Disaster Wipes Out DepARTment Store Merchandise and GIFShop Souvenirs!

(AP*--Geocities) Over a thousand digital images were lost in a virutal at the end of January. When artist and proprietor Ann-S-Thesia went to open up her shops on Sunday morning, February 1, she was shocked at the devastation. "It was horrible, just horrible," says Ann, "broken images everywhere. Such a waste...they're damaged beyond repair." Fortuantely Ann had opened up a consolidated free web graphic resource at her newly-revised S.S.Studio site just a couple weeks prior to the GeoCities disaster. It features all of the graphics and more that had been offered at the depARTment store and the GIFShop. "Fortunately I can offer nearly uninterrupted service," said the Aesthetic Pharmacist as she is sometimes called, "and the S.S.Studio's free graphics are all in one place, unlike the GeoCities sites which were more spread out in different sites due to space allocation. I guess if there had to be a disaster like this, it couldn't have come at a better time."

When asked if she would restore the existing GIFShop, she shook her head. "It'd be foolish. I'm already spending an inordinate amount of time restoring the rest of the Aesthetic Pharmacy to its original condition. I'm certainly not going to restore part of it that's already available at my other site. But don't worry, the other non-free graphics part of the Pharmacy will still be available--the personal area, pets, the Phairy, etc., it's all still there. Hey, I just got a virtual domain here and I'm not going to let it go to waste!" As to the depARTment store, Ann does concede that is a total loss. "I won't be restoring that one. All the depARTment store did was offer free fine digital merchandise, and now all that is destroyed."

Broken glass, ceramic bits, molten metal and shredded fabric now litter the floor in the depARTment store where once beautiful blown glass buttons, gold metal bars and fine wallpaper were once displayed. The windows are all blown out and it is not advised one ride the elevators. Ann's husband, Stan Starbuck, who leases the depARTment store for her in the SoHo Studios neighborhood doesn't rule out foul play. "There's a lot of uncreative hacker nerds out there who'd love to see artists homeless. I feel sorry for some of the artists who were actually living in their lofts. Now where do they go? Fortunately we've got the other place." Starbuck, who also maintains the site "prozACADEMIA," in the Athens neighborhood, was asked if that site would continue to offer Ann's free graphics since it was not affected in the disaster. "In solidarity with the SoHo sites, I will eventually discontinue those graphics too. They're all available at the other site anyway."

GeoCities landlords who own all the spaces damaged by the disaster could not be reached for comment.

*not Associated Press, Aesthetic Pharmacist!

 

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