Here’s an unprotected post for those of you who don’t want to bother asking for a password.
It combines two things I love: Squirrels and cats.
As for protected posts, I have plenty to complain about, just not enough time to do it. Happy Caturday.
Recently a situation evolved that has broken down the invisible wall between my personal life and my work life. No, I can’t go into detail. I can’t talk about it. Anything I say, can and will be, used against me. It already has and I’ve already said too much.
It’s far too easy to misconstrue information and make assumptions. When you’re looking for it, it’s easy to assume that when I say “a man with curly hair”, I could mean you, the guy next to you, or someone you know. It could be anyone, really. Pick one. When your worst fear is that someone is talking about you in their blog, it’s quite simple to jump to conclusions.
The soft, cozy, nook of safety I once experienced is now gone. The words I write are now fuel for the fire and I am, in essence, being beaten with my own shoe. Needless to say, I can’t go into detail. I am faced with the awful truth of censorship and the convenient implication of password protection.
The crime here isn’t vague references to someone who could be anyone or anything, it’s paranoia and fear. Because there are people out there who enjoy a good old fashioned witch burning, I am forced to protect myself. It’s not just about work. It’s about my personal life as well.
In the past, I’ve been afraid of talking about work because I didn’t want to get into trouble. I also didn’t think it was nice. Seeing as trouble came a’knockin’, it’s time to take the next step. Because the posts will be password protected, I now have asylum. I am Quasimoto (but way prettier) high atop my tower shouting the word “sanctuary!” and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
Henceforth, posts about my personal life and work will be password protected. It goes without saying, the courteous and vague references I once made are now a thing of the past. The gloves are off and I’m going to say what pleases me. Posts that do not pertain to my personal life and work will still be viewable by all. This includes random rants, podcast notices, funny pictures of squirrels, general photography, etc. My close friends and family will be given the password because I love and trust them. If I don’t know you (online or off) you won’t get it. It’s sad that you just can’t trust anyone anymore. The good news is, the password protected posts will contain all the grittiness of real life complete with names, places, eye color, and photographic evidence.
Anyone outside my inner circle that would like the password can email me the answers to the following questions:
This is not a strict screening process by any means. Password protection offers me just that…protection. It’s a metaphoric and symbolic “Magnum-sized prophylactic”. I’ll also be scanning the archives and password protecting those as well. It’ll take time, but I’ve got that.
In further awesomeness, by password protecting my posts, if the evil-doers of the world somehow manage to gain access, I’m safe by default. Score! If I’m talking about someone in my PRIVATE blog, no court in the world would prosecute.
Prepare for it. I’m talking about you.
Today, after much anticipation, is One Hour No Power. It occurred to me that this delightful global experiment is happening on one of the hottest days of the year. The temperature today will reach the low 90′s, which isn’t all that low. Still, I’ve promised to do this and I will. I haven’t quite figured out what I’m doing to do for that hour, but I’ll come up with something. I had initially hoped to have the company of my sweet boyfriend today, but alas, he forgot and has made *alternate plans.
My second choice for an activity was to clean my room, but considering today’s temperature, my bedroom will be like a sauna and I wouldn’t last ten minutes in there without a fan. And it’s not like I can go to the coffee house for an hour because that would be participating in energy consumption. I guess what I really should do is start planning my move and the impending housewarming party.
Of course, later in life, recycling became a lucrative way to make teenage spending cash. My sister and I would drive up and down the streets that had recycling bins and we’d pilfer their cans.
So you see, this experiment isn’t for someone like me, although I’m happy to partake. It’s for everyone that over-consumes, wastes, and thinks Global Warming is something that will fix itself. I do however, revel in the fact that I’m participating in something magical. Something that was started by an average person like myself. It’s like I can feel it in the air today. Something great is happening and I’m a part of it. Are you?
*My boyfriend ended up participating in OHNP with his kids. I’m so proud.