The Wonderful (& Sometimes Not So Wonderful) World of Prodigy Classic

-Friends Without Faces-
.Author Unknown.

We sit down and we type, and we stare at our screens
We all have to wonder, what this possibly means.
With our mouse we roam, through the rooms in a maze
Looking for something or someone, as we sit in a daze.
We wait for somebody, to type out our name
We want recognition, but it is always the same
We give kisses and hugs, and sometimes we flirt
Im IM's we chat deeply, and reveal why we hurt.
We do form friendships-but-why we don't know
But some of these friendships, will flourish and grow
Why is it on screen, we can be so bold
Telling our secrets, that have never been told.
Why is it we share the thoughts in our mind
With those we can't see, as though we were blind
The answer is simple, it is as clear as a bell
We all have our problems, and need someone to tell.
We can't tell real people, but tell someone we must
So we turn to the 'puter, and to those we can trust
Even though it is crazy, the truth still remains
They are Friends Without Faces, and odd little names

I can't say that I remember the very first time I came on Prodigy, or even into a chat room. I do remember spending hours on end in the Bulletin Boards, now I look at them & wonder how I ever found them entertaining. That was long before I discovered chat...
The first friends I remember making are Chris (ComputMan), Lauren (Sunlover22) and Jen (then, PizzaJet something or other). Somehow we came to claim "Ask Laura" as our territory, and gradually made friends of people who wandered in.
After a while we had quite the little "clique", we would all meet and talk nearly every evening, and for the life of me I can't remember what we talked about. I met my first serious online boyfriend, three of my online sisters, one of my online brothers and a few very good friends in that room. But times changed, people moved on, relationships evolved and the AL clan merged with YA.
At the time I wasn't a very big supporter of change, so naturally I revolted. ;P I didn't talk to anyone but 4 people online for probably 3 or 4 months... I wish I hadn't done that 'cause there were plenty of friend-worthy people in YA, I just didn't give them the chance they deserved (and for some, it was the other way around). Anyway, after several months YA dissolved too and a lot of people moved to ATC, while a lot of other people disappeared into the woodwork...

It's become commonplace to hear the horror stories of online . . . especially chat. It's not often you hear the good things. Without Prodigy I wouldn't have met my fiance, or some of my best friends. I would probably still be a very depressed teenager with no goals or ambitions. I wouldn't have gained some of the "people experience" I have, or maybe just life experience in general.
So as the final days of Prodigy Classic dwindle before us, take the time to remember the people you've lost contact with, the memories that made you laugh & cry, and the friendships you've made in both the online world and the "real" world, as a result of online. Some of the most special and important people you have ever, or will ever meet, are those faceless friends across the nation.



...A Song Dedication...
To: Everyone I've talked to on P* (Enemies & Friends alike)
From: Anna
Song: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Artist: Green Day
Message: "It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life."

The YA Poem

Lindz wants pity
Ash is ity bity

Ryan is the man
Laura lives in the trash can

Dustin my closet monster...BOW DOWN
Stace wears the lesbian crown

Lexy runs her mouth
I don't have an accent from the south

Eric taught some of you well
Dan what new story do you have to tell?

Jen loves Justin
Leigh wants Dustin

Kayla is a nut
Hilly shake your butt!

Katy is a pervie
Tara is very curvie

Stephie is having a baby
Erica is going to be Miss America...maybe

Jenny fell out of a tree
Shawn is too cute to really be!

Chad is mean
Nic is not really a teen

Mandy disappeared
Daved is really pheared!

Mike is SO friggin cute
LB got the boot

Brandy can't rhyme worth a flip
Sappy Dan is a dip

Jared is rumor King
{s lauren} Chris can't really sing!

Nick talks too much
Graham always wants to touch

Chris is too leet for us
Angie always causes a fuss!

Steff will put you in your place
Bryan won't get off my case

Dara is my spy
Ben can never say Hi!

Michelle might really be a whore
Maria should come on-line more!

Travis is going to kill us all!!!!
AND YA WILL FALL!!#$!@#$%@#$%@#$%@#%

~By Lauren~

This is for you to post some of your favorite P*C memories...
Feel free to sign it as often as you want.