Real world readers: yea or nay?
Sorry for not posting for a couple of days. Lots of reasons why: Monday I was getting busy for my first hot date with my husband (read "just the two of us, sans baby") since probably November. My favorite professor from college is retiring, and the college had a nice dinner for him Monday evening. So I got to get all dressed up and put perfume on and everything. Unfortunately, we had to leave about 2/3 through because Aislinn (unsurprisingly) did not want to take a bottle. Neither my husband nor I have ever gotten her to take more than half an ounce from a bottle, and I suspect that half ounce did not even end up in her stomach, but all over her chin and the front of her clothes. So anyway, we had to leave early (but not before the white chocolate mousse with berries!! I was perfect for two weeks, I decided to reward myself). To my delight, the baby actually did drink an entire OUNCE AND A HALF of expressed breast milk from the bottle. Amazing. Maybe there is hope. I'm starting her on solids sometime in the next month anyway, so that will probably help too.
Then yesterday I was busy out the wazoo. Had a doctor's appointment, then took Audrey to her kindergarten screening. It's still uncertain whether there will be room for her, since her birthday is several days past the cut-off date for enrollment, but the principal said they could see her for the screening anyway. Mommies aren't allowed in the gym for the screening (probably to prevent pushy moms like me from coaching), so I don't know yet how she did; we get the results in the mail in a few days. But knowing Audrey, she did fabulous. It will all come down to numbers in the end. After the screening, my husband was on the computer when I got home and remained that way more or less until the evening, when I realized I was probably developing mastitis. For those who don't know: mastitis happens when nursing ta-tas get clogged up, and turn into a throbbing, painful mass. Mine was only on one side, thank you God!, but it was accompanied by fever and chills that rendered me done for the day. I'm feeling much better this morning, thank you (and thank you, Aislinn, for being willing to nurse on that side more than usual to help the clog pass through).
Anyway, those are my excuses for not posting for the last couple of days.
Dad Gone Mad's recent post about someone in his real life discovering his blog got me thinking. I wonder how many people with blogs would be horrified if someone in real life stumbled on it? I know mrtl has expressed this, and Susie has hoped people in her church don't find hers. I also prefer that people in my real life don't know about mine. I mean, my husband knows I have one, and I occasionally show him a post I've written, but he doesn't know how to "find" it, and has shown little interest in doing so.
It's also interesting to me that my blog is public: that is, I don't mind if complete strangers come and read my blog (well, some of you aren't strangers anymore, but I don't know you in real life!), but isn't it strange that I don't want people I know to read it? Would love additional feedback on this. How would you feel if people in your real world found your blog (anyone, or people in particular, like parents)? And how do you justify this with making it public?
Then yesterday I was busy out the wazoo. Had a doctor's appointment, then took Audrey to her kindergarten screening. It's still uncertain whether there will be room for her, since her birthday is several days past the cut-off date for enrollment, but the principal said they could see her for the screening anyway. Mommies aren't allowed in the gym for the screening (probably to prevent pushy moms like me from coaching), so I don't know yet how she did; we get the results in the mail in a few days. But knowing Audrey, she did fabulous. It will all come down to numbers in the end. After the screening, my husband was on the computer when I got home and remained that way more or less until the evening, when I realized I was probably developing mastitis. For those who don't know: mastitis happens when nursing ta-tas get clogged up, and turn into a throbbing, painful mass. Mine was only on one side, thank you God!, but it was accompanied by fever and chills that rendered me done for the day. I'm feeling much better this morning, thank you (and thank you, Aislinn, for being willing to nurse on that side more than usual to help the clog pass through).
Anyway, those are my excuses for not posting for the last couple of days.
Dad Gone Mad's recent post about someone in his real life discovering his blog got me thinking. I wonder how many people with blogs would be horrified if someone in real life stumbled on it? I know mrtl has expressed this, and Susie has hoped people in her church don't find hers. I also prefer that people in my real life don't know about mine. I mean, my husband knows I have one, and I occasionally show him a post I've written, but he doesn't know how to "find" it, and has shown little interest in doing so.
It's also interesting to me that my blog is public: that is, I don't mind if complete strangers come and read my blog (well, some of you aren't strangers anymore, but I don't know you in real life!), but isn't it strange that I don't want people I know to read it? Would love additional feedback on this. How would you feel if people in your real world found your blog (anyone, or people in particular, like parents)? And how do you justify this with making it public?
posted by Andrea | 9:21 AM
8 Comments:
If my sisters or parents were to see it, I'd be horrified. They're not really computer people so the chances are slim. Some people in real life know about my site and read it. They comment there too.
For the parent/sisters thing...I'd be horrified because in 'real' life, things dont get talked about. You put stuff under the carpet and forget about it. Life is all sunshine and roses. On my blog, I put the 'real' out there. If they did find it, I would never know. I could say the most horrendous things about them, and I'd never hear a word, because that would put it in the open and thats bad. Very bad.
I dont care. Im at the point, where I'm starting to verbally (but respectfully) put it out there to my parents.
Even though its public on the internet, there's a safety. Its a screen, not face to face.
Example, my 'learning' post. I was on the phone with Phillip (ex b/f). I told him I was writing a post. He asked what it was about. I couldnt tell him. I just simply could not be that open in real life. I knew he would read it, and told him to read it. I just cant be that open in the real just yet.
lawbrat...this is one of the very things I'm working on in therapy. Ironic, no?
That is ironic. I'm going to be getting to there. Hugs to you!
I'm all for facing my fears, especially when I can't justify them. This is why I jumped out of an airplane a few years ago and donated blood (till they asked me not to come back because I kept passing out). With the blog, I'm taking baby steps. I told a good acquaintance who recently started blogging about mine. She had shared hers with me, so I felt bad holding back. Anyway, I'm doing ok with that so far and am considering telling a couple friends back home.
I won't tell my family. They'll have to find out about it some other way.
mrtl, I hope you didn't feel like I was putting you on the spot. I just knew of you as one example.
I think I make my blog public because I write better when I know someone else is reading it.
well, I've got my real name on mine so....I guess it's all hanging out there for the world to see.
I suppose it tempers what I write about a little bit...but not too too much. =)
I have only joked about people from church finding my blog. I don't care so much about that; I am close friends with the pastor and the seminary intern, sent both of them "announcements" about the blog. I do wish sometimes that I hadn't told as many friends and family as I have, because it limits the stories I can tell. I'm not willing to risk hurt feelings. Jif reads it every day, or even before I publish something, he's my "is this funny?" meter. My blog is pretty narrow, though, because of my work. Some clients have found it, and I'm sure more will, so I can't put any information in there that might affect their treatment. That is just a fact of my life, that I have to accept if I am going to blog. So far, that's fine with me; it's my place to be goofy and silly, not so much a place to pour my heart out. I don't have the freedom to do that kind of blog. I guard my/our privacy rather carefully, too. It is a SMALL world. I don't publish any photos of any of us that would make us recognizable "on the street." 'Cause you know "on the street" is where I do my nighttime job. That is all.
For me, I have to stay anonymous or I can't write the way I want to. The joy of blogging for me is being able to say anything I want without feeling I'm hurting a specific person's feelings.
There are few places today where one can speak their mind without censorship...this alone makes the blog world so special.
Very interesting question...
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