I remembered I was nearing my own UDiversary that I forgot to make note of UD's own on January 6th! The site and forum are EIGHTEEN years old now. It can vote. It can get drafted. It can appear in media without parental consent. I wonder which college it applied to.
Anyways, Happy 18th, UD! I post far less than I should, but still try to make time to visit once in awhile.
Albert
WIST #60:
AwallaceUNC: Would you prefer Substi-Blu-tiary Locomotion?
WIST #61:
TheSequelOfDisney: Damn, did Lin-Manuel Miranda go and murder all your families?
A couple nights ago, the topic of UD came up when Aaron, Reuben, and I were at Disney Riviera Resort with a few friends. One of them, fairly new, asked how the three of us knew each other. Well, Reuben and I clearly knew each other since he was a baby, what with being siblings and all. But as Aaron and I were recounting the usual rhetoric (we joined UD within a month of each other, talked a LOT on the forum, started writing reviews for the site, etc.), I realized that we'd known each other for sixteen years by this point, with the latter half of those years in actual real life here in Florida. From this point on, we'll now know each other in real life longer than we ever did online. Back when the internet was young, it was always enforced to not use your real name, not divulge where you really are, and not meet anyone online. And yet, the evolution of this whole cyber-heavy world has resulted in some of the longest-lasting friendships of my adult life.
I was a teenager when I joined UD, and all these years later, I've had so many wonderful experiences in real life with people I used to know only through a screen. I literally live ten minutes away from Aaron now. I'll see Kelvin on a yearly basis thanks to his annual birthday trips to Walt Disney World. I can schedule a visit to Barnes & Noble with Pedro during Criterion sales. When I'm in California, I try to make time to see Karen. When I'm next in Chicago, I know I'll call up Zack for coffee and a movie. If I ever make it to Boston, I'll probably crash for the night in Brendan's spare room. I can call Toronto home for a few days thanks to Skyler. I usually spend hours on the phone with Tony without realizing just how late it is. Renata and Luke have stayed at my residence more than once. It's a different world now from 2004. My 2004 self never would have expected life to make a left turn this way. Back then, these people were just an avatar and a string of words on a message board. But now they're some of my dearest friends.
That's why every year whenever I can, I try to make sure to wish a happy anniversary to UD. Without it, I never would have met such wonderful people.
Happy 19th Anniversary, UD. Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.
Alby
WIST #60:
AwallaceUNC: Would you prefer Substi-Blu-tiary Locomotion?
WIST #61:
TheSequelOfDisney: Damn, did Lin-Manuel Miranda go and murder all your families?
Last year, Escapay wrote:I'm a couple months late (and several months off from my last visit to UD), but Happy Anniversary! Maybe this will finally be the year that Lee posts.
Alby
Won't make the mistake again this year, so Happy Anniversary! Isn't it amazing that after twenty-one years, so much has changed in the landscape of online discussion, physical media, and the Disney community? I doubt anyone could have imagined back in 2001 that streaming will become a dominant form of entertainment, that new theme parks will spring up in Hong Kong and China, or that people would actually miss Michael Eisner's tenure with the company. There are, quite possibly, forum members who were not even born yet when this place first sprung up on the internet. And those that have been born since must think of this place as old-fashioned compared to the more dominant forms of social media out there now. Still, it's a comfort knowing this corner of the internet is still around.
Hopefully Lee hasn't forgotten his log-in information.
Albert
WIST #60:
AwallaceUNC: Would you prefer Substi-Blu-tiary Locomotion?
WIST #61:
TheSequelOfDisney: Damn, did Lin-Manuel Miranda go and murder all your families?
Thanks for keeping this place going Luke!
