Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 19, 1994 TAG: 9404190125
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: EXTRA-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Dwayne Yancey and Kathleen Wilson
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In effect, that's what happened when we invited 15 computer-ready readers to the party we threw on the information superhighway last week. The on-line hosts were MissMingle and DWAYNE2458.
Eleven showed up, but throughout the evening more than 60 people from all over cruised through ``Mingling in Roanoke,'' the ``chat room'' we set up on America Online. More than 35 stayed to chat.
The result was four hours of silly dialogue between a bunch of people who have never met about anything that managed to come up.
You should understand that when in cyberspace, all you have to do is say you're doing something and you are. This should help explain how a man can dance and sing with a piano on his back and how 15 people from all over can consider a dip in the same hot tub. (The partiers' descriptions of these feats are set off from dialog by using :::)
We got big help from Scott Clothier in Botetourt, who works locally for America Online.
What follows is pure stream-of-consciousness dialogue between people from all over Virginia - and the United States, too, for that matter. We had people drop in from Fort Worth, Fort Wayne, Sacramento and Clifton Forge.
Think of it as eavesdropping on a wild nationwide party-line.
|n n| MissMingle: When a guy named TOPPER C arrives, make a big fuss! He's got a major mouth!
MaryRD: How many more people are we expecting? And are any of them cute?
MissMingle: Mary, they all claim to be.
MaryRD: Ya, and monkeys fly out of my butt regularly.
MissMingle: You know, Ron. We almost didn't invite you. Dwayne didn't think we should invite anyone using their real name.
Ron Lovern: Who says it's my REAL name?
TOPPER C: Hi, all!!!
Capt Bly: Cripes, is it REALLY Topper?
MaryRD: Topper, dude!
MissMingle: Swolf, get Topper a drink.
Swolf: :::Uploading Topper some party punch:::
MissMingle: Hey, Swolf. Show the crew how to REALLY make a drink!
AttilaH: Hey, Swolf. How about a fuzzy navel?
Swolf: :::flipping mixer in air behind back::: (``Cocktail'' style.)
MissMingle: Whoa!
Swolf: :::Mixer hits Swolf on the head and he falls over unconscious:::
Cmdr Zoo: :::Picking up Swolf::: Where's the Irish coffee?
|n n| AttilaH: How about some good ol' country music.
Lon1st: Yeah, a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll.
Laurali777: NO COUNTRY.
MissMingle: Hey, Lon. NO DONNY AND MARIE REFERENCES AT MY PARTY!
Laurali777: That Lon, he's into the '70s, too.
Lon1st: Man, how'd I get pegged with Donny and Marie all the sudden???
MissMingle: Lon, weren't you the one with the little bit country, little bit rock `n' roll reference? If not, gosh, I'm sorry!
Lon1st: Yes, Mingler, but I forgot where I came up with that.
Swolf: I think we broke the hot tub\ :o
MissMingle: Whoa, Lonster! How UNcool!
MissMingle: SOMEONE BROKE THE HOT TUB?
Cmdr Zoo: There goes the deposit...
DWAYNE2458: Is there a hot tub in the house???
C1osr2Fine: There's a hot tub at Swolf's house!
Swolf: Well, there's a hot tub at Swolf's house.
Swolf: Yeah...what she said.
C1osr2Fine: hehehe
Cmdr Zoo: Let's all rush over to Swolf's house!
MissMingle: We can fit a couple in my bathtub...
ThWatcher: Well, I guess we could all use the bathtub.
Cmdr Zoo: I've got a hose outside.
Lon1st: Everyone, the quoting of Donny and Marie was purely accidental.
|n n| Pierlust: I SAID HELLO AL
SkinManABN: Hello.
Pierlust: Oops, ALL.
C1osr2Fine: Who's Al?
MissMingle: Al who?
C1osr2Fine: Al Franken?
Laurali777: You can call me Al.
Pierlust: I mean ALL.
Swolf: I swear if someone invented beer flavored ice cream they'd be a millionaire.
DWAYNE2458: Al Stewart?
C1osr2Fine: Martha Stewart?
AttilaH: Al Jolsen?
MissMingle: Al-vin and the chipmunks?
Cmdr Zoo: Patrick Stewart!
AttilaH: Stewart Copeland.
Cmdr Zoo: You know, if you don't want guys to hit up on you on-line, try using the name FATCHICK.
|n n| DWAYNE2458: Miss Mingle, I think the keg is running dry... U got another?
MissMingle: My keg supply is unlimited! I need a couple of beefy guys to hoist it.
DWAYNE2458: :::lifting the keg all by himself:::
MissMingle: Dwayne...my hero. Sigh.
DWAYNE2458: You want me to move that piano for you, too, Mingle?
DWAYNE2458: :::picking up the piano and moving it out of the way to make room for dancing:::
Cmdr Zoo: Flex those muscles, Dwayne.
Laurali777: This I have to see...
Farmer Ted: Where are you playing country?
MissMingle: NO COUNTRY!
Laurali777: NO COUNTRY!
Laurali777: Sing us a song, Dwayne.
Cmdr Zoo: How about Led Zeppelin? Houses of the Holy?
DWAYNE2458: How about ``Werewolves of London''?
MissMingle: And dance at the same time.
HPM ASTRO: AEROSMITH!
MissMingle: I'd like to meet his tailor.
DWAYNE2458: ...climbing ... a ...stairway ... to... heaven...
Farmer Ted: I love ``Werewolves of London.''
Laurali777: NO COUNTRY
DWAYNE2458: Is your hair purple?
Swolf: I know someone named purple hair.
Cmdr Zoo: Swolf, PLEASE PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY! LICENSE AND REGISTRATION, PLEASE!
Swolf: Er, not named. I know someone WITH purple hair.
MissMingle: It's not PURPLE hair. His hair was PERFECT!
HPM ASTRO: I'll bet if we all left now we could meet somewhere in Bedford in about 40 minutes.
|n n| MissMingle: Welcome, Lefty! U from Roanoke?
LeftyL: Hi, Mingle. Spent some time there when I was a kid.
MissMingle: Where do you live now?
LeftyL: CT, outside of New Haven.
MissMingle: Welcome back to Roanoke, Lefty! You're our second visitor from Connecticut tonight.
LeftyL: I used to live near Tinker Mountain. Went to school across town at North Cross.
MissMingle: Lefty, what are you doing in CT?
LeftyL: Mingle, avoiding work. Is that amusement park still there? What was its name?
Swolf: Lakeside? Unfortunately, no. :(
LeftyL: NO!!??
Swolf: They took it down like 6-7 years ago.
MissMingle: Lakeside is a shopping center now.
LeftyL: But they already had two - what were they? Towers and Crossroads?
HPM ASTRO: ...they paved paradise and put up a parking lot...
LeftyL: I suppose they've taken the star off of Mill Mountain, too.
MissMingle: No, Lefty. They'll never do that.
LeftyL: Whew...
by CNB