You know how sometimes you send an email to someone which you intend to be funny and nice but since your voice is not attached to it and they can't hear you laughing, they completely misunderstand what your saying? And then you have call them PRONTO and explain what you meant with actual words that come out of your mouth? And not this kind of mouth :0 but the real one on your face?
I've done that before. I bet a lot of people have.
And it's not that I worry that this was misunderstood, because honestly, there are so many shades of gray in there I think it's easy to misunderstand and also gripes like that are probably going to mean one thing to one person and another thing to another person. Understood? OK.
But the whole meanie Anonymous person completely scared the pants off of me (and no meanie Anonymous person; not literally; there are children in the house after all). Because if I didn't know me, and who really knows oneself anyway (but I digress), I suppose I could seem like some complete nightmare with an anger problem.
So here's the thing: this is a page on a computer that lives in the internet which is essentially a connection of lots of other pages on lots of other computers that are all linked together by... magic. It is ten minutes of a life that has about 4 million other minutes in it. Or ten million. And most of those minutes are filled with all kinds of good things -- maybe not butterflies and unicorns -- but laughter and cute kid stuff and great friends and kind neighbors and a nice husband and a kooky, yet extremely close family and ball games. And PTO meetings.
Sometimes there are swear words. Sometimes there are days filled with nothing but bad news or scary news or sadness. Some days are complete piss and vinegar. But mostly, when I consider the 20 million minutes? I'm a pretty lucky person who gets to love a lot of people and also gets to be loved back. And I'm trying as hard as pretty much anyone I know to raise a bunch of kids in a complicated world, to make a difference in their lives and in my community, to be a better friend and a better daughter and a better wife and a better cousin and a better sister and a better citizen. Which is not easy stuff. Which is hard work.
Which makes this one page on this one computer a little bit like recess. Sometimes I am chatting in a huddle with my buddies, sometimes I am doing laps around the track, sometimes I'm swinging from the monkey bars howling like Tarzan, but it's my recess and I make the rules. And rule number one is everyone is allowed to play. Even if you completely hate the way I jump rope, you still get to play.
But just because you're out here with me on the playground (meanie Anonymous person) doesn't mean that you know anything about what I do when recess is over.
And also? Watch out for the kids who play in these parts. They do not take kindly to meanies.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Let Me Tell You Why I Love You
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22commentsBrilliant Person Wrote...
Hi. I got your back at the monkey bars Ms. Picket. I know you don't want to be mean to Anon over there on the swings so I'll just hang with you here on the bars, k?
Is this like a blogging right of passage, having an anonymous hater pass judgement on you on YOUR OWN WEBSITE? Maybe we should throw you a party--you've arrived, Ms. Picket!
I got cha back as well Ms. Picket. I'll be on the Tunnel Slide. Or maybe over by the Kickball Field. Holla.
Ms. Picket ... I, the other Carolyn, also have your back. I'm over by the slide just waiting for the signal to join up with the rest. There ain't enough playground for narrow minded ninny monkeys here. Got it anon? Good!
I love your second post and hope that I didn't ruin your day. I guess that is the price of aggressive blogging.
Didn't I hit a nerve with all of you trash talking mommas... I take exception to calling my children aholes but the rest is great blog fodder.
Being a responsible parent and community volunteer that also works with children of others, I would never consider blogging like this but if it is your bag (obviously not a Prada bag), go for it.
If you don't want anon replies, you can remove the option. Regardless of your kooky screen names, I certainly don't know to whom they correspond to...
I'd love to play on the bar too and promise to be nice...
Yours Truly,
Mr. Anon
Ms.P~ It's all good on your playground. Maybe we should all play red rover.
Anon~ I think it's great that you came back to see all the fodder that you created. Maybe you could make more if you actually took off the invisibility cloak and played a round of colors with us?
Oh, and don't sweat the small stuff Mrs. P, don't change a thing...now how's about a little game of 4 square?
Wait? Anon is a Mr.? I wasn't expecting that.
But yeah, you did kinda ruin my day. Big time. But at least I didn't ruin yours, at least I hope not, because I aim to please.
One wonders, however, what you might blog about if you could, or do?
And also: watch out! I think notatennisskirtmom is totally gonna come over from the soccer field and smack you with the grammar stick. Again.
But like I said, your welcome around here any old time. Maybe I will be the one you love to hate? Stranger things have happened.
I have to say, this is like a tv show. All sorts of quirky characters. I loved your first post. Writing is cathartic. And it sucks that Anonymous ruined your day, because really, in the whole scheme of things, who cares what he thinks? But hey, a whole second post came out of it, yeah for the readers.
And Aimeepaloozas comment on here made me laugh out loud. Like your blog does a lot. It's all good.
Have an awesome night!
Well, Mr. Anon. Welcome back. Clearly you experienced something you liked or why would you come back?
I agree with Ms. Picket and think you should definitely start blogging. I think you already have a large, curious group of readers started here. You could be the next BHJ, his blog is called *gasp* The Wind In My Vagina. What would the PTO think?!?
Mad love to you, Ms. Picket. Keep it real and keep it rockin'.
xo
Gave you an award on my blog. Yey!
Well thats much better. Kiss and make up, but slide in a few jabs on the side! I love it. See, your humor and sentiment all mixed together is what makes you exceptional in my book!
Ms Picket I am very happy that you are feeling better.
At the risk of escalating (a little tiny bit)"Didn't I hit a nerve with all of you trash talking mommas..." He has got to be kidding. I eat people like that for breakfast.
These fine real women were standing up for their friend. Why on earth would you post something like that on a blog like this?
Ms Picket is a wonderful caring person that has the right to vent on her blog. She even worries about your feelings when you come to her house and insult her. It is part of the blog game to open yourself up to criticism and accept it.
Anyway, I love you Ms Picket and don't bother with Anon. we have a word for this: "bully." Swear up a storm and be yourself. BFF
OHHHHHH.
Now I get it.
I hope my shout-out to you gave you good cheer.
Hang in there. I completely understand your reaction.
I miss one day and I miss a whole scandal!!
Anon is a man? That explains why he can't relate to venting. The V word. Guys just don't do it.
Anyway, you rock.
I really like this playground except for the bullies. I'm all for healthy debate and agree to disagree and all that, but you got to say it with your face. Face being whoever you choose to be. What kills me is that blogging is largely anonymous to begin with, so what's being anonymous in an already anonymous world? It's being the ultimate chicken, that's what.
Go, Ms. Picket, Go. You rock and you know it!
And Anon, I apologize because I don't know your kids. I was saying probably are aholes. It seems to be the parents that judge others for things that have nothing to do with love, justice, friendship, peace...you know the parents that are upset by potty mouth that have the kids who live potty life. Usually because said parents are more focused on appearing perfect and holier than thou than they are actually raising smart children with good moral fiber.
My response was an off the cuff shortened version of what I just wrote.
My point: words are just words and we are all adults here. So, the whole potty mouth thing? Really, who cares? I am of the opinion that if you aren't dropping the fbomb around my children, I certainly don't care. That is all.
Am I upset that you wrote something about trash mouth? No. I think it's hufuckinglarious! But not in the laugh with you sort of way.
And, I agree, you created a stir and should start a blog if you don't have one already. I'd read.
This means, of course, that you've hit the big time - an anonymous hater and your friend the pressure canning spammer! (PS, don't try pressure canning. It's terrifying - I don't want to measure my cooking in PSI.)
Anyone who has ever seen you with your children knows what Anonymous doesn't. No worries, right?
You REALLY have arrived when you get the haters - I'm still waiting for one to actually comment. I just get nastygrams from my ex-h telling me to remove certain posts.
I totally copied your exorcism post and it felt damn good. Then, in the middle of the night, I panicked at the thought someone might recognize themselves. Kinda glad I did after reading the drama:)
Duck Duck Goose anyone?
He has a point, you didn't HAVE to allow the comment. Even if you don't have approval required (and I think you do) - you certainly could have deleted the comment very easily.
The point is, you didn't.
And that takes balls!!
I gave a review of a coffee shop on my blog once - a good one, actually - but I mentioned that one of the servers teeth were little brown nubs (not an exaggeration) and said that she looked like she had Meth Mouth. Several regulars of the shop somehow found it on google and the SLASH AND BURN comments began... and then the comments started coming from the staff of the shop, the manager of the shop.... UGH.
It wasn't my proudest moment, I'll admit. And I, too, wrote a follow up post saying that I didn't intend to be hurtful but it's my blog, dammit, and I'll write what I please so put that in your pipe in smoke it!
And if there is something to BE proud of in that situation, for me, is that I, too, APPROVED each comment and put in out there and allowed myself to be judged.
Ms. P... that takes COURAGE.
DUDE! That's the last time I skip a couple days at Miss Picket's house. When's Anon gonna come back so we can jump him?
"Regardless of your kooky screen names, I certainly don't know to whom they correspond to..."
Anon is wrong. Maybe the screen names people use on here are unknown to him, but they are all linked to blogs where others can come and call us on our shit if we are mean. To just post anonymously, with no link anywhere, and to do so projecting vile hate, is straight-up cowardly.
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