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It's not controversial to say that the internet has gotten so stale nowadays, right? In the natural human desire to innovate and optimize, we’ve consolidated ourselves to only a couple of sites that provide relatively similar content, doing anything they can to keep our attention for as long as we allow them to siphon money from us. I feel like I was born at a perfect time where I can sort of remember the early 2010’s era of the internet where this trend was only starting to begin, and the computer was some arcane magical device that brought me Super Mario videos if I could figure out how to spell it. Being a lot older and slightly more pathologically curious, I spend a lot of time online reading about things that interest me, which unsurprisingly includes the internet itself. While doing research, I’ve noticed that writing a webpage in html and sending it to friends was much more commonplace in the early adoption of the internet, before the institution of social media platforms, and that fascinated me. Such a task feels oddly intimate, like receiving a letter in the mail, but with the benefit of being able to see it wherever you can find the internet. So, allow me to attempt to replicate that experience.

I’m going to be honest, I have no idea how you put up with me. It seems like a yearly schedule where I get depressed and disappear, but somehow, you’re always there for me whenever I need something. I think it’s a testament to your incredible kindness– a natural inclination to be one of the few genuine people I know. You persisted through every major arc in my life, and although I do not feel like the same person that I was when we met in the 8th grade, we still remained close allies. Then again, we both grew and matured in our own special ways, and reflecting on that growth is remarkable. I think one of our first conversations was about waifus, Doki Doki Literature Club, and Discord; things I would die before discussing with a perfect stranger nowadays. But, it worked out, and I am eternally grateful that it did.

You have opened up your home, treated me with warmth and sincerity, and even introduced me to your own friends. If you didn’t pull me out of my shell and gave me the opportunity to expand my life experiences, my post-freshman social life would most likely be nonexistent. Speaking of, I remember that you wrote my name on your wall back then as a reminder f people who you hold in high regard, and that means a lot to me. There’s a certain power of writing things down, so imagine this to be a way of paying it forward. I am certain that we will be friends for a significant portion of our lives, so remember this if I manage to get married and I call you up to be the best man for my wedding.

You are going to do incredible things. I know it. Keep your spirit.

Anyway, the communication line is always open. At the bottom of this page, you can find my contact information. The website itself will be updated to include projects I’m working on, if you’re curious. A UGC conclusion and continuation will be real before the heat death of the universe. Feel free to contact me for anything you need, I’m in your corner!

I wish you the absolute best that this life has to offer. I hope this letter serves as an adequate acknowledgement of the benefit that you have brought into my life. May God bless your journey ahead. I’ll leave off with one of my favorite quotes by Henry David Thoreau in his journal, Walden, “Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.” In no uncertain terms, every day is an opportunity to move forward and improve on yourself—to awaken to your own becoming, to rise toward the life only you can create. I still have much yet to learn, but I’m glad I was able to learn alongside you.