Alyssa Edwards
Meme Geeks
It is a typical afternoon on a very typical day. Duck Dynasty is on in the background. Daphne is on
the floor playing with her blocks and dolls. I am considering cleaning my messy house, but am too
lazy to do more than think about it. Then, buzz buzz, my phone vibrates loudly on the couch next to
me. The screen shows a new multi-media text from Cristen, my younger sister. I open it to find the
picture is split into four smaller pictures. Each smaller picture is showing a part of a conversation
between a beautiful Husky and its owner.
I crack up into a giggling fit. I didn’t think it was possible to beat her last internet meme, but she has
proven me wrong. My husband, Todd, looks over with a questioning look. I toss him the phone
because it would be impossible to explain through my laughter. He takes his time to consider it. He
then smiles when he see it, but does little more. I sigh loudly. Nobody quite understands our unique
communication, but that is why it is special.
When my sister and I were in elementary school, we lost our father to a heart aneurysm . Then
when she was in middle school, Cristen was diagnosed Bi-Polar. Life is a constant struggle for her.
She is a strong woman, but has to take incredible amounts of Lithium to help her get through day to
day. She also deals with social anxiety, so she only has a few friends. For most of high school, we
got along like normal siblings do. We often fought and were jealous of each other. My mother had
her work cut out for her. After I graduated, we settled our differences, formed a stronger bond, and
became best friends.
On January 25th, 2010, I left my family for the first time with no clear idea of when I would
return. I had joined the US Navy, and I was leaving my best friend behind. It broke my heart to leave
our new found friendship up to fate and distance. I was unsure how to keep it strong.
After roughly a year of struggling to stay connected with my family, I received my first internet
meme from my little sister. A meme is a picture from the internet that uses humor ,satire, and/or
visuals to convey a specific idea. I couldn't tell you what exactly it was , but I’m sure it had
something to do with Harry Potter.
At that time, we obsessed over the Harry Potter books. This led to a whole new way to connect with
Cristen. As a bonus, it was all our own. We have always had a unique way of communicating and
understanding each other. Sometimes we even completed each others thoughts if the subject was
something particularly strange that we both were obsessed with. Nobody else in our family could
understand the hidden messages in the pictures. They need words to express what is going on.
Cristen and I can search the internet and find the perfect picture to to convey what we feel or want to
say. We search for memes made by others because we are just too lazy and not as clever as some
other people. It also introduced us to each of our newly found interests, such as Dr. Who,
Jennamarbles, Glee, Duck Dynasty, and so many more. Another recent photo she sent me was simply
a picture announcing that Bill Nye the Science Guy would be dancing on Dancing with the Stars.
I didn't need a texted explanation of what she was saying .Despite the distance between us, I could
visualize her doing her happy dance around the living room, avoiding my grandmothers breakable
knick-knacks. Her eyes shocked, but her mouth drawn up in a huge smile. She might even be making
up a song to shape the swaying of her body. My nephew would watch her, confused by the sudden
burst of energy, but excited all the same. We loved Bill Nye as kids. We grew up watching his show
and now as adults we can watch him dance and message each other our thoughts through memes.
The pictures brighten our day. Even though our communication is unique, it is far from perfect. I
want it to be enough to keep her happy. I want it to make her feel close to me always. I want it to
cure her of her struggles. The truth is it can't. Very recently my sister was committed to a mental
institution for a suicide attempt and homicidal thoughts. I’m not sure when I will get the next internet
meme, but I can’t wait until we can get back to our communication. I am hoping that it is soon. This
is how we catch up. This is how we stay close. This is us. We are meme geeks.