HAIL MARY

Long before I had discovered any kind of person crush, the Internet gained my trust with Audrey Hepburn & people who understood not liking Aaron Carter, which was a big, stick out deal at the time. The Internet subsequently broke my heart when it showed me famine all over the world. It was no longer one photo on the front of a newspaper; after link after link of hungry children was a huge shock to my preteen system. Mass suffering wasn't real to me until I saw it online. The first time I ever saw the Internet, it was helping me play the game that came with the Microsoft Encarta encyclopedia, which was my favourite thing. Ever. Unlike the kids at school, the Internet told me that was okay to crave knowledge.

In many ways, the Internet knows me better than most people ever will. I've asked it all of the personal questions I was ashamed to admit I didn't know the answer to. From YouTube clips of Audrey Hepburn to long nights of reading endless Wikipedia articles about the history of baseball, it has shaped my entire being. It taught me how to get too skinny, but introduced me to people who have helped me recover. It made me hate & love; myself, politicians, style, & the world. It hasn't replaced human contact for me by any means. It does not embrace me, but rather IS; the closest thing to an omnipotent being that science has created thus far.

An invitation.