What do you sound like?

Do you have an accent? Do you talk slow and precise or fast and all over the place?

In a world where everyone and their mother is on the internet, we seem to lose ourselves in the system, falling under the virtual spell. I've always been a computer person, not the kind that knows how to program something but the type that will spend hours searching, emailing, reading, and just wasting time. Since having a baby, it's been the ultimate source of information, meditation, relaxation, and even friendship. What better way to get to know someone than to share a common bond? That common bond for me has been my baby. Before Elle was born, I was completely self absorbed and only cared to spend my time for myself. Had blogs been popular then, I suppose I would have jumped right in. As soon as I learned that I was pregnant, I went online to retrieve every bit of information that I could possibly get to be prepared. That's me, Miss Preparation. I'm a virgo so can you blame me.

On my quest to find everything I could about how to deal with pregnancy, what to expect, how to raise a child, how to be a good parent, etc. I stumbled upon a message board with a group of other moms expecting their baby around the same time. I jumped right in reading and sharing personal accounts of what we were going through as first time pregnant moms-to-be, or soaking up all the advices given by other experienced moms. In doing so, I started bonding with several moms. I jumped from one message board to another and yet to another and I have made some amazing friends and some friends that I thought were friends but when I "stopped" frequenting the boards, I was immediately forgotten, "out of site, out of mind".

How do you share all your personal stories and all your wishes and dreams online with a bunch of strangers and not feel a bond with them? These people have seen my belly grow from the already chubby belly to a huge pregnant, baby caring, belly. These women know my every stretch mark to the type of diapers I prefer using. Now that my baby is a year old, it's been almost 2 years since I started meeting these moms and if you think about it, that's a hell of a long time to know someone. I have friends in real life that I haven't known for that long. And now that I'm blogging, I have found more friends that I share a common bond with, be it my ethnicity or musical taste.

The real test of these online friendship is how much you interact with them outside of the message board or the blog. You go back and forth saying how much you want to meet them in real life but what happens if that opportunity really arises? and what happens if you stop frequenting the one "place" where you met them to start with.

Would these people be the person that you built up in your own mind? When you read something that someone else wrote, you get to read it as happy, sad, sarcastic, or boring as you want it. You get to picture their voices and the faces if you haven't seen a picture of them already. You are basically the director that shapes this person that you only know online. When you saw the first picture of that person that you've been chatting with for so long, are you surprised, disappointed, or just right on? Have you ever got a chance to talk to these people? Do they sound as lively or goofy or smart or whatever the way that you have been reading their posts?

It's funny how easily we trust someone. At least I do, unless they give you a reason not to. When A-man heard that these "strangers" online knew our home address he flipped out. When I'm typing away on these messsage boards or blogging, he always asked "are you talking shit about me, ....again?". Maybe I'm gullible, too trusting, or maybe I just want to believe that we are all similar and want the same things in life and in many of these cases, it's to learn more about being a better parent.

It's really easy to just type away and pause and think about what you plan on saying so the transition from being online to actually talking on the phone with someone is huge! I had a recent personal drama that I wanted to talk about and not just write about it so I picked up the phone and called one of my online friends. It was wonderful, she was as great, caring, and genuine as I pictured her in my mind. I suppose you can pick up on most of a person's character even if you only know them online. Ironically, another friend picked up her phone and called me the very next night so after almost 2 years of knowing these 2 women and never having talked to them, I got to talk to them on the same weekend.

Now the next stage is to meet these people and I'm more than ecstatic to say that I will be meeting one of them in a couple of months. Thank goodness for business trips!! I am a nervous wreck about it because what if I'm not the person that she pictured in her mind. What if I bore her silly with my laid back personality? What if we don't have anything to talk about? It's one thing to read something the way you want to read it, or hide behind a phone when you're saying it, but if it's face to face, there's not much room for bullshit and surprises. But I have hope. I feel like I can talk to this person forever, I know she's the non-judgemental, open-minded, strong, individual, person that I painted in my mind and I know we'll have a wonderful time when we get together.

If you're reading this, you obviously have an interest in blogs in general, or me specifically or what someone else is going through, or is it just seeing cute baby pictures? Whatever the case, I hope that if we ever do meet in person, that I don't disappoint you. Because, I don't hide much. I'm caring but bitchy. I'm shy but arrogant, I'm loud sometimes but peaceful in general, but most importantly I am genuine and bluntly honest (which isn't always a good thing:).