Our First AIM Conversations
So I have a download from my wife and I’s initial AIM conversations from before we started dating right through to about the time we got engaged. It’s nostalgic and embarassing and very much a time capsule from 2006. I thought it would be fun to run it through an LLM and see what it thinks of our early conversations. So everything below here is generated content based on that request for top moments and a summary.
Top Moments
The first move
“I added you to my list without even asking! mwhaha you can’t even stop me”
Honestly, this is probably the AIM-era equivalent of a bold romantic gesture.
The early disclaimer
“you make me laugh. but don’t take that as a ‘I have feelings’ comment because i really don’t hahaha :-D juuuuuust kidding”
Very subtle. No signals being sent here at all.
The fishing manifesto
“you should take me fishing. no, I’m not kidding. I don’t kid about fishing.”
Some people have standards. Deana had fishing.
The noble use of nerd powers
“Anytime! I try to use my nerdy skills for the good of mankind.”
This is maybe the most accurate early-career summary of Matt possible.
Jazz hands
“i think if i ever saw you do jazz hands… seriously do them… i would wet my pants in laughter”
This was prompted by an away message that included “the dance of eternity jazz hands,” which is exactly the kind of sentence that could only exist in 2006.
The King Kong accusation
“I think I have a bigger heart than I let on… and I’m pretty sure that when I clicked caring for you I was thinking of how you almost cried when we were watching the scene from King Kong.”
Matt’s defense:
“you have no proof”
A classic legal strategy.
The Argentina banquete setup
“girls would wait all year to hear ‘te invito a banquete’”
This led to the revelation that an ideal future date invitation might need to involve Spanish, flowers, ice cream, Coke, and a jacket offered at exactly the right moment.
The name conversation
“sometimes… i call you matthew”
“Oh no way. Whatever suits you.”
This is sweet in the smallest possible way. Not a grand romantic declaration. Just the beginning of familiarity.
The Babelfish incident
“I went and translated that in babelfish thinking it was spanish”
The phrase in question was “chau homie.” Which, to be fair, was only half Spanish.
MiddleOfTheDrama
“Hello, Mr. Keathley. Welcome to MiddleOfTheDrama. It’s a nice little town with lots of ups and downs and tears and laughter but we’re mostly known for being overpopulated with emotional young girls. Thank you, and enjoy your stay.”
This may be the single most 2006 young-adult AIM paragraph ever written.
The accidental future
“will i have kids? my own? adoption? which country will i live in next”
“ooh so tricky… that one is a little fuzzy”
There is something funny and sweet about reading this now, knowing that these were not abstract questions forever. They were early glimpses into a life neither of us could fully see yet.
The serious moment underneath all the jokes
“If you wouldn’t mind prayer for her It would mean alot to me”
“yes of course.”
That exchange is small, but it shows something real. Under all the flirting, jokes, typos, away messages, and absurdity, there was already trust forming.
Matt, According to the Transcript
Matt comes across as playful, nerdy, slightly self-deprecating, and quietly sincere. He jokes constantly, but underneath the jokes is someone paying close attention. He is comfortable being goofy, but he also slips pretty naturally into serious spiritual conversation when the moment calls for it. He is the kind of person who says something absurd, then two minutes later asks for prayer for a friend. Also, apparently, he already knew his “nerdy skills” were to be used “for the good of mankind.”
Deana, According to the Transcript
Deana comes across as funny, direct, expressive, mischievous, and a little more emotionally honest than she lets on. She is quick with a joke, quick to tease, and quick to turn ordinary details into a full theatrical moment. She loves Spanish, fishing, family, stories, photos, freckles, and apparently threatening people with “the drama” of young adult life. She also seems like someone who wants to be seen clearly, but not too easily.