1st Chat Nic: TheMom. And that's what most of you still call me bless your
hearts. AND...much to the dismay of the new folks to newbie who are always asking "who's Mom????"...hehehe. Our little secret..*g*. Those of you who call me Mom are the special ones who helped me learn all those chatcronyms when I was "born" onto the net...what amazes me is the depth of those friendships remaining. I chose TheMom when I first came online because that was the single driving force of my life...and still is. To be the mother of my son. I've been told I have it easy because I only have one child...to those who say that, I say "walk a mile in my shoes babe". Whether you have one child or twenty, it is a fierce responsibility not to be undertaken by the faint of heart. (That goes for Dad's too...*g*.) With son now at the ripe old age of 16 and driving, my heart is in my throat most days...and I am looking forward to the time he decides to ditch me in search of his own
life--maybe I'll be able to sleep again...you think? LOL

2nd Chat Nic: summerdream. The reason for the change is three-fold. (1) I was getting restless as TheMom. People were preconceiving me as someone I was not necessarily. And I found myself being inundated with anyone on the web that wanted a mother....*g*. While I love people...and enjoy helping tremendously...some things were coming to a head in my life and I needed some time to concentrate on me. That may sound selfish off the top--but that was part of my problem. I had given so much away there was no way to
define myself anymore outside of my family. I longed to be me again...especially with things being not quite great with certain folks at home. (2) I started hosting in the HotTub...and let's face it...TheMom was a ridiculous nic for a hot tub host...lmao. No one would talk when I was in there....*eg*. (3) I have always loved Shakespeare. And pretty much any literature. And let's face it...I am a sci-fi nut and a book fanatic. I already need a second house just to hold all my books...LOL. I can never part with them. My husband once took a huge box of my paperbacks to the library for sale without telling me. The library refused to return my books to me. Some of them were first editions and are out of print and can no longer be found anywhere. Some of them I was saving for my child who had not yet been born. I think that was also the beginning of the end of my marriage...*small s*. I thought of Cymbeline for a nic...but not many folks are familiar with that play...although the herione is a crack up...*s*. She predates RobinHood and has a lot more class....*VBS*. But just about everyone on the planet has heard of A Midsummer Night's Dream....it is recognizable...and suits the dreamworld that exists in my mind...that place where the real me lives...fantasy and folklore...*g*.

The change of nics also signalled my release of the newcomer room on msn. I exist in chat mostly on jong now. Losing Skycowboy was hard enough...especially for a new chatter that was leaning heavily on those few good souls that were always there with a smile and a laugh for the typos and the "how do you do that's?" that populate all newcomer type rooms...*s*. I will never forget Skycowboy...my first experience with loss of life on the net. It hurts just as much as losing someone you know in "real life". I think that is when I realized that the web is as "real" as anything else in life...as are the people we talk to there everyday.  I left newcomer for good...and the new nic stuck.

The "secret" nics. There are 2 other nics I have used. One was taken with the help of a friend. It is dreamweaver...for a story I wrote for that person. I have never used it on jong, that I can remember. And there is at least one other DreamWeaver I know of...a guy...and not the one I think that is on Sheltie's site here or on jong. That nic I have pretty much retired for good, I think. The other "secret" nic I use I think I have only used
once, maybe twice, on jong. I use it in other areas where I like to travel "incognito". So if you think you have found me in another place with that nic, whisper me and ask...*g*. The nic has been stolen...but is not used often by anyone else I have seen. It is autumn_myste. I took that nic last Fall to give me a vent for the darker side of my life right now. Cloaked in the mist and invisible....*s*. I roam and explore with that nic...trying out some other dimensions. Seeing what is out there in the world. It is where my deeper self lives right now...*small s*. But I will always retain the summerdream--especially with all my wonderful friends on jong.

Hmmmm....was that long and boring enough?....LOL. And for the curious that I would never tell before...there are the "secret" names...*s*. If you really think you know where I am hiding, try and find me....LOL. Geeezzzz....now I will have to come up with a new "secret" nic....LMAO. Everyone have a good one...and I'll see you all around the web...*vbs*.

Return