Internet Woes

Today I checked back on my old Internet alter-ego. Turns out that one of my brother's friends found me out and used a catchphrase of mine and posted on my old profile. Also, I had posted something complaining about Mormons in my neighborhood, and months after posting it, a Mormon tracked it down and responded. I don't know how someone would be able to do that.

Also, I was disappointed to see that the main haunt this pseudonym hung out at didn't acknowledge me at all. It was the place I'd met my ex. I was a senior member on a very prestigious forum, I'd been there about a year, and I'd even been offered a position as a moderator, which I refused on the basis that there hadn't been any issues yet, and that I would take up the role when a time of need arrived, but it would be pointless to lord authority over people when there was no need.

After a bit, a person with four posts took the position, framed me for breaking a rule, and attempted to shame me and subsequently drive me off. She used an arsenal of techniques to stop me from speaking my piece and passed a rule that no one could publicly speak of the incident. I managed to prove that she had broken her own laws, and instead of vindicating me, it made the forum crumble. My old friends wouldn't stand to her authority, but they wouldn't stand for her ideals, either.

The only one who stood up for me publicly (yes, this is all text-based and mostly behind alter-egos) was my ex.

...So I went back to it today, and it's been revived. There's a thread requesting old members' return. Apparently they found a bunch of people's Internet haunts, collected a bunch of emails, and they were reminiscing on old times and people who'd long since disappeared.

I would be okay if nobody had mentioned me. Part of a past nobody wants to remember. I would have accepted being remembered with resentment. I would have liked to be remembered with fondness.

So, that doesn't leave much left, right? If I don't mind being liked, disliked or not spoken about, what could I be upset about?

Well, turns out I was mentioned... three times. One was on a list of people that were missed. Another time I was referred to as being "cool". The third it was revealed that they had found my new Internet haunt.

So they just remembered me as being "cool". I spent a year of my life, investing everything I had there... I met my girlfriend of three years there... I was there when it started, and I was the cause of it's most famous disaster, and they think I'm cool, and they found my new address, but since they'd already sent out the requests of return...

GRRRRRRR!!!!!! I'll teach them to cross me by not crossing me!!!!! I have one weapon still at my disposal, even after all these years!!!! I'll raze them to the ground!!!! I'll---

Grrr.... *sigh*

....

....

....I hate this stupid world of illusions.

Anyway, forget that. I just gotta let myself cool. I gotta leave all that behind... No revenge for me.

Anyway, I submitted my offer to work for free. Today, in karate, there were two new black belts. One of them didn't have their uniform on, and traditionally that means that they're on the two week free trial. That means, even less than white belt. But he was sending flying kicks like nobody's business before the class even started. I overheard one of the senseis refer to him as sensei, and he was giving black belts advice, so... This guy must be serious business. The other new black belt is female, which I only remark on because there's only three females taking classes, including her. She had bright pink sparring gear with the word "magic" spelled on her head piece. I hope that's not the traditional female uniform, 'cause that'd be pretty sexist. I think she got it custom-made, though. All the black belts seem to have their own stuff, and her street clothes were the same colours as her uniform and sparring gear.

I almost got my self-defense stripe, but I didn't. I almost got my sparring stripe too, but I didn't. Arg! Three (not five, I was mistaken) new white belts, and I don't have anything to represent my seniority over them!

Lot of people jumped from green to purple belt in my absence, too. Now the dojo is built primarily of purple belts. I don't think there was a single purple belt before.

I'm in a bit of an odd age bracket to be taking these courses. Seems like there's lots of children's classes, and then, adult class consists primarily of middle-aged to elderly people, and then, the few people who are young are more my brother's age. I would say, come the 21st, I've got my own decade all to myself.