Monday, November 05, 2007

What You Don't Know

I've been challenged by a fellow blogger to share more of myself in my posts.

See it turns out I'm not as vanilla in real life as I may appear. I'm aware that upon first glance you feel you may make certain assumptions because I'm just another white, married, working, suburban mom, in her late 30's. And in many ways, I am all of those things. And in many ways, I'm not at all. I'm used to it though.

Get to know me, and you might be surprised. Though I haven't really given you the opportunity have I? And there's the irony. I'll admit here that I've peed all over myself in a port-o-let or that the Brazillian is the only way to go, but what have I shared about my life experiences? What have I shared of my beliefs and how they were formed? The thing is, I just didn't think you'd find that information all that interesting. And damn how I don't want to be all "me, me, me, me, me." But I'm taking on the challenge. I'm going to try and let you in.

I find it all so interesting. Obviously as bloggers we feel the need to share something of ourselves with the world. So what holds us back?

Does your blog reflect the whole you? In what way? Or if not, what don't your readers see? Are there things you consciously don't share or is it, like me, that you didn't realize you were leaving the big things out?

33 Deserve Mamma's Love:

Julie Pippert said...

Does my blog reflect me? Oh yeah! LOL

Do you know what I think through my blog? I am pretty darn sure you do. LOL

Do I censor? Absolutely. Certain topics or approaches to specific topics are VERBOTEN.

Do you know the whole me? I doubt it. I don't even think *I* know the whole me.

Good questions and I look forward to more of your thoughts. :)

Julie
Using My Words

Julie Pippert said...

P.S. There are ALWAYS the Hump Day Hmms if you seek an entree into this type of sharing. :)

Julie
Using My Words

Anonymous said...

I think my blog does reveal a lot about me but not everything because I censor the work parts (conflict of interest being the patient-practitioner confidentiality thing)and I keep my marriage for the most part under wrap because I don't think it's fair to talk about my man when he can't give his side of the story (even if he's wrong).

There's nothing typical about you mama, you've got interesting oozing from you!

And you're right, Brazilian is the only way to go.

Peg said...

Interestingly, I've been giving a lot of thought to that very question. See, Mommie Dearest managed to ferret out my blog, and has been reading it for about a month (and printing it out, sharing it w/ my stepkids, and then returning to reread it again...and spending about 8 hours in a single workweek going through every. f-ing. post. Yeesh!)

While I do reveal quite a bit, there is much that I do not reveal, generally speaking. It probably doesn't reveal everything about my inner thoughts, or all that has made me the woman/mother/wife/sister/friend/stepmother that I am today. I have to bear in mind who all is reading it--including my husband, my siblings and some of my friends. And of course, Mommie Dearest (a risk I always knew I was taking).

Perhaps if no one I knew read what I published on my blog, I'd reveal a lot more. I guess I figure I reveal just enough to give people a hint to the kind of person I am, but not necessarily every single facet of all that is Peg...

Kimberly said...

I'm pretty much a liar online ;-)

Gunfighter said...

What you see is what you get... but, do I censor? Sure...

For some of the other stuff... there is always my alter-ego. He is probably a much more interesting blogger than I am.

Kellyology said...

My blog is me taken down a few notches with a whole lot of censoring. Scared???

Anonymous said...

Sorta.

I have a closet, I don't open it much on my blog...maybe I should.

Anonymous said...

I pretty much let it all hang out only I cuss a whole lot less on my blog. I also refrain from showing my extreme goofiness out of fear of scaring people off.

coolbeans said...

I hold back a lot.

I swear a lot in real life. I use offensive words (I call myself retarded about a dozen times a day) in person but generally leave them out of my blog.

I don't talk about religion because I practice something I'm not sure I'm really convinced about.

I don't talk politics on my blog because I don't talk about them in real life. So that's about right on, actually.

I want to be more "me" on my blog, but the blog doesn't ever go away. What if I change my mind? What if I say something today that I contradict next year? What if I know that I mean no harm with that language but someone I like doesn't see body language or hear my tone of voice and gets offended?

I'm excited to see where you go with this.

PunditMom said...

First, I have to say -- A BRAZILIAN!!! You are WAY braver than I am, girl!

Having said that, I'd love to learn more about how you became who you are and how your views developed. I'd love to write more about myself in that context on my site, but I found out the hard way that some members of my family read my blog, so that puts a bit of a damper on some writing.

Anonymous said...

Brazilian? Is he cute?

Nancy said...

If my posts were tagged as not being truthful, it would only be by omissions.

I swear if I wrote details and things I have decided not to post most would think I was making it up and the rest would say Hollywood couldn't write this chit.

So, for now, I'll keep at my current pace.

Jamie said...

Definitely not. It a family blog so I can't let it all out. Maybe I'll start...probably not.

Deb said...

I think for the most part, my blog reflects me - as much or more than anything else does. I feel more free to write and say what I think, especially since I tend to have a hard time opening up to people in person.

Jennifer said...

My blog is all me. I write the way I talk, post about whatever strikes me at the moment.

I have tried to reduce my husband bashing, as it was hurtful to him and inconsiderate on my part.

Anything secret I need to get off my chest is written on a secret blog.

flutter said...

I think my blog reflects me a little too much :)

karrie said...

Yes, in spite of myself. But much less so than my former blog.

Kristin said...

I think my blog reflects me in that very moment I write a post... 5 minutes later, I maybe totally different.

Like you, I've not gone into any of the formative stuff... something to think about.

Blog Antagonist said...

I think openness is a relative thing. In many ways, on my blog, I am more open than I am in real life about my feelings and my opinions. But it's my everyday self that readers don't know. It's a strange kind of intimacy this blog thing....it's a subjective intimacy.

Jazz said...

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better since I think you're great already.

I blog about me. Most of it is all out there. Even the stuff that makes it evident that I'm on the edge of madness.

Funny that just today I put a call out for people having issues with family reading their blog. I want to know how others deal with this.
Do they just censor themselves?

I hope you don't. I like your writing style and feel like we live similar lives so it would be great to delve a bit deeper into the "making" of "mamma."

OhTheJoys said...

Many days I just post some idiotic thing because I don't have anything big or serious to write about. There are some posts though that I feel like are more representative of me in real life.

Before Blogher I worried that people would expect me to be some sort of silly person all the time. I'm kind of subdued in person.

Anonymous said...

More of you is always a good thing. I look forward to it.

As for me, I think my blog pretty much reflects who I am, besides the fact that sometimes I think I tend to hide behind humor. I'm a lot shyer in person. And as with most bloggers, there are some things (and people) I can't talk about, mostly because some of my IRL family and friends read it.

Unknown said...

I don't tell people squat about me in my blog, except that I have a wife, a kid, and big-ass hair. And that I live in Minnesota. And I suppose my name is available. Everything else -- complete fiction.

Yup. Don't believe a word I write.

(For what it's worth, though, I've found that many people are surprising when you get to know them; in that way, the fact that you "seem" vanilla but are then surprising makes you perfectly normal; then again, I would not classify you as "normal." You're just Mamma.)

Unknown said...

strangely enough, i hold SOME things back.

Lawyer Mama said...

Well, you've met me. DO you think my blog reflects me?

I do think your blog reflects you in some ways. You're not likely to tell someone you've just met everything about your life either. In many ways a blog is like a great big cocktail party, with people dropping by to say hi and chat for a minute.

It took me about 6 months to really say anything hard or admit my life wasn't perfect. But now, my blog is like therapy in a way! But still, I censor a LOT. I don't talk about certain parts of my marriage. I never talk about work or co-workers. And I never say any of the bad stuff about my parents. They read my blog and even though I've told them it's read at your own risk, I know that would do some damage. So I choose not to hurt.

Personally, I'd love to hear about the experiences that have made you, you. You're a complicated, intelligent, and incredibly warm and generous woman. What's not interesting about that?

Lawyer Mama said...

Oh, I was also going to say that Julie's Hump Day Hmmms have gotten me to write about a lot of stuff from my past that I probably wouldn't have otherwise. That woman should be a psychologist!

S said...

Oh, lordy. My blog reflects TOO MUCH of me. Sometimes I need to learn to keep my mouth (fingers) shut (away from the keyboard), LOL!

Anonymous said...

Okay Momma I think you're more forthcoming in yer comments on other people's blogs than here.

I'm calling you out. Someone said it's surface-y and whatnot and then you wrapped that all up with a question.

Okay, so you peed on yerself and wax yer twat. We know you have the ability to be happily married should you not be covered in urine.

What else though?

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

Hum ...

sort of ...

I am open about all the stuff re: Matthew and how I feel about the crap w/ went thru ...and my worries and fears over that....

but, my husband warns me to not get too political on my blog...

if I do ... and I do sometimes....

I only leave it up for a couple weeks and then I delete it.

I get very upset over the things that are going on in this world, country, state and city.
But biggest "hot" button is illegal immigration. I can't even get started w/o my blood boiling.
But we have been affected personally by it... so....
I am jaded.

I am just a regular girl that worries about our future and the future of my kids.

I do a lot of praying... a lot!!!

Terri@SteelMagnolia said...

Oh.. I am laughing...

I am much more open on other people's blogs....

isn't that weird???

Lisa said...

I'm more open on other people's blogs than on my own.

Oh one of my old journalism school teachers write a column for my hometown newsapper. And she basically "outed" me. In a recent column, she mentioned my first name, maiden name and married name and that I have a blog. So now (based on my stats) the entire freaking county knows. Plus? My parents recently got the internet. My mom now reads mah blog. So uh... I won't be sharing as much as I used to.

But an definitely looking forward to learning more about YOU chicky. :-)

Marty, a.k.a. canape said...

Most of me. At least most of me that I know so far. Seems I'm always meeting more of me lately.