So Long Geocities

I was browsing around Spacefem's site, and saw her mention that Geocities is shutting down. Awwww. I still have a page on Geocities that I refuse to link because it's old and pretty embarrassing quite frankly. Going through the content, I was a 22 year old with an obsession for subcultures and thought that life would just take care of itself. Oh, and of course, music could conquer the world.

So now 7 years later, it is pretty mind boggling to see how I have changed (my livejournal was also started around that time; urgh...I shudder to read that stuff!). Not so much that I am a different person, but my perspective has been completely turned around. I have always went against the tide, but back then it was usually the ideas of some friends or a boyfriend that I followed. Now I am so much more of an initiatior. If I can find no one else who is doing something similar, I am no longer bothered by it.

A lot of things have stayed the same though. I still love reggae and ska music; although I don't feel the need to go to every single show and drive for miles to see a show anymore (well that, and a lot of them are on Shabbos). In fact that page has some pretty good information I wrote up regarding the music, skinheads and rudies, and the whole scene. Of course most of the sites I linked are gone or marred by pop-up ads. One of them, Rudies All Around is another geocities page. It was last updated in 2001 probably. I knew several of the people personally on that site. I guess if I could remember their last names, I could try to stalk them on facebook. But they are probably in the same boat; and we drank beer far too often to say we could take anything meaningful from our time together. But I wonder what they are up to; casually. If they are still playing the Slackers, The Clash, The English Beat, and Laurel Aitken.

I wonder if the 22 year old me can look at the 29 year old me and be impressed or surprised? Looking back I laugh at how I was sort of late getting into things. Perhaps I had the spirit of a 17 or 18 year old at age 22. I mean the bulk of the graphics on my site were cartoon drawings for goodness sake! But it was fun -- and I was fun. It sucks that Geocities is doing this because while it is tough to look at my page now, I will probably wish I had it in 10 or 20 years; when I have a more seasoned sense of humor. But no; it is part of the price I will pay for being an early adopter. For participating in this generation's facination with quick and easy electronic publishing. Where everyone can be high profile in their own mind.

So Blogger: I wonder how long it will take you to steal away the words I write here today?