“On the Computer” – by Treasure Mammal. A song from a more innocent age. I saw these guys during “Yeast by Sweet Beast” in Austin and they were so fun.

I fell in love with the Internet, even though it nearly put me in the street. I was in denial for years. Newspapers would adapt. Only the dailies had to worry. The weeklies and semi-weeklies would always be in demand.

It looked like my salvation at first. It was a wild and sometimes dangerous place, but it was exciting. So much knowledge, so many possibilities.

The Internet let me experience a world I couldn’t afford to travel to. I lived most of my life in small country towns, always broke. People weren’t interested in my favorite bands or sci fi books. They never seemed to get my jokes.

On the Internet I found my people. Or thought I had. I could talk to other music geeks and women who weren’t looking to marry a church-going cowboy.

I wasn’t a liberal, but I got along with liberals. They were usually good for a band rec. Even during the Iraq War you could agree to disagree.

Looking back, I feel so naïve. I thought it would always be about LOLcats and David After the Dentist and Charlie Bit My Finger. I might have been helping to put myself out of a job, but it kept me sane. For a time.

Now it feels like the hot stripper girlfriend who stalks my every move and keeps slashing my tires. I should probably hide someplace she will never find me, but I keep waiting for the magic to return.

What are we gonna do with this thing we’ve created together?

#Internet, #LOLcats, #Newspapers, #Yeast By Sweet Beast, #Treasure Mammal, #Traps