The One... The Only... The Vieve

Busted

I walked into the book store near my house this morning, the one where I'll be working part-time starting in September, to get my coffee as usual, and my favorite coffee lady said, "You have a blog!"

"Oh shit," I said.

Not that I at all mind people reading this. If I did, I wouldn't put it out on the Interweb, obviously. But it creates this strange dynamic that can be a little surreal. When people you barely know (or don't know at all), say, know what you ate for dinner last night,* that's just...weird. Not surprising or uncomfortable, really, just odd. And with people I do know well, sometimes I'll start to tell a story and they'll gently cut me off with, "Oh, right, I read about that. That's funny!" or something along those lines. Again, not a bad thing, but...weird.

I guess I just haven't wrapped my head around the fact that people actually do read this. I guess that's part of it, anyway. Friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, complete strangers, maybe my parents (eep). They're interested in my life and my writing (or are just incredibly nosy and/or bored at work), and it puts a spotlight on me (OK, I put a spotlight on myself) that makes me feel a little squirmy inside. There's a funny little tug-o-war that goes on in my head as I write, wondering what I should keep private, what I should refer to obliquely, what I should balls-out reveal. It doesn't keep me up at night, but again...weird. A strange tension, a slightly bizarre public/private dynamic, for this (formerly?) shy violet. An often hidden exhibitionist streak manifested in digital text.

Enjoy.

* (Chicken and broccoli. And some potato chips. And some cookies. And a pudding pop. Look, I was hungry!)

Posted by thevieve at August 10, 2006 8:07 AM