So, I was on Twitter this morning, and I suddenly had this FEAR that I had missed my blogging anniversary. I knew I had started in mid-February last year, and I thought it was around the 12th.
Well, it was. AROUND the 12th. Fortunately, it was the 15th. [Here is my opening post... ]
So today, then, is the last day of the first year of my blog. The first of perhaps MANY years, I can hope...
But WOW! What an amazing first year! What an incredible, incredible first year!
I don't even know where to begin in my recap...
But one of the reasons for this blog was because I'm real cheap, and this was free therapy. So thanks, guys! ;)
No, but seriously, at the time I started this blog, I was deep in grief over two lost relationships, and I was feeling incredibly lonely in a small town where I was trying to dig roots, in a job that ultimately I felt both overwhelmed and bored with. I had lost my best friend, and was feeling a deep need to find someone to tell all the random thoughts and silly things (and perhaps profound?) that were screaming through my head.
So, I thought the whole world was a suitable audience to share everything with...
But I had no readers except my good friend Robin Sparkles (thank you, Robin!) and apparently I wasn't the type who liked to talk just to hear my own voice. Apparently, I'm so selfish and self-centered I actually want OTHERS to hear me too....
And I had decided to give it a whirl because I enjoyed hearing The Bloggess' voice and thought I can do that! So after twenty-five blog posts, and hoping that meant I was going to stick with this, I called her out. At the time, on her blog, there was an incident that she has asked us to no longer name with an actor whose first memorable role was as the second Joey in One Life To Live, and I encouraged her to share a picture with me as she might have wanted one who shall not be named to send a picture to her of him.
So, to get her attention, I did an evil thing. Something that from high above in my lofty cloud I thought was much too far beneath me. Something I never thought I would do.
That's right. I joined Twitter.
WOW!
And The Bloggess - bless her heart - was my VERY FIRST FOLLOWER!!!
At some point along the way, I found Kit. And I believe I found her through Jenny. And I found her posts - particularly her posts about sex - to be really funny and amusing. I liked her voice too. And I'd like to say she was my second follower.. but I'm not sure... Either way, with #wineparty, she opened up a whole new world to me.
A world of 30-40-something Mommy bloggers. (Primarily)
You guys are great. Considering I am most definitely NOT a Mommy...
And I have a Sci-Fi name that should turn you off. And it took some of you awhile to realize I wasn't a guy hitting on and flirting with women, but, um, a dyke. But you enjoyed it and flirted back.
And one particular chickie - who played a little hard to get at first - flirted back and foolishly fell in love with me. ;)
WOW!
And slowly, but surely, I've built up a following. I have a steady readership of about 20 readers... ;) and I have had over twelve thousand hits. I have a strong Balkan following.
The CANADIANS have been quite impressive fans. They are so polite. They'll apologize when YOU fart. I love the Canadians... And so... today is as good a day as any to make the official announcement that, well, I'm moving to Canada.
'Cuz, as I've already mentioned, there's this particular chickie.. and well.. she's a CANADIAN chick.. go figure... We're not entirely sure she likes me and that she isn't just being polite to me, "Oh sure..." but we're gonna run with it anyway. ;)
(Actually, no, we're QUITE sure she likes me, very much... and if I left that sentence alone, particularly after her sweet Valentine's eve series of love notes, I'd be in trouble... and that's no way to start a life together... )
Goodbye small town. Goodbye single. Goodbye soccer coach. Goodbye America. Goodbye job. Goodbye church...
Woah.. what's going to be left of me when I go?
All the essential parts of me will still be here.
I have enjoyed very much living in a small town, but I didn't particularly choose this place. They have been good to me. Very good to me! I have really enjoyed coaching soccer, but I have no inherent skills or even love for the sport. I enjoyed the girls - they were great! Can't say I enjoyed being single, but I can say that I got out of it what I needed, and I have most definitely let go of my past relationships and am ready for this new one I'm already in (so it's, um, a good thing, eh?) America? Well... you're hard to ignore. And I'll be living in a border town (okay, border megaopolis), so I have a feeling I won't miss you too much. Job? Pfft... well... it has always been a gap-filler. And it and the church, and the soccer have all sort of helped me get a firmer understanding of what I enjoy doing, and in a larger city, I will have a better opportunity to find something that fits those things.
What a year! I mean, really, what a year! One thing which has NOT changed, though, over this past year. And that is being and knowing that I am very, very blessed.
Who knows what themes will emerge with this blog in the next year? Change will probably be one of them. I'm going to try and stuff my life into five duffel bags and stuff them and my bike into my car and start over. I've always always always wanted to have such little stuff in my life that I could stuff it all in a car and go. I have a couple of weeks to pare things down to see if I can do it. If I manage it, that's another WOW! I am looking forward to trying.
Alright - a few other topics are creeping into my head to write about, but it is clear to me that they are separate posts.
But I wanted to say WOW! and THANK YOU! for an INCREDIBLE year. INCREDIBLE!
Who knew when I started this that this is where it would lead? But I am so grateful it has!
I am blessed.
Showing posts with label the bloggess. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the bloggess. Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
My Girl!
In last night's post, I referenced a parody of Before He Cheats called Before He Speaks, that was a warning from pastor's wives to their husbands about using them for sermon fodder. Central to the core of that is this implicit statement, "Look, dude, I have to live in this community, too. I really don't want everyone coming up to me and talking about the pot roast I burnt the other night, or knowing our intimate private little habits." I don't want to worry or wonder with each conversation I have with you whether it is just between us, or if it is going to be shared with a large group of people on Sunday morning. It is a fair and reasonable request.
It doesn't take a reader of The Bloggess very long to feel tremendous compassion for Victor, and to think that he must have incredible patience. I imagine she takes SOME artistic license when she describes their conversations, but either way, even though she doesn't necessarily try to portray him as a saint, you can see from her writing that he is.
And I do imagine there are conversations between them, probably simply ending with Victor saying, "You're going to put this on your blog, aren't you?" and Jenny replying "You bet sweet Juanita's ass I am".
But even though you've never met the man, you can't help but fall in love a little with him given that he seems to be a truly incredible man.
Now if I wrote you about my girl, I know you would feel the same. She is incredible, sweet, wonderful. She always knows just the right things to say. She gets me. She truly does. It amazes me. She amazes me.
I'd love to write you all about my girl. I'd love to tell you about these moments of silliness I have from time to time, and how wonderfully she responds. I'd love to tell you about how despite the fact that it should, my ADD doesn't daunt her. How kindly she responds, how well she holds up against my friends, how strong and courageous she is. How sweet and loving and warm and affectionate she is. I'd love to share various vignettes that now fill my memory of moments we have shared.
But she is a private person. She protects her digital footprint. She's cautious about what might be posted about her online. And while she does love social media, she nonetheless maintains very clear distinct boundaries about what she shares. Boundaries that we have already blurred together, admittedly. But it is one thing for her to make a clear choice, a deliberated choice, I will post x in y place; and a completely different thing for me to make such a choice for her - particularly without consulting her.
So I found myself lost, sometimes, when it comes to writing new posts, because the things I want to share most, I want to keep between ourselves. I can safely speak generically about how much I love her laugh, but to tell you about what she says that makes me laugh would be too much. And how much do you really want to hear me gloss on and on about how beautiful she is, and how she makes my breath catch? There's only so much of that...
I can say this, though. When someone truly loves you, all she wants is your happiness. Don't settle for anyone who wants less than that. My girl makes me very happy!!
It doesn't take a reader of The Bloggess very long to feel tremendous compassion for Victor, and to think that he must have incredible patience. I imagine she takes SOME artistic license when she describes their conversations, but either way, even though she doesn't necessarily try to portray him as a saint, you can see from her writing that he is.
And I do imagine there are conversations between them, probably simply ending with Victor saying, "You're going to put this on your blog, aren't you?" and Jenny replying "You bet sweet Juanita's ass I am".
But even though you've never met the man, you can't help but fall in love a little with him given that he seems to be a truly incredible man.
Now if I wrote you about my girl, I know you would feel the same. She is incredible, sweet, wonderful. She always knows just the right things to say. She gets me. She truly does. It amazes me. She amazes me.
I'd love to write you all about my girl. I'd love to tell you about these moments of silliness I have from time to time, and how wonderfully she responds. I'd love to tell you about how despite the fact that it should, my ADD doesn't daunt her. How kindly she responds, how well she holds up against my friends, how strong and courageous she is. How sweet and loving and warm and affectionate she is. I'd love to share various vignettes that now fill my memory of moments we have shared.
But she is a private person. She protects her digital footprint. She's cautious about what might be posted about her online. And while she does love social media, she nonetheless maintains very clear distinct boundaries about what she shares. Boundaries that we have already blurred together, admittedly. But it is one thing for her to make a clear choice, a deliberated choice, I will post x in y place; and a completely different thing for me to make such a choice for her - particularly without consulting her.
So I found myself lost, sometimes, when it comes to writing new posts, because the things I want to share most, I want to keep between ourselves. I can safely speak generically about how much I love her laugh, but to tell you about what she says that makes me laugh would be too much. And how much do you really want to hear me gloss on and on about how beautiful she is, and how she makes my breath catch? There's only so much of that...
I can say this, though. When someone truly loves you, all she wants is your happiness. Don't settle for anyone who wants less than that. My girl makes me very happy!!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
My Biggest Fan
My
She will now learn that if she doesn't provide me with ideas, then I will write about her. ;)
Actually, I know better than that. One of my good friends is the wife of a priest, and long ago she shared with me one of her favorite videos - a parody off of Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats, called Before He Speaks. It's a lesson learning video about what will happen to the priest who mentions his wife or uses his wife in his sermons. It's quite amusing.
So, I know better than to do that. But it seems lately that if you take away my girl as a topic of conversation, I am left with little else to talk about.
And that doesn't quite seem right. Certainly I had plenty of
Okay. Hmm... Maybe I was a wonder and a sensation only in my head? Maybe you all were just kind and took pity on me? No, that can't be it.
But I was just reading The Bloggess' Let's Pretend This Never Happened over dinner this evening, and in the chapter I was reading, she's writing about her generalized anxiety disorder, and how it makes her tell the story during dinner parties of how she swallowed a needle, or think she swallowed a needle, and how her conversational skills degenerate from there. And I would never want to belittle her experience, but suddenly, I wonder, if I've lost the art of conversation, or the art of the blog post?
Nah.
This morning, I was reading Dear Abby (again? Can you believe it? It's like she writes a column every day or something.. She'd make a great blogger! *wink!*) and actually I was quite struck by the advice written in by readers about how to have long term successful relationships in response to a letter published in October.
The text of today's column is pasted below.. And I admit, while embarking upon a new relationship, it seemed like there was some sound advice in there for me to remember. And since I talk about relationships here so frequently, I thought I'd share some of the parts that struck me most:
Love isn't just a feeling, but a choice and a commitment. I'm committed to my husband not because I'm "supposed" to be, but because I choose to be.
I do firmly believe that I never want someone to be with me because they feel obligated to do so. That's not a reason to be together. I want them to choose to be with me, not feel stuck, even if I tease my girlfriend that she's now "stuck" with me. It is a choice we make each day. And so far, it's seemed like a fairly easy choice. And fortunately, whenever I do tease her, she always responds with the right answer: "I'm not stuck with you. I can dump your ass any day." (so not true, she is MUCH nicer than that, but doesn't that make her SOUND bad-ass?)
We're told that marriage is 50-50. That's not true. It's 100-100. I'm responsible for my 100 percent, and my spouse is responsible for his.
I think it is easy for people within a relationship to begin to keep a score-card. But I think what each person brings to a relationship is often not easily quantifiable, not easily measurable. I think - or how I choose to read this - is that we are each responsible for bringing 100% of ourselves to the relationship. Simply having someone to share life with doesn't mean that we have less responsibility for our lives, it just means that our load is lighter because we are carrying it together.
Loving feelings come from loving behavior, not the other way around.
I have a mixed response to this one. Mostly because I am in the early hormonal throes of my relationship. I feel that my behavior is an expression of my loving feelings. And I certainly hope that this is the way I feel for the life of our relationship - for our lives shared together.
But I have been in relationships gone sour, and I think this sentence applies to those who are having a hard time. That while you might not be feeling loving towards your spouse, if you treat him or her in a loving manner, you'll regenerate the loving feelings that belong underneath it. If you treat me in a loving manner, it is hard for me to remain angry or hurt. You repair what damage might have been done, and in the process, remind yourself and your spouse of what it was like when those loving feelings were closer to the surface. And I think that is illustrated in the last comment, here:
A wise therapist advised me to compliment my husband at least once a day. ("If you act happy, pretty soon it won't be an act.")
For me, I am actually happy. It's not an act.
But the lesson from today's column is that it is important for ANYONE in the beginning hummm of a new relationship to remember that sometimes relationships will require work, and they do require commitment. It is easy to believe the hormonal rush that leads you to believe your love can do nothing wrong will never end. And, hopefully, it won't. But even if it does, it is important to remember and to build upon the true love and caring feelings you have for your romantic partner, because those will take you through some of the more "complicated" / difficult times you may face together.
Remember to value your partner every day. Make a conscious choice to be in your relationship. And let your partner know he or she is special. Every day. It's the only way to build a solid foundation that can withstand whatever life may throw at you. And always hold hands to get through that together.
DEAR ABBY: This is in response to "Had It in Hartford" (Oct. 6), who
has been unhappily married to her husband for 20 years. She said she
married him for all the wrong reasons and "has never loved him the way
a woman should love a man."
After I had been married for seven years, I went to my pastor concerned
that the grass on the other side was looking greener than mine. As we
spoke, I began to realize the extent of the investment I had put into
my marriage and that I didn't want to start over again on a new one.
My mom always told me, "Marriage is not easy. You will always have to
work on it. There will be times when you won't feel that you like him
or love him." I have been married for 36 years now. Do I notice
handsome men, or appreciate a man who treats me kindly? Of course. I'm
not blind or dead.
Love isn't just a feeling, but a choice and a commitment. I'm committed
to my husband not because I'm "supposed" to be, but because I choose to
be. It seems to me that "Had It" never made that choice or worked
toward it, but expected it to just happen eventually.
She has a foundation of trust and friendship that helps a marriage
through the rough times. Many marriages that end in divorce rely on
sexual attraction and passion to carry them instead of friendship.
We're told that marriage is 50-50. That's not true. It's 100-100. I'm
responsible for my 100 percent, and my spouse is responsible for his.
"Had It" should take another look at what she's about to lose and tally
up the costs to her family. Is she really trapped? Or has she just been
unwilling to choose to love? -- BARBARA IN MOUNT VERNON, WASH.
DEAR BARBARA: Thank you for writing. I advised "Had It" to think long
and hard before leaving her husband, but that if she truly cannot love
him the way he deserves, she should move on. My readers' comments:
DEAR ABBY: "Had It" doesn't feel love toward her husband because she
spends her time and energy ruminating about a "mistake" she thinks she
made 20 years ago. She says he is doing everything right and they get
along fine. If she tried something positive, like reminding herself
about the qualities she likes about him, and doing things she knows
make him happy instead of fantasizing about other men, she might find
the love she craves in her marriage.
Loving feelings come from loving behavior, not the other way around.
The sooner she realizes this, the sooner she'll see that what she
really wants is right there at home with her family. And it has been
there all along. -- DR. PEGGY B.
DEAR ABBY: I have this message for "Had It": I felt like you and acted
on my feelings. Don't do it! Wait until your kids are older. As much as
you want a more intimate relationship, you cannot begin to imagine the
impact straying will have on your kids.
I deeply regret what I did and I wish someone would have told me what
I'm telling you. Pull yourself together. Think about your children,
extended family and friends. You are connected to others through your
husband, and once you pull your marriage apart, everything else falls
away, too. -- REGRETTING IT IN NEW YORK
DEAR ABBY: "Had It" is probably suffering from a case of the seven-year
itch. For some reason, people cycle in seven-year increments. Some of
them change jobs or homes, others have affairs or change spouses. She
should work through it with a counselor.
There is a lot to be said for being married to your best friend. A wise
therapist advised me to compliment my husband at least once a day. ("If
you act happy, pretty soon it won't be an act.") This was after my
first bout with the "itch" and it has been working ever since, 29
years! -- LOVING AND LAUGHING WITH MY BEST FRIEND
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Jenga
So, I have come with a new analogy for this balancing act I am doing - or trying to do - with being anonymous here.
I have decided it is like one big game of Jenga, and each time I tell someone I meet as BorgBlog my own true identity - or facts, even, that are greater and more significant or identifying than I have published here, I pull out a piece like a big Jenga game. And each time I tell one of my IRL friends that I'm doing an anonymous blog, or even more, show them the blog, I pull out another piece.
Early on, Jenga is easy. You can pull out lots of pieces without the whole thing crumbling down. But there comes a time - there always comes a time - when you pull out one piece too many and it all comes crumbling down. I'm not there yet. I've only pulled out four or five blocks, but with each block I know I am only getting closer to the point when it all may crumbling down.
The last two Friday nights I have missed #wineparty in favor of #happyhour. Half price drinks and appetizers at the local Applebees with a friend of mine.
And last night, I pulled a Jenga piece and told her about my blog. We went back to her place to hang out, and it was fun, I admit, to watch her peruse through the blog on her iPad and watch the expressions on her face, hear her laugh, and share something that has become an important part of my life with her. Even watching her as she made a sad expression on her face, pushing out her bottom lip, at the end of reading P.S. I love you (one of my favorites - an oldie but goodie). She had a hard time believing that all those entries on the right there were written by me. Once she started reading, of course, I'm sure she recognized my voice.
It was amusing as I'd say, "Read x" next. Or she'd browse on her own, and I'd say, "No, you have to read this one first..." She was amazed (I'd like to think) at my knowledge and quick reference to the various entries from my blog. Although there were still a few occasions when she'd ask me about some obscure reference I have no memory of writing, and I'd have to remind her I'd written 140 entries - I can't remember them all. (There's that inconsistency thing).
This block will not make the whole anonymity come crumbling down. She is one who has kept my secrets for years... But one day, I will pull one too many pieces.
But that's okay. When I do, I'll just take Jenny The Bloggess' path, and publish my own book! ;)
I have decided it is like one big game of Jenga, and each time I tell someone I meet as BorgBlog my own true identity - or facts, even, that are greater and more significant or identifying than I have published here, I pull out a piece like a big Jenga game. And each time I tell one of my IRL friends that I'm doing an anonymous blog, or even more, show them the blog, I pull out another piece.
Early on, Jenga is easy. You can pull out lots of pieces without the whole thing crumbling down. But there comes a time - there always comes a time - when you pull out one piece too many and it all comes crumbling down. I'm not there yet. I've only pulled out four or five blocks, but with each block I know I am only getting closer to the point when it all may crumbling down.
The last two Friday nights I have missed #wineparty in favor of #happyhour. Half price drinks and appetizers at the local Applebees with a friend of mine.
And last night, I pulled a Jenga piece and told her about my blog. We went back to her place to hang out, and it was fun, I admit, to watch her peruse through the blog on her iPad and watch the expressions on her face, hear her laugh, and share something that has become an important part of my life with her. Even watching her as she made a sad expression on her face, pushing out her bottom lip, at the end of reading P.S. I love you (one of my favorites - an oldie but goodie). She had a hard time believing that all those entries on the right there were written by me. Once she started reading, of course, I'm sure she recognized my voice.
It was amusing as I'd say, "Read x" next. Or she'd browse on her own, and I'd say, "No, you have to read this one first..." She was amazed (I'd like to think) at my knowledge and quick reference to the various entries from my blog. Although there were still a few occasions when she'd ask me about some obscure reference I have no memory of writing, and I'd have to remind her I'd written 140 entries - I can't remember them all. (There's that inconsistency thing).
This block will not make the whole anonymity come crumbling down. She is one who has kept my secrets for years... But one day, I will pull one too many pieces.
But that's okay. When I do, I'll just take Jenny The Bloggess' path, and publish my own book! ;)
Friday, July 6, 2012
#crankypants and #wineparty Part Deux
Okay, you must read part 1 before you get here. You must understand the #crankyparts part of the evening before you can appreciate the #wineparty confessions part (okay, that's a lie, but, it'll help provide some perspective!)
Basically, a friend was experiecing a douchebag husband, and so I tried to entice her to join us on #wineparty. Several mutual friends saw my attempt, and pleaded, too, that she needed to join us. It was an innocent start. I swear.
She mentioned that she was intimidated by #wineparty - that it moved too fast to keep up. I told her to come and talk with us. I promised that we didn't bite.. Well, we didn't bite HARD. ;)
It went downhill from there...
One person replied that it was a darn shame that we didn't bite hard, at which point I offered to oblige.
You can see how this snowballed even in the triple-digit heat.
We had all sorts of confessions in the night. I even tried to get our hostess' (Kit @blogdangerously - if you don't read her blog you shoud!) confession, but she went to Twitter jail even without confessing first.
Special robes were involved, and I let folks know that I was willing to take confessions in privately by DM
We had confessions about enjoying nipples... (I tried to widen my survey about whether Married Women Like Breasts...but the most I got was that they enjoyed the female form in various manners...
Well, except one girl, but I already knew about her... ;)
It even sorta took a life of its own. Without me.
We had porn confessions. Confessions of a desire to murder one's family. (We hope that didn't come true, because then we'd all become accessories before the fact and that wouldn't be good...) Addiction to attention (had to add that, or else that person might think I wasn't paying attention, and we couldn't have that...). It was something!
I'll continue to take confessions throughout the week. You can tweet me @theborgblog, or e-mail me at theborgblog@gmail.com
I have special robes. It's all official-like. Honest. ;)
Basically, a friend was experiecing a douchebag husband, and so I tried to entice her to join us on #wineparty. Several mutual friends saw my attempt, and pleaded, too, that she needed to join us. It was an innocent start. I swear.
She mentioned that she was intimidated by #wineparty - that it moved too fast to keep up. I told her to come and talk with us. I promised that we didn't bite.. Well, we didn't bite HARD. ;)
It went downhill from there...
One person replied that it was a darn shame that we didn't bite hard, at which point I offered to oblige.
You can see how this snowballed even in the triple-digit heat.
We had all sorts of confessions in the night. I even tried to get our hostess' (Kit @blogdangerously - if you don't read her blog you shoud!) confession, but she went to Twitter jail even without confessing first.
Special robes were involved, and I let folks know that I was willing to take confessions in privately by DM
We had confessions about enjoying nipples... (I tried to widen my survey about whether Married Women Like Breasts...but the most I got was that they enjoyed the female form in various manners...
Well, except one girl, but I already knew about her... ;)
It even sorta took a life of its own. Without me.
We had porn confessions. Confessions of a desire to murder one's family. (We hope that didn't come true, because then we'd all become accessories before the fact and that wouldn't be good...) Addiction to attention (had to add that, or else that person might think I wasn't paying attention, and we couldn't have that...). It was something!
I'll continue to take confessions throughout the week. You can tweet me @theborgblog, or e-mail me at theborgblog@gmail.com
I have special robes. It's all official-like. Honest. ;)
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Anonymity - Revisited
So, I continue to struggle with this issue. I'm making new friends on Twitter - some of whom say that they feel strange calling me "Borg" (I don't understand why?) and want my real name. And then there's my friends from real life who wonder what I'm up to, and I want to share with them that I have this crazy life on Twitter that I'm enjoying, and I am working on this increasingly popular anonymous blog.
(Okay, maybe "popular" might be a stretch, but it's "popularity" IS increasing... I have Blogger stat charts to show!!)
Today, I took a leap of faith, and told another IRL friend about the blog. She doesn't live in the small town, so she won't recognize all of the characters... Most of the stuff she already knows about... But, still...
This balancing between two worlds is kinda weird and fragile.
But if I hope to be as popular as Jenny, one day, and have that book deal and all, that wall will eventually come crumbling down.
Just not today...
(Okay, maybe "popular" might be a stretch, but it's "popularity" IS increasing... I have Blogger stat charts to show!!)
Today, I took a leap of faith, and told another IRL friend about the blog. She doesn't live in the small town, so she won't recognize all of the characters... Most of the stuff she already knows about... But, still...
This balancing between two worlds is kinda weird and fragile.
But if I hope to be as popular as Jenny, one day, and have that book deal and all, that wall will eventually come crumbling down.
Just not today...
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Tribe
Last week (or has it been two weeks?) during The Bloggess Book Club, she expressed her happiness at finally having found her Tribe. Since then the "Lawsbians" movement has taken off. The Tribe figures that if we enjoy The Bloggess, than, at a minimum we have a quirky enough sense of humor to enjoy each other, too.
But this finding of our Tribe hits upon so many other common issues. Finding our Tribe suggests, perhaps, we weren't already within our Tribe to begin with. It hints at the feeling of being "outsiders" so many of us feel.
Last night, I admit, I was watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Of particular relevance to this post, I watched Episode 7 of Season 1 - Toulousse Lautrec is One of my Favorite Artists. In this episode, she interviews a wonderful author for a news segment, and then he asks her out for dinner. When they both get off their chairs, she realizes how short he is, and then tries to be sensitive in all that she says next to him, finding herself blundering with inadvertent "short" references. Not aided, of course, by her friend Rhoda, who refers to him as a shrimp when he's out of the room, so that when he comes back, Mary introduces him to Rhoda as Eric Shrimp.
In the meantime, in the course of the show and their spending evenings together getting to know each other, Eric finishes his second book, which he leaves for Mary to read. It is all about how we all feel like outsiders. He has this line, that I'll paraphrase badly, but you can hit the link above, and as long as Hulu has it, you can watch it for yourself. He talks about high school, and how there was this one guy who was the captain of the football team, class president, and he may even have suggested he was top of the class. And there was this one girl. She was captain of the cheer squad, class secretary and dating the captain of the football team. Those two people, he said, were the only ones who were actually happy in high school.
Facebook - as much as Tweeps may diss it - has been a remarkable tool for reconnecting with people you used to know. (Maybe Gotye should try it?). I definitely felt on the outside in high school. And so, when I left, there were only about two or three people I actually kept in touch with, and I never attended a reunion. I got on Facebook the year of our twentieth reunion, and in those early stages, you clicked "Accept" on anyone whose name you recognized before you learned to filter. And I had the opportunity prior to the reunion to actually get to know some people from my class that I hadn't been close to. Who seemed, from the distance, to be popular and happy and well accepted at school. And then, to learn, that they, too, were miserable in high school and felt like outsiders.
Then, since I was in town at the time, I went to my twentieth reunion. And ran into more former class-mates who seemed like they were part of the "in" crowd only to discover they felt like they were on the outside, too.
I think we tend to underestimate our place within society and our community, and perhaps, to over-estimate others. Twitter provides a remarkable ability to feel "closer" to celebrities and perhaps not their innermost thoughts, but their most random thoughts that they share with the thousands who follow them. Not surprising, their tweets aren't too much different than ours. Not surprising, their tweets often express their own insecurities, their own desire for acceptance, their own search for community and their place. In some ways, it has to be harder for them, because we have all placed them way up high on a pedestal, outside the normal realm of society.
But the reality is that our common denominator is that we're all human. We all want to belong. And so many of us often feel that we don't belong.
Don't assume that the person next to you feels a part of your community. The healthiest churches I have been in encourage parishioners to greet and get to know the person sitting on the pew next to them. You can't assume that the person there feels like they belong until you let them know that they belong. Just as you often feel out of place yourself.
I admit, I have felt that since I found Twitter, I have found "my people". Y'all laugh at my jokes, enquire about my pain, and read my blog and ideally enjoy it (more comments to confirm doesn't hurt my self esteem or ego!) But the reality is that we are all part of one big tribe. The Tribe of Humanity. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.
But this finding of our Tribe hits upon so many other common issues. Finding our Tribe suggests, perhaps, we weren't already within our Tribe to begin with. It hints at the feeling of being "outsiders" so many of us feel.
Last night, I admit, I was watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Of particular relevance to this post, I watched Episode 7 of Season 1 - Toulousse Lautrec is One of my Favorite Artists. In this episode, she interviews a wonderful author for a news segment, and then he asks her out for dinner. When they both get off their chairs, she realizes how short he is, and then tries to be sensitive in all that she says next to him, finding herself blundering with inadvertent "short" references. Not aided, of course, by her friend Rhoda, who refers to him as a shrimp when he's out of the room, so that when he comes back, Mary introduces him to Rhoda as Eric Shrimp.
In the meantime, in the course of the show and their spending evenings together getting to know each other, Eric finishes his second book, which he leaves for Mary to read. It is all about how we all feel like outsiders. He has this line, that I'll paraphrase badly, but you can hit the link above, and as long as Hulu has it, you can watch it for yourself. He talks about high school, and how there was this one guy who was the captain of the football team, class president, and he may even have suggested he was top of the class. And there was this one girl. She was captain of the cheer squad, class secretary and dating the captain of the football team. Those two people, he said, were the only ones who were actually happy in high school.
Facebook - as much as Tweeps may diss it - has been a remarkable tool for reconnecting with people you used to know. (Maybe Gotye should try it?). I definitely felt on the outside in high school. And so, when I left, there were only about two or three people I actually kept in touch with, and I never attended a reunion. I got on Facebook the year of our twentieth reunion, and in those early stages, you clicked "Accept" on anyone whose name you recognized before you learned to filter. And I had the opportunity prior to the reunion to actually get to know some people from my class that I hadn't been close to. Who seemed, from the distance, to be popular and happy and well accepted at school. And then, to learn, that they, too, were miserable in high school and felt like outsiders.
Then, since I was in town at the time, I went to my twentieth reunion. And ran into more former class-mates who seemed like they were part of the "in" crowd only to discover they felt like they were on the outside, too.
I think we tend to underestimate our place within society and our community, and perhaps, to over-estimate others. Twitter provides a remarkable ability to feel "closer" to celebrities and perhaps not their innermost thoughts, but their most random thoughts that they share with the thousands who follow them. Not surprising, their tweets aren't too much different than ours. Not surprising, their tweets often express their own insecurities, their own desire for acceptance, their own search for community and their place. In some ways, it has to be harder for them, because we have all placed them way up high on a pedestal, outside the normal realm of society.
But the reality is that our common denominator is that we're all human. We all want to belong. And so many of us often feel that we don't belong.
Don't assume that the person next to you feels a part of your community. The healthiest churches I have been in encourage parishioners to greet and get to know the person sitting on the pew next to them. You can't assume that the person there feels like they belong until you let them know that they belong. Just as you often feel out of place yourself.
I admit, I have felt that since I found Twitter, I have found "my people". Y'all laugh at my jokes, enquire about my pain, and read my blog and ideally enjoy it (more comments to confirm doesn't hurt my self esteem or ego!) But the reality is that we are all part of one big tribe. The Tribe of Humanity. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Welcome Lawsbians!!
After the last two nights of live Bloggess Book Club (and accompanying twit chat) I have a few more followers today who are fans of The Bloggess.
She is so great! When she reads her book, I admit, it is in the same voice - lilt, expression, dry wit that I hear in my head read her blog. She is great! Last night she read the chapter about the colon cleanse. One classic line I still remember in my fuzzy haze this morning is when the pharmacist reminded her that her anti-depressant pills are supposed to go in her mouth. You'll have to read the chapter yourself to understand the context and how funny that is. Just trust me. It is.
One Lawsbian last night (that's the name for us fans of Jenny, and I think it's great because of the pun, and well, I'm also a lesbian.. (in case you haven't gotten that far in my blog yet, start with So who am I?)) was perusing the site, and particularly upon the one link I had sent her Success and got ahead of the story where I talk about my success in my crusade to get Jenny's attention.
Let me give you the background, and then you can click on any of the links I provide below, or even better yet, click on the label to the side there, that big one that says the bloggess, and read from beginning to end.
I started this anonymous blog with a bang in February. Like anything when we start a new project (particularly when you have ADD) it's never quite clear whether you will actually make a go of it or if your energy for it will peter out.. (Raise your hands, fellow bloggers, if you've started a blog, and it's been a little while since you've posted...?)
Having an audience - I can confirm - gives you additional energy. Writing for yourself and your dog, and your best friend Robin (because you don't want to tell anyone else you're writing it, because it would defeat the purpose of an anonymous blog (a whole other theme, look at the anonymity label)) is hard. You have little feedback. You feel like you're talking in an empty room, and after awhile, it's easy to wonder what the point is and think you're just a wee bit crazy. (although I know I am crazy - there's even an insanity label over there, but I don't remember what I used it for, so I'm afraid to direct you there.. )
So, a few blog entries before I hit my 25th post, I had this wonderful inspiration to get The Bloggess' notice, because if I could get even a a teeny weeny percentage (0.001%) of her readers (and this was before the book hit the stands), it would be a HUGE boost to my readership. This was about the time she was calling out Nathon Fillion, and coined the term Nater-Tater. So, I thought the theme of where she was fit perfectly, and so I ran with it on my 25th post (a celebration of making the milestone) and Called out The Bloggess and told her not to be a Nater-Tater and to send me a picture of her collating paper or with twine - that she could understand how much it would mean to me, as Nathan meant to her.
Robin is a recovering Twitter addict. And despite the personal danger to herself, she helped me use that little app that came with my iPhone to join Twitter. (And now I'm a Twitter-crack addict - I should have heeded the warnings) and so my first tweet was to The Bloggess (thank you, Robin, for teaching me the ways) with a link to my post!
You'll have to read the posts as they were written from here to see what happened. But in Success you'll see I have my picture of The Bloggess with twine, and regardless of whether it might be true, I like to think she posted that picture for me. Even if she didn't acknowledge it on her blog. I still choose to believe that! ;)
Welcome to my blog. Look around. Explore. Get to know me. I have a lot of different things on here, and hopefully, beyond simply our affinity for The Bloggess, you'll enjoy my writing and my stories. Oh, and tell your friends. There's little "share" buttons and stuff.. And start populating my comments. Your comment is MUCH more likely to be read and responded to by the blog writer HERE than if you write on Jenny's page, so come get your fix for attention here. ;)
She is so great! When she reads her book, I admit, it is in the same voice - lilt, expression, dry wit that I hear in my head read her blog. She is great! Last night she read the chapter about the colon cleanse. One classic line I still remember in my fuzzy haze this morning is when the pharmacist reminded her that her anti-depressant pills are supposed to go in her mouth. You'll have to read the chapter yourself to understand the context and how funny that is. Just trust me. It is.
One Lawsbian last night (that's the name for us fans of Jenny, and I think it's great because of the pun, and well, I'm also a lesbian.. (in case you haven't gotten that far in my blog yet, start with So who am I?)) was perusing the site, and particularly upon the one link I had sent her Success and got ahead of the story where I talk about my success in my crusade to get Jenny's attention.
Let me give you the background, and then you can click on any of the links I provide below, or even better yet, click on the label to the side there, that big one that says the bloggess, and read from beginning to end.
I started this anonymous blog with a bang in February. Like anything when we start a new project (particularly when you have ADD) it's never quite clear whether you will actually make a go of it or if your energy for it will peter out.. (Raise your hands, fellow bloggers, if you've started a blog, and it's been a little while since you've posted...?)
Having an audience - I can confirm - gives you additional energy. Writing for yourself and your dog, and your best friend Robin (because you don't want to tell anyone else you're writing it, because it would defeat the purpose of an anonymous blog (a whole other theme, look at the anonymity label)) is hard. You have little feedback. You feel like you're talking in an empty room, and after awhile, it's easy to wonder what the point is and think you're just a wee bit crazy. (although I know I am crazy - there's even an insanity label over there, but I don't remember what I used it for, so I'm afraid to direct you there.. )
So, a few blog entries before I hit my 25th post, I had this wonderful inspiration to get The Bloggess' notice, because if I could get even a a teeny weeny percentage (0.001%) of her readers (and this was before the book hit the stands), it would be a HUGE boost to my readership. This was about the time she was calling out Nathon Fillion, and coined the term Nater-Tater. So, I thought the theme of where she was fit perfectly, and so I ran with it on my 25th post (a celebration of making the milestone) and Called out The Bloggess and told her not to be a Nater-Tater and to send me a picture of her collating paper or with twine - that she could understand how much it would mean to me, as Nathan meant to her.
Robin is a recovering Twitter addict. And despite the personal danger to herself, she helped me use that little app that came with my iPhone to join Twitter. (And now I'm a Twitter-crack addict - I should have heeded the warnings) and so my first tweet was to The Bloggess (thank you, Robin, for teaching me the ways) with a link to my post!
You'll have to read the posts as they were written from here to see what happened. But in Success you'll see I have my picture of The Bloggess with twine, and regardless of whether it might be true, I like to think she posted that picture for me. Even if she didn't acknowledge it on her blog. I still choose to believe that! ;)
Welcome to my blog. Look around. Explore. Get to know me. I have a lot of different things on here, and hopefully, beyond simply our affinity for The Bloggess, you'll enjoy my writing and my stories. Oh, and tell your friends. There's little "share" buttons and stuff.. And start populating my comments. Your comment is MUCH more likely to be read and responded to by the blog writer HERE than if you write on Jenny's page, so come get your fix for attention here. ;)
Friday, June 22, 2012
Wine Party
Forgive me, I've just been laughing a little too hard just a moment ago...
#wineparty on Twitter is just winding down, and despite a bumpy start, I had a great time. It almost felt like a real party - I couldn't get engaged in any of the groups talking due to technological issues, so I stood in the corner (whined just a little) and before I knew it, my friends noticed me and came over to the corner to talk with me.
Now, we didn't come up with anything so creative as Amish Swingers this time (I probably should make a label for Amish Swingers, too..), but we did have a lot of fun. Particularly as I kept adding random strangers with one-off names to our party.
I went on Twitter-crack this evening, folks. Seriously. My head is still spinning on this. I came home determined to finally find a different app that would make following #wineparty easier. See, it's a hashtag, and if you just watch that window, you miss people who might respond to you and forget the hashtag, so you kinda gotta circle back to your Mentions page, too (for those of you lost on FB, let's face it, you don't follow me anyway - at the moment all my followers are Tweeps). I was doing this on the iPhone for the first two wine parties.
But I thought there had to be an easier way. And I was told there was.
So tonight, when I got home, I made it my mission - before #wineparty began to figure out these other apps. Two general ones were recommended: HootSuite and Tweetdeck. I did a quick google for HS vs. TD (I've learned to be cool and abbreviate - only way you can talk about them in 140 characters or less!) and what brief few things I read, it seemed like HS - which was web based and not desktop dependent - might be the better way to go for the various things I might in the future use it for.
So I got on it, and I rolled. And immediately a new tweep recommended TD, and we chatted for a few, and so she convinced me to open another tab and try it out. And next week, I may use it. But it felt a lot like Twitter itself, and so HS had some new features that I'd just been figuring out how to use to maximize my Twitter viewing. So, I decided to try the slick HS this evening.
Right before #wineparty, of course, I was online watching the Bloggess' book party. Lots of fun there, and I've made lots of new tweeps from that interaction, but the chat function was not working properly for me for 3/4ths of the time, so by the time I hit #wineparty, I was already technologically frustrated.
Now Twitter - generally - has a way so that you can see the tweet to which the new tweet was replying. So you can remember where you were at or figure out how the person got there. It's quite helpful, particularly on a "party line" conversation like #wineparty.
But that screen, highlighting all the hashtag posts didn't have that functionality. My patience was already shot, so I almost gave up. I waved "Hi" at a few people I knew, and eventually others joined me in the corner, and we had a good time.
I missed a lot. And it's a shame, but we still had fun. I do feel bad for @kristin_g and @gcb who got pulled in unwillingly and unknowningly because HootSuite doesn't automatically pull everyone back in for the reply, and my typing left a little to be desired. Ooops! But it made me laugh!
Love you tweeps! Thanks for a great evening!!
#wineparty on Twitter is just winding down, and despite a bumpy start, I had a great time. It almost felt like a real party - I couldn't get engaged in any of the groups talking due to technological issues, so I stood in the corner (whined just a little) and before I knew it, my friends noticed me and came over to the corner to talk with me.
Now, we didn't come up with anything so creative as Amish Swingers this time (I probably should make a label for Amish Swingers, too..), but we did have a lot of fun. Particularly as I kept adding random strangers with one-off names to our party.
I went on Twitter-crack this evening, folks. Seriously. My head is still spinning on this. I came home determined to finally find a different app that would make following #wineparty easier. See, it's a hashtag, and if you just watch that window, you miss people who might respond to you and forget the hashtag, so you kinda gotta circle back to your Mentions page, too (for those of you lost on FB, let's face it, you don't follow me anyway - at the moment all my followers are Tweeps). I was doing this on the iPhone for the first two wine parties.
But I thought there had to be an easier way. And I was told there was.
So tonight, when I got home, I made it my mission - before #wineparty began to figure out these other apps. Two general ones were recommended: HootSuite and Tweetdeck. I did a quick google for HS vs. TD (I've learned to be cool and abbreviate - only way you can talk about them in 140 characters or less!) and what brief few things I read, it seemed like HS - which was web based and not desktop dependent - might be the better way to go for the various things I might in the future use it for.
So I got on it, and I rolled. And immediately a new tweep recommended TD, and we chatted for a few, and so she convinced me to open another tab and try it out. And next week, I may use it. But it felt a lot like Twitter itself, and so HS had some new features that I'd just been figuring out how to use to maximize my Twitter viewing. So, I decided to try the slick HS this evening.
Right before #wineparty, of course, I was online watching the Bloggess' book party. Lots of fun there, and I've made lots of new tweeps from that interaction, but the chat function was not working properly for me for 3/4ths of the time, so by the time I hit #wineparty, I was already technologically frustrated.
Now Twitter - generally - has a way so that you can see the tweet to which the new tweet was replying. So you can remember where you were at or figure out how the person got there. It's quite helpful, particularly on a "party line" conversation like #wineparty.
But that screen, highlighting all the hashtag posts didn't have that functionality. My patience was already shot, so I almost gave up. I waved "Hi" at a few people I knew, and eventually others joined me in the corner, and we had a good time.
I missed a lot. And it's a shame, but we still had fun. I do feel bad for @kristin_g and @gcb who got pulled in unwillingly and unknowningly because HootSuite doesn't automatically pull everyone back in for the reply, and my typing left a little to be desired. Ooops! But it made me laugh!
Love you tweeps! Thanks for a great evening!!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
100!!!!!
Well, this is it. The hundredth post I am publishing on this blog. Wow! It's been a wild and great trip already. At the end of February, I wrote post 25 and I was somewhat serious about my four readers from the Ukraine. I decided to try and hit the big time by "calling out" the Bloggess, and telling her she shouldn't be a Nater-Tater.
It is a little amusing to re-read that post, and actually the two posts leading up to it.
Ah, the days before I found Twitter. All that free time I used to have... I remember it now...
Well, She favorited me, and then forgot me. But my top read post, by far, is that 25th post. I've had 951 views as of this typing - 22 new last night alone.
The top five blog posts are:
1. Calling out The Bloggess - Don't pull a Nater-Tater
2. 21. I have / am ADD
3. Amish Swingers (that's a fun one.. )
4. Married Women Like Breasts (I still like that one, too.. although I haven't gotten as much response as I had hoped! More stories and pictures, please!)
5. ADD
Proof, though, that I am beginning to gain in popularity, my post from yesterday, is in the top ten.
I am having a hell of a good time, and I hope you are, too. Seriously lots of thanks to my new tweeps - you're the best.
-----------------------------
If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
It is a little amusing to re-read that post, and actually the two posts leading up to it.
Ah, the days before I found Twitter. All that free time I used to have... I remember it now...
Well, She favorited me, and then forgot me. But my top read post, by far, is that 25th post. I've had 951 views as of this typing - 22 new last night alone.
The top five blog posts are:
1. Calling out The Bloggess - Don't pull a Nater-Tater
2. 21. I have / am ADD
3. Amish Swingers (that's a fun one.. )
4. Married Women Like Breasts (I still like that one, too.. although I haven't gotten as much response as I had hoped! More stories and pictures, please!)
5. ADD
Proof, though, that I am beginning to gain in popularity, my post from yesterday, is in the top ten.
I am having a hell of a good time, and I hope you are, too. Seriously lots of thanks to my new tweeps - you're the best.
-----------------------------
If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
Monday, June 18, 2012
PRIDE!
For those of you who have been wondering where I have been the last couple of days, and why I have been quiet it is because I went to the Big City for Pride weekend. Anything profound SHOULD wait until tomorrow after I've had a good night's sleep in my own bed... but I'm still awake and a bit of an insomniac, so who knows what might come up in the next few hours.
Don't worry, though, I have plenty to share with you. Apparently, I'm at 100 posts - although that includes some random drafts, so I have to keep writing to get there.
Good night, my readers. More fun to come.
Quote of the night from listening to the Bloggess read from the introduction and first chapter of her book. "I take my vagina with me everywhere. Like my American Express Card." Take that Michigan lawmakers!
-----------------------------
If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
Don't worry, though, I have plenty to share with you. Apparently, I'm at 100 posts - although that includes some random drafts, so I have to keep writing to get there.
Good night, my readers. More fun to come.
Quote of the night from listening to the Bloggess read from the introduction and first chapter of her book. "I take my vagina with me everywhere. Like my American Express Card." Take that Michigan lawmakers!
-----------------------------
If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Twitter-verse
My current best friend (because, honestly, I have about 10 people during my life-time who have held this title, and it's kind of a lifetime achievement award, so my best friend from 1st grade still is referred to as my best friend, but she isn't who I am referring to here and now!) has had the nerve to go and get herself a full time job (bitch!). She lives a bit of a distance from me, so we're electronic best friends at this point (although we have known each other in real life, so it's not AS creepy as it might seem..). Her more flexible schedule made her a more, um, reliable, um, responsive sounding board.
But now that she's got this full time job AND (again, the nerve!) a social life! (bitch!) I find myself feeling a little neglected and lonely.
One of the reasons I stated early on for creating this blog was to be a receptacle for all the crazy things that go through my head that I have to share with someone. Because often sharing with just ONE someone becomes a bit too overwhelming.
I admit, I'm a little scared to look in my sent folder at the twenty e-mails I sent to her yesterday (still unresponded to mostly, because, um, she was working!) because I know at least ONE of them expounded upon the fact that I discovered yesterday that I prefer hair wax to hair gel.
Really important stuff. I am sure once she reads that, she'll get back to me right away, right? No, more likely, she'll probably wonder why I am wasting her limited time with such nonsense.
Particulalry when there's Twitter.
I admit it. Twitter is growing on me. I do now check it more than once a day when at first, of course, I could go days or weeks without checking it. After all, the only reason I got on Twitter was to get Jenny The Bloggess' attention. And I did. She's my very first follower. Now I have 28 followers, and have done 302 tweets.
I know over half of the followers came in the past week, and primarily from #wineparty Kit of Blogging Dangerously's weekly Twitter party.
Facebook users think of themselves as being more high-brow than twitter. I know. I felt that way, myself. And I'm not sure whether we are or are not, and of course there are PLENTY of cross-overs between FB and Twitter, so it's not like there are two distinct camps. But there is this notion on FB that if you do start to brain fart dump in it (hair wax versus hair gel) that you'll soon get people hiding your news from their newsfeeds. Or at least gloss over them, as I do.
Twitter requires cleverness. Or recognizing cleverness and retweeting it. The goal of Twitter is not to be "friends" with everyone you meet or tweet or whatever. You don't have to worry about someone's standards on Twitter that they'll begin to gloss over you. They're not looking for baby news, or how your life is going, or what your children did, or how your career is skyrocketing. They're not looking for lengthy in depth political discussions (although many of us on FB aren't either, but sometimes find ourselves caught in the quicksand morass of them). Twitter is simple.
I'm falling fot Twitter. And maybe, instead of innundating my hard working (bitch) best friend's e-mail box with many messages of no value I should just bombard Twitter with the update of the important sutff like hair wax versus gel. Because I know you're interested.
-----------------------------
If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
But now that she's got this full time job AND (again, the nerve!) a social life! (bitch!) I find myself feeling a little neglected and lonely.
One of the reasons I stated early on for creating this blog was to be a receptacle for all the crazy things that go through my head that I have to share with someone. Because often sharing with just ONE someone becomes a bit too overwhelming.
I admit, I'm a little scared to look in my sent folder at the twenty e-mails I sent to her yesterday (still unresponded to mostly, because, um, she was working!) because I know at least ONE of them expounded upon the fact that I discovered yesterday that I prefer hair wax to hair gel.
Really important stuff. I am sure once she reads that, she'll get back to me right away, right? No, more likely, she'll probably wonder why I am wasting her limited time with such nonsense.
Particulalry when there's Twitter.
I admit it. Twitter is growing on me. I do now check it more than once a day when at first, of course, I could go days or weeks without checking it. After all, the only reason I got on Twitter was to get Jenny The Bloggess' attention. And I did. She's my very first follower. Now I have 28 followers, and have done 302 tweets.
I know over half of the followers came in the past week, and primarily from #wineparty Kit of Blogging Dangerously's weekly Twitter party.
Facebook users think of themselves as being more high-brow than twitter. I know. I felt that way, myself. And I'm not sure whether we are or are not, and of course there are PLENTY of cross-overs between FB and Twitter, so it's not like there are two distinct camps. But there is this notion on FB that if you do start to brain fart dump in it (hair wax versus hair gel) that you'll soon get people hiding your news from their newsfeeds. Or at least gloss over them, as I do.
Twitter requires cleverness. Or recognizing cleverness and retweeting it. The goal of Twitter is not to be "friends" with everyone you meet or tweet or whatever. You don't have to worry about someone's standards on Twitter that they'll begin to gloss over you. They're not looking for baby news, or how your life is going, or what your children did, or how your career is skyrocketing. They're not looking for lengthy in depth political discussions (although many of us on FB aren't either, but sometimes find ourselves caught in the quicksand morass of them). Twitter is simple.
I'm falling fot Twitter. And maybe, instead of innundating my hard working (bitch) best friend's e-mail box with many messages of no value I should just bombard Twitter with the update of the important sutff like hair wax versus gel. Because I know you're interested.
-----------------------------
If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Clark Kent
I wonder if there is a "superheroes" anonymous support group for Superman, Flash, Wonderwoman, Batman, and all the caped (and not-so-caped) crusaders? I mean is there a support group for those who do one thing with part of their life as one identity, and then go about their regular lives in another identity.
I am very much myself. I don't know how to be anyone but myself. I'm not a pretender. I don't play games. I've never really been in a closet, never had to pretend to be anything other than me. I'm just me. For better or worse. I hope for better.
So, I find myself getting to know people as this "alter ego". Which as I type my entries, I'm me, in my head, but I am hiding behind this secret identity. And I have begun twitting, as you know, in this alternate identity, but I do not twit in real life. Which doesn't make sense, exactly.
So I am starting to make connections as me. Well, as the Borg Blog, which IS me, but isn't.
At some point, I may want to meet some of you in real life, or to have you know ME, as I am.
I wonder if Jenny ever tried to hide behind The Bloggess, or if she gave up her identity early.
I have some of my favorite bloggers following me here on Twitter. I'm excited, because I enjoy their blogs. But one of my blogger followers also knows Clark Kent. We're actually starting to get a little conversation going, and a part of me wants to scream out to her that she is already following me as Superman, er, Borg Blog. But I'm trying to keep the identities separate. And it isn't as if she's shared HER real name with me.
I don't know how those superheroes did it. I imagine the money from the movies helps them cope...
Eventually, I imagine, I'll end up disclosing my secret identity. Particularly if I want a book deal like The Bloggess... Until then, just enjoy this caped crusader and be friendly to those around you. One of them could be me.
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If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
I am very much myself. I don't know how to be anyone but myself. I'm not a pretender. I don't play games. I've never really been in a closet, never had to pretend to be anything other than me. I'm just me. For better or worse. I hope for better.
So, I find myself getting to know people as this "alter ego". Which as I type my entries, I'm me, in my head, but I am hiding behind this secret identity. And I have begun twitting, as you know, in this alternate identity, but I do not twit in real life. Which doesn't make sense, exactly.
So I am starting to make connections as me. Well, as the Borg Blog, which IS me, but isn't.
At some point, I may want to meet some of you in real life, or to have you know ME, as I am.
I wonder if Jenny ever tried to hide behind The Bloggess, or if she gave up her identity early.
I have some of my favorite bloggers following me here on Twitter. I'm excited, because I enjoy their blogs. But one of my blogger followers also knows Clark Kent. We're actually starting to get a little conversation going, and a part of me wants to scream out to her that she is already following me as Superman, er, Borg Blog. But I'm trying to keep the identities separate. And it isn't as if she's shared HER real name with me.
I don't know how those superheroes did it. I imagine the money from the movies helps them cope...
Eventually, I imagine, I'll end up disclosing my secret identity. Particularly if I want a book deal like The Bloggess... Until then, just enjoy this caped crusader and be friendly to those around you. One of them could be me.
-----------------------------
If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
What a week!
Well, it's been quite a week since I called out The Bloggess. I've gotten quite a bit more traffic to the site as I had hoped, and hopefully a few of you will even stay. Two of my favorite bloggers are now following me on Twitter, and I wasn't even a twit, er, a tweep, er, a .. well, whatever twitter-lovers are, just a week ago.
I've even been told by someone that I am scarier than they are... which I think is a compliment. I hope it's one.. Perhaps that person will come back and let me know.
I can see the traffic to specific posts, but I don't know how many of you are coming back for the blog. I hope a lot.
It has been an exciting week and a fun one. I hope that it is just the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship with you, my audience, and that something I say makes you laugh, or stay, or read, or think.
I admit I am kind of between careers right now. Currently I am "consulting" which is a three-syllable fancy word for an outsider you pay money to look in. I do a variety of things, and hopefully I provide value, but it really is a catch-all for someone who is a contractor who will do whatever you need. Or think you need.
But I was talking with my father the other day, and not for the first time, thinking, I guess, that I need career advice, he suggested I consider becoming a priest. This from a man who probably hasn't been to church since I was baptized, but we'll ignore that part.
I think, to be fair, it is his way of acknowledging my "spiritual" side which has grown like a weed despite my parents raising. I have a strong faith, and in the face of "recent" turmoil, it is my faith that has kept me strong. It is a faith that they never gave me, but I have managed to find nonetheless.
I think it also a way to acknowledge his recognition that my church is an important part of my life. I go every Sunday. I am active in my church (I've forgotten what number that was on the list, but I know it was there).
I think, to be fair, it was his way of saying he loves me no matter who I am.
And for that, I am tremendously grateful.
But it's not the first time he has suggested in recent years I consider being a priest, nor the only one who has made such a suggestion. Usually I quite quickly answer "No.." but am unable to articulate why it's not the job for me. But I know it's not. They see someone who is a great listener, who can counsel friends and help them through crisis. They see someone who has great faith in a higher being. They see someone who is quick to help others. They see someone who goes to church a lot. They see someone who likes to talk. (They also see someone who is celibate, but I'm not Catholic (and then I'd have the whole being a woman and being gay problem, anyway) so that shouldn't be something calling me to the priesthood).
I finally came up, though, with the foolproof answer as to why I can't be a priest. One my father could agree with - although he may bring it up again, who knows.. Thanks to my ADD I don't have the patience to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation - Alpha to Omega - and I think that might be a small requirement. He bought it, at least.
Now I have read more of the Bible than I suspect many people, including those who thump their Bibles (and what exactly happens when one thumps a Bible - or rather what does one expect will happen? God will Morse code a message back to you??), but I have far from read the whole thing, nor do I have any desire to do so. I can fight scripture with scripture if I have to - although the person who wrote the letter to Dr. Laura that was later paraphrased and re-done on The West Wing has done such a good job for most things, I don't need to bother. (That and the MasterCard spoof -- about a tattoo someone had on their arm about Leviticus saying homosexuality was wrong, that a few verses later in Leviticus that thou shalt not tattoo made this tattoo priceless -- also works. You probably have to see it...)
But I guess there is a part of me that is looking for a pulpit. A place to expound upon the observations I have made in life and perhaps a place, ideally, to give others some food for thought in their own lives. Not a bully pulpit, I hope. I don't know that what I think is necessarily right. I know it works for me most times, but that doesn't mean it would work for everyone, or that it is even right for me. However, I do think I have a few things of value to share, and I do seem to enjoy sharing them and hope that others might find some value.
And that, my friends, may be part of the underlying drive to blog. To find my pulpit. Without having to read the whole Bible. And this week I have seen my little "church" grow. And it pleases me.
Please leave a donation in the plate below. :D Thank you.
-----------------------------
If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
I've even been told by someone that I am scarier than they are... which I think is a compliment. I hope it's one.. Perhaps that person will come back and let me know.
I can see the traffic to specific posts, but I don't know how many of you are coming back for the blog. I hope a lot.
It has been an exciting week and a fun one. I hope that it is just the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship with you, my audience, and that something I say makes you laugh, or stay, or read, or think.
I admit I am kind of between careers right now. Currently I am "consulting" which is a three-syllable fancy word for an outsider you pay money to look in. I do a variety of things, and hopefully I provide value, but it really is a catch-all for someone who is a contractor who will do whatever you need. Or think you need.
But I was talking with my father the other day, and not for the first time, thinking, I guess, that I need career advice, he suggested I consider becoming a priest. This from a man who probably hasn't been to church since I was baptized, but we'll ignore that part.
I think, to be fair, it is his way of acknowledging my "spiritual" side which has grown like a weed despite my parents raising. I have a strong faith, and in the face of "recent" turmoil, it is my faith that has kept me strong. It is a faith that they never gave me, but I have managed to find nonetheless.
I think it also a way to acknowledge his recognition that my church is an important part of my life. I go every Sunday. I am active in my church (I've forgotten what number that was on the list, but I know it was there).
I think, to be fair, it was his way of saying he loves me no matter who I am.
And for that, I am tremendously grateful.
But it's not the first time he has suggested in recent years I consider being a priest, nor the only one who has made such a suggestion. Usually I quite quickly answer "No.." but am unable to articulate why it's not the job for me. But I know it's not. They see someone who is a great listener, who can counsel friends and help them through crisis. They see someone who has great faith in a higher being. They see someone who is quick to help others. They see someone who goes to church a lot. They see someone who likes to talk. (They also see someone who is celibate, but I'm not Catholic (and then I'd have the whole being a woman and being gay problem, anyway) so that shouldn't be something calling me to the priesthood).
I finally came up, though, with the foolproof answer as to why I can't be a priest. One my father could agree with - although he may bring it up again, who knows.. Thanks to my ADD I don't have the patience to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation - Alpha to Omega - and I think that might be a small requirement. He bought it, at least.
Now I have read more of the Bible than I suspect many people, including those who thump their Bibles (and what exactly happens when one thumps a Bible - or rather what does one expect will happen? God will Morse code a message back to you??), but I have far from read the whole thing, nor do I have any desire to do so. I can fight scripture with scripture if I have to - although the person who wrote the letter to Dr. Laura that was later paraphrased and re-done on The West Wing has done such a good job for most things, I don't need to bother. (That and the MasterCard spoof -- about a tattoo someone had on their arm about Leviticus saying homosexuality was wrong, that a few verses later in Leviticus that thou shalt not tattoo made this tattoo priceless -- also works. You probably have to see it...)
But I guess there is a part of me that is looking for a pulpit. A place to expound upon the observations I have made in life and perhaps a place, ideally, to give others some food for thought in their own lives. Not a bully pulpit, I hope. I don't know that what I think is necessarily right. I know it works for me most times, but that doesn't mean it would work for everyone, or that it is even right for me. However, I do think I have a few things of value to share, and I do seem to enjoy sharing them and hope that others might find some value.
And that, my friends, may be part of the underlying drive to blog. To find my pulpit. Without having to read the whole Bible. And this week I have seen my little "church" grow. And it pleases me.
Please leave a donation in the plate below. :D Thank you.
-----------------------------
If you like this, stick around and read other entries. Hit a few on the right that are favorites, or go to the home page of the blog, and read from beginning to end. Take a moment to send me some feedback. Thanks for coming. Please come back soon.
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