There was a time before skibidi in Ohio, when Haramabe was but a glimmer in the eye of two captive great apes, and Gamestop was just a place you might go to at the mall on Saturday. Nostalgia for this era before the internet and memes changed everything about culture and life remains strong. It was a time of optimism and possibility.

Of course, the past wasn't perfect while it was lived in, and the grass is always greener. But the more time goes by, the more charming artifacts and memories from this time become. The early 2000s and the 1990s may have been just a few years, but for those who lived through them, they are something bigger, a whole mode of being-in-the-world. Classic games, rented DVDs, and long summer nights may have receded far into the past, but in the minds of those who remember they live on and are immortal.