ChatAngel's Birth

A friend gave me a list of BBSes located within the state. I searched for local phone numbers and started dialing. Being a game fanatic, the first BBS I called was "Games 'n Stuff." I was hooked and called every day until the owner, my dear Mr. Will Woodley, decided to retire the bbs last October (1998) - the number of callers had dwindled to a mere handful of loyal gamers and he simply felt it was no longer a viable hobby. I still haven't been able to erase the number, now disconnected, from the dialer.

During my second BBS call, I decided to leave the SysOp (system operator) a message - the usual self-introduction - when the SysOp actually "broke into" the middle of the message. We wound up "talking" to each other for FOUR hours (hey, there, ChatGuy!). He has become a very dear friend.

My third call was to my first multi-line BBS, MicroFone InfoServices, Inc. That was my intro to chat rooms and even though I was nervous, I decided to give it a try. Well... I liked what I saw enough that I joined immediately. And instantly found a home. We yammered away about the weather, about the kids, about job hassles - anything that could be thrown out as a topic. And I stayed and stayed. One day the SysOp asked me if I'd consider becoming a SigOp (Special Interest Group Operator) for Chat and I accepted. At about the same time, I was CBing with my best friend, a long haul trucker. Angel One was my handle. Since the Chat Room at MicroFone was euphemistically known as CB, I combined the two and ChatAngel was born.

Unfortunately, MicroFone was the first of "my" BBSes to die an unheralded death. The Internet is fun and I love being here, but the camaraderie of a local BBS is something extra special and I miss it very much.