Stories

Back in college, I was a social recluse and an internet junkie. I sat in my dorm room and chatted online with strangers on IRC (a text-based online chat service) every night. It wasn’t like Facebook or even AOL, where usernames were tied to accounts and profiles. There was simply no way to confirm anyone’s identity, so you could be whoever you wanted. Quite often, especially in the local LA chat rooms, users would pretend to be celebrities. It was probably never true. Or so I thought. (more…)

When I was younger, one of my favorite ways to pass the time was entering contests and sweepstakes. I entered every contest I could find in magazines and newspapers. Whenever we got those Publishers Clearing House letters from Ed McMahon, I’d dutifully fill them out and send them off. In stores, I’d always fill out raffle forms. Then I’d promptly forget about them. I never won anything except more junk mail. (more…)