MadHatter seeks Moody from Cheers. Pass it on.
Help me find an old friend?
Years and years ago, back before there really was an internet, we had these things called BBSes. You could dial into them, and they had chat rooms and discussion boards and stuff. The one I went to even had this wierd thing called "email," where you could leave a message for a specific person, to be picked up the next time the person logged in. Really, though, that didn't make much sense because the chat room was the main thing and why not just wait until the person you wanted to talk to logged on? I guess some people found a use for it, but it seemed like a waste to me.
Anyway, the BBS I logged onto was called "Cheers." It was NJ-based (there were a small handful of servers -- three, maybe -- scattered around the state). The nominal theme was, of course, the TV show, but other than the fact that the owner logged in as "Malone" (and, I guess, the fact that there were chat regulars who all knew each other), there wasn't much to remind you of it. I logged in as MadHatter, and later developed my altar ego, "HatMan, Avenger of Bordum (and bad speller)" to fill in conversational lulls with amusing adventures.
One day we got to talking about a series of books. "Thieves World." A fantasy anthology that I and a couple of others were enjoying. One of them, who went by "Moody" (after the Moody Blues), had some very rare spin-off books. He agreed to lend them to me. We met for a very brief period in my town's mall. Me, the 14-year-old with his mother nervously hanging around a few feet away, him the 30ish adult with his first child in a stroller. He handed me a grocery bag full of books (I'd just asked to see the one!), but made me solemnly promise to return them. They were very rare, and special to him. I assured him I'd take good care of them and get them back to him as soon as I was done.
Except, somehow, by the time I finished reading the books, we'd both drifted away from Cheers. The Internet was being born, I guess, and we moved on to bigger things (Compuserve, in my case).
The books have no identifying marks. No real name. No address. Nothing. They've been sitting in my closet, still in their vaguely protective grocery bag, patiently waiting to be returned. For well over a decade. Actually, if I was 14 then, this would be almost exactly half a lifetime ago.
All I know about Moody is in the above paragraphs. His approximate age. Two hobbies/interests (Thieves World and the Moody Blues). The fact that he used to log on to a BBS by the name of Cheers. The fact that, 14 years ago, he lived in central NJ, somewhere relatively convenient to the Brunswick Square Mall.
Barring a major tragedy, he's still out there, somewhere. But I've had no idea how to find him. Until now. Sort of.
Help me, Flist. You're my only hope.
If you know anything about Moody or even Cheers, let me know. Comment here or email me or something. (And, so I know you're not just jerking me around, include something about Cheers that I haven't mentioned here. Example stuff: What band had its own script command? If you saw "BUUUURP" on your screen, what did everyone else see? Just something so I know you were actually there.)
Even if not, please pass the word. I'm not asking for much. Just a short paragraph with a link and a request to your Flist to pass it on. This is not a chain letter. I'm not forcasting doom if you don't. I'm not making this stuff up. I'm not some anonymous author giggling and gloating about all the chumps or whatever it is chain letter starters do. I'm just a guy taking a shot at being able to do the right thing.
There's a chance I can find him this way. Keep my promise. That's all I'm asking. If you see this, please do me a favor. Help me out. Post the following in your journal, with a link back to this entry:
MadHatter seeks Moody from Cheers. Pass it on.
(For convinience, the URL is: http://pgwfolc.livejournal.com/5061.html )
One line, one link. If this works, it'll be very cool. Think about it. A grassroots effort to find a needle in a haystack the size of the entire world. It can happen. If you help me.
Years and years ago, back before there really was an internet, we had these things called BBSes. You could dial into them, and they had chat rooms and discussion boards and stuff. The one I went to even had this wierd thing called "email," where you could leave a message for a specific person, to be picked up the next time the person logged in. Really, though, that didn't make much sense because the chat room was the main thing and why not just wait until the person you wanted to talk to logged on? I guess some people found a use for it, but it seemed like a waste to me.
Anyway, the BBS I logged onto was called "Cheers." It was NJ-based (there were a small handful of servers -- three, maybe -- scattered around the state). The nominal theme was, of course, the TV show, but other than the fact that the owner logged in as "Malone" (and, I guess, the fact that there were chat regulars who all knew each other), there wasn't much to remind you of it. I logged in as MadHatter, and later developed my altar ego, "HatMan, Avenger of Bordum (and bad speller)" to fill in conversational lulls with amusing adventures.
One day we got to talking about a series of books. "Thieves World." A fantasy anthology that I and a couple of others were enjoying. One of them, who went by "Moody" (after the Moody Blues), had some very rare spin-off books. He agreed to lend them to me. We met for a very brief period in my town's mall. Me, the 14-year-old with his mother nervously hanging around a few feet away, him the 30ish adult with his first child in a stroller. He handed me a grocery bag full of books (I'd just asked to see the one!), but made me solemnly promise to return them. They were very rare, and special to him. I assured him I'd take good care of them and get them back to him as soon as I was done.
Except, somehow, by the time I finished reading the books, we'd both drifted away from Cheers. The Internet was being born, I guess, and we moved on to bigger things (Compuserve, in my case).
The books have no identifying marks. No real name. No address. Nothing. They've been sitting in my closet, still in their vaguely protective grocery bag, patiently waiting to be returned. For well over a decade. Actually, if I was 14 then, this would be almost exactly half a lifetime ago.
All I know about Moody is in the above paragraphs. His approximate age. Two hobbies/interests (Thieves World and the Moody Blues). The fact that he used to log on to a BBS by the name of Cheers. The fact that, 14 years ago, he lived in central NJ, somewhere relatively convenient to the Brunswick Square Mall.
Barring a major tragedy, he's still out there, somewhere. But I've had no idea how to find him. Until now. Sort of.
Help me, Flist. You're my only hope.
If you know anything about Moody or even Cheers, let me know. Comment here or email me or something. (And, so I know you're not just jerking me around, include something about Cheers that I haven't mentioned here. Example stuff: What band had its own script command? If you saw "BUUUURP" on your screen, what did everyone else see? Just something so I know you were actually there.)
Even if not, please pass the word. I'm not asking for much. Just a short paragraph with a link and a request to your Flist to pass it on. This is not a chain letter. I'm not forcasting doom if you don't. I'm not making this stuff up. I'm not some anonymous author giggling and gloating about all the chumps or whatever it is chain letter starters do. I'm just a guy taking a shot at being able to do the right thing.
There's a chance I can find him this way. Keep my promise. That's all I'm asking. If you see this, please do me a favor. Help me out. Post the following in your journal, with a link back to this entry:
MadHatter seeks Moody from Cheers. Pass it on.
(For convinience, the URL is: http://pgwfolc.livejournal.com/5061.html )
One line, one link. If this works, it'll be very cool. Think about it. A grassroots effort to find a needle in a haystack the size of the entire world. It can happen. If you help me.