I got on IRC the night of the Kerths last year . . . had to go to someone else's house 'cause I didn't know how to get around my university's blocks (I think I have some idea of how it might be possible now). The scroll *was* fierce, as I had been warned, but I loved it and was hooked instantly. There was no going back.
I, too, was amazed that all these wonderful authors actually talked to me! Wendy for one. I mean, the great *Wendy Richards*, one of the best authors I'd ever read, was was just chatting normally and everything . . . I'd had a little contact with Pam and Nan via e-mail, but don't remember who all I knew ahead of time.
As soon as I was home, I re-joined the channel, and though it took me awhile to relax and feel at home, most of my closest friends now I met online there. /me hugs the channel . . . It's wonderful to be on.
