Before yesterday it had been a long time since I'd posted/even visited here. It's not to say I get bored of U2Start, only that like with anything else, other things get in the way, other things require focus and attention, etc.
However, unlike many other things in my life, this site (and those that still frequent it) is something I still return to, without fail - no matter how long the gaps are in between. I don't think there's any other website I visit these days that wouldn't be considered "social media", so this is almost an artifact of a previous era for me.
Thinking about this has inspired me to create this thread. It's possible this has been done before, and if so - link me - and I apologise!
Basically, I'd love to hear from all of you "pen pals", all of you people who have been a part of my life (however big or small) for the last THIRTEEN (MOTHER OF GOD) years, and how much of a difference (or not) in your life there's been since you joined U2start, to now.
_ _ _
I joined this site when I was 16 or 17 (profile says 13 years ago but not the exact date), and I'm turning 30 this year. I joined it when I was a teenaged, budding U2 fan hungry for bootlegs, and while I did find the greatest mother f*ing collection of U2 bootlegs planet Earth has ever seen - I also found one of the coolest online communities as well.
I would've been about halfway through high school, still dating someone I thought was "the one" at the time - as we all do in high school (I got married two years ago to my girlfriend of 10 years, together for 12 this year
), and still questioning my place in the universe. In many ways I'm the same dude, but I'm also a lot more sure of myself. I live in a house I own with my wife, have a small dog (no plans for kids, we see tons of travel in our future once this garbage pandemic has been kicked to the curb ) have a career that I never really saw coming (ended up working for the University I studied at, advising new students) - and while I don't listen to U2 NEARLY as much as I did back then, they still hold an incredibly special place in my heart - as does U2Start. Those who frequented the Guitar Q&A thread might be happy to know (though I don't presume to think anyone would care
) that my Edge-wannabe, hobbyist guitar playing ended up turning into a full-blown passion - I now have a pretty substantial studio in my basement where I write and record songs for fun (the dream of being a rock star or being part of a U2-equivalent band have long since been forgotten haha - but I made peace with that a long time ago!)_ _ _
But ENOUGH about me, I want to hear from you guys - because I think it's so rare for something like this to occur, particularly on the internet - which is such a transient, throwaway place for the most part. Where were you when you joined? Where are you now? What's occurred in those lives but has still allowed space for U2Start to be a constant part of?
You guys are the best
That was another place I spent a ton of time in my teens, obsessing about Edge's tone as we all did. I wonder where all those other guys are now, Punx, Mick, Thijst, etc. 