Monday, January 10, 2005

I don't believe this...

"Mikey, I know you're not the sort to air your dirty laundry in public so I'm disappointed and shocked that you'd remember one email a very long long time ago and bring it up for...embarassment's sake? I should have scanned the source or however you'd put it before mailing, but we can't all be you. I wonder why you'd mention the story so many years later and why, if you wanted to embarass me, you didn't just mention my name. X."

The above was a response, emailed to my home address, by somebody who I didn't know was reading my blog. Let's call them X. It was in response to the item about bloggers citing their sources. I'm flattered. This person appears to think I wrote that item a) to piss them off, b) to humiliate them or c) to work out some negative karma.

So, let's have it all out here. To X: Sigh. Alright. Here's the deal. I'll write you privately, or post in this public forum, whether or not I was citing something that happened with YOU some time ago. But there are some stipulations.

1. You have to write me a letter that says (in your own words, or you may cut and paste the following section) "Michael, I think that your vague comment about citing your sources in blogging was a direct reference to a mail that I sent you one time. I know that you've had several blogs, and most likely several mails, over the years. But I think this was a deliberate, out of the blue swipe at me. Please advise. Incidentally, the fact that you didn't know that I was even reading your blog has nothing to do with it- I still feel that you were aiming this three sentence story to make me look like a fool, and yes, even though my name is not mentioned, nor the exact context, nor the time, nor the story, I still think you're trying to hurt my feelings. So please answer in a black and white fashion, with a direct Yes or No answer as soon as possible so that I might evaluate my next move."

2. If you take the time and energy to work up a decent froth of true and unsolicited paranoia, I will give you a Yes or No answer. If you actually feel like you are the only person who I have traded emails with in the last 4 years since I have been keeping one kind of blog or another, I'll flip you an answer. Oh, and if you're the only person in this world who forwards stories from the Drudge Report, perhaps in error, than you're my guy.

3. So, yes, X, I will answer this question. But you're gonna have to work for it and ask in no uncertain terms and prove to me some plane...any of this actually means anything. And then I'll give you an answer.

4. Of course there's the option of 'Well, let's chalk this up to experience' and return to some other hobby, never mention this contretemps again and perhaps sending me a mail about the weather. Or lap-swimming, perhaps. In which case this entry is merely an amusing anecdote to one of the perhaps 12 people who know of this blog's existence.

To everyone else...uh...carry on. :)


STAG said...

Make it thirteen.

Blogger Templates by 2008