To add to the badness that was my day yesterday, Jim arrived home all freaked out with a “they’re on to you!” level of paranoia that can only be described as severely unhealthy.
Seems a co-worker asked him if his wife’s name was ‘B.’ Now this, to me, is not proof positive (although it is pretty compelling evidence) that said co-worker stumbled across my blog. Still, it could have just been a coincidence… perhaps even a misunderstanding. Maybe what the guy said was ‘is your wife’s name Dee?’ and Jim misunderstood.
Yeah, he wasn’t buying that either. So Jim, for the first time since I’ve been blogging, did something unheard of… he actually sat down, went alllll the way back to the initial entry of this blog and read straight through. I knew it wasn’t going so well by the ever-growing cacophony of groans, ‘oh shits’, ‘jesus!” and ‘why can’t you write about normal stuff’ ’s…
Personally, I’m still a little astounded that people… having read an entry or two here… would actually come back to read more. I’ve been blogging for years now with maybe a grand total of 8 (10 on a good day) reluctant readers. To think anyone who happened to stumble across eurotrippen via a search for ‘naked girl next door’ or ‘dick cheney is a douche bag’ would actually take the time to read & commit to memory anything about me…. well, it’s just a foreign concept. But hey, at least what I’ve written has been all me… stupid, disjointed, often a ten on the ‘tmi’ scale, boring, sloppy, silly. Me.
And for the first time last night I got the “tone it down for the sake of my career” speech, which actually hurt a little as it seems alarmingly close to the “you’re an embarrassment to me” speech. So, I’m asking… nicely… anyone who might or might not (my money’s still on might not) work with my husband who also reads my blog. Please just… ix-nay on the alk-tay about the og-blay. Because god knows the last thing I want to do is tone it down and be “tasteful”…
Meh. I wouldn’t freak out too much about it. None of the neighbours I slag off regularly in my blog have found me yet and I’ve whining about them for nearly 2 years now!
As long as you don’t mention Jim’s work there shouldn’t be a problem
I can’t remember you slagging anything off that was work related.
Oh boy, that’s always the dilemma eh B? Sometimes it’s hard to know where to draw the line, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out & do whatever you’re most comfortable with….Sometimes it’s just too tempting not to want to be really bad tho, LOL
Don’t feel bad, B. My hubby has instructed me to never, never, mention his school in my blog. Like his kids are bright enough to find it, but whatever. I do, however, try to keep really incriminating stuff out of my blog because my college students sometimes end up over there. Thus, I never complain about students or colleagues. Bad ju-ju if you know what I mean.
I’m with the previous commenters. You don’t slag (man I wish I could use more British slang) off about Jim’s job, so you should be in the clear. At the same time though, I could see how it’d be uncomfortable for Jim to have everyone all up in you guys’s business via your blog. It’s a tough call, because even though you’re technically (nearly) anonymous, you’re not.
Maybe you can start another blog and use all pseudonyms, like D. from Bresben, no one will be able to figure that out.
i say your answer should be more entries about the adventures of jim’s personal grooming…
I am not even sure what it is that your husband does! How could anyone at his company be upset? Maybe the naked car wash?
Please don’t tone it down. I like the blog just the way it is.
I’m with Claire. I like the blog the way it is…humorous, honest and very well written. So please don’t tone it down.
Oh, heh, I have no intention of toning down anything. Just asking any potential readers from (… thanks, Hamish) ‘dnfineon in iresden’ (hmmm, sounded better when he did it) to keep it on the down-low if they happen to read, which will spare me an hour long worry-fest lecture delivered by a pacing Jim.
And no one where Jim works has voiced anything remotely resembling disapproval… hell, technically they haven’t even acknowledged this blog exists. It’s more about his worries of how they’d take… well, me.
And jeanni’s 100% right, that sort of behavior should only be rewarded one way… more. grooming. stories. lol
You two shouldn’t worry. Your blog could make him the most popular guy in the office (if they find out about it).
Maybe you should keep an eye on your website statistics.
hi b, as a newbie to your site, i recently spent a few hours reading your blog from the first entry to the present. it is certainly not ’stupid, disjointed…boring, sloppy, silly’, so don’t say that! you’re an evocative writer and i love the perspective you take on things - it’s a bloody good approach to life. don’t do anything differently, but i agree with the above commenters, perhaps just keep j’s work out of it and you’ll all be happy little campers in bresben.
Keep on keeping on …
I’m sorry B, but I laughed all the way through that post and many of the comments. All I can say is…thank God you self-censored the grooming story…his head would have blown up had he read that one! And as one of your 8 or 10 long time readers, let me assure you, it has never been done reluctantly.
I can’t remember anything on your blog that slags off your husband’s colleagues or other things for you to worry about. However, as Hamish said, you do need to remember that you’re not so anonymous on the internet (which is why I rarely mention people from work). Keep blogging as you are.
Hey as long as you don’t name too many names, it’s hard to pin this thing on you. Keep being yourself, but don’t give away any corporate secrets in the process…and remember Germans don’t care if you talk about poo and crap and all that shit, so you should be in the clear.