation until two weeks ago. As I strolled up her driveway for our reunion, the conversation picked up where it left off in 1994. She’s hilarious, I’m offensive, we’re both still gorgeous. One day we will be Prom King and Queen again. Mrs Woog, I loves you to death.
In another incredibly bizarre coincidence, last week I discovered through Facebook that one of my best friends from school and I were going to be in the exact same, quite specific place at the same time. The Scientist and I literally had not seen each other in 20 years. And trust me, a lot happens and changes in the 20 years between 18 and 38. If I hadn’t known via Facebook that he was there we would never had had the chance to meet and catch-up. I met his lovely wife and we’ve made plans to catch up again soon. It was brilliant to see them, and all thanks to Facebook.
Then this week Miss Cal and I dined with an old and dear friend from Uni, Mrs White. Mrs White and I disagree on the last time we saw each other. She vaguely recollects an incident at an Eastern Suburbs pizza place in the late 90’s, I do not remember at all. I have to cast my mind back to 1995 for a non-alcohol-blurred memory. Mrs White is still as glamorous, as witty and as entertaining as I remembered. No wonder she was a hot-ticket item at CSU. And after only a few hours at dinner I can determine that her three boys are the luckiest in the world. Just brilliant to catch up, and we will again very soon.
Of course I will continue to make jokes about my obsession with social media, and the dramatic impact it has had on my life both personally and professionally. But I also have a helluva lot to thank it for. Life gets crazy busy sometimes and its only natural that you can’t stay in contact with every one you meet, like, love and admire. But social media can keep you in the same loop so that when the opportunity does arise you can pick these great friendships up right where they left off. This has to be the coolest thing ever about social media.
Just you wait for my Big Gay Twitter Party when I get everyone together in one room – now that will be a social media phenomen!
