
This is an old photo of Bruno, but it illustrates a point—if I want to post about dogs and haircuts, I will!
Okay, so, seriously? You all are amazing. I’ve been passed out on the sofa with a fever and stomach flu for the past 12 hours (you know I’m really sick if I don’t feel like going online!), and now I’m sitting here with tears rolling down my face while I read all of your comments.
Look, let’s just get this out of the way right now: I AM A GIANT CRYBABY. I always have been. I cry over everything. (Earlier today I actually got choked up when I realized Saltines are no longer packaged with those little red bendy closure tabs at the top of the stack. It was devastating to open the box and not see them—why have you done this to us, Nabisco??) I have a very thin skin, it’s true, and I’m not sure I want to change that. It’s what allows me to feel honest compassion for other people. I don’t like myself very much when I “toughen up”.
Maxwell at Apartment Therapy explained to me that it is not possible to remove Door Sixteen from the contest at this point. I understand. However, he did disable the comments and post a very nice explanation of why. I’m okay with this. Next time they run this contest, though, I think it would be wise to have the nominations done in the form of private submission rather than in open comments, and to do the same with the voting.
I want to make it clear that my upset yesterday really was not about a few negative things that were said about this site, but rather about the overall tone of the comments and the assumptions that were being made about every blogger who made the final list. I think the thing that put me over the edge was a comment that Nicole from Making it Lovely (one of my favorite blogs; consistently well-written, beautifully presented, and definitely personal) writes too much about her pregnancy. Combined with the insinuation that the entire contest is nothing more than a publicity grab for all involved, I really started feeling very badly about the whole thing. I don’t think I was wrong to respond to some of the “allegations” that were being thrown around. I am not the kind of person to just let things happen and wait for the bad stuff to pass.
I’ve been blogging since 2002, and I’ve never done it with a veil of anonymity. I attach my real, full name to everything I do online, and I assure you that Internet Anna is the very same person as Real Life Anna. My life is far from being an open book, but I don’t believe in creating alternate personalities or putting on a show for the sake of an audience. It’s just not for me. When people ask me what the “secret” is to having a successful blog, that’s the only advice I can offer—write what you know, and make every post a reflection of who you are and what you’re into, not what you think people want to see. Regardless of what you’re blogging about, keeping your personality and style connected to your blog will attract people to it—that’s how we attract people in real life, too!
I’m going to go back to snuggling with my dogs now. We’re watching Poltergeist on television (Evan went to his parents’ house for a belated Hanukkah gathering, my stomach flu kept me away), and I think I’m ready to eat something small (no, not Fritz!).
Thank you again for everything. I’ll get back to posting about more important things (like dining room chairs and orbital sanders) tomorrow.