It's The Me You Didn't Know I Had

Every Thursday my youngest daughter comes over to watch Project Runway and usually we'll order out but sometimes I'll make one of my dinners. Last night I made teriyaki chicken wings with toasted sesame seeds along side an arugula/gala apple salad that had a lemon juice / sour cream / olive oil dressing. Pretty simple, but apparently this got rave reviews because she took some food porn and posted it on Facebook. So that was pretty cool.

But then later it dawned on me, when she also touted my blog here on another post (some of her friends have been readers for a bit but they never post) that because she's connected, as I am, to our wider family through Facebook there may be some folks in the family who haven't seen / didn't know about the blog.

I posted links to my blogs before, earlier, on Facebook - when I first got there. But that sort of dropped out of practice because... well... I'm just too damn lazy.

In my life I've done a terrible job staying connected to my wider family. My wife and kids have always gotten the full attention, for better or worse. So the chances are pretty good that there are cousins and children of cousins, nephews and nieces and all possible connections, who don't have or never had any idea of what my actual interests are and what do I do in my spare time. And it certainly isn't their fault because at what limited gatherings we have usually we're talking about sports and the usual how-is-everybody-doing, family, happy, party stuff. I don't think I've ever said to anyone in my family (including the people I live with) "yes I'm 15,000 words down on the novel and oh by the way I figured out how to make cacio e pepe last week." That would get a smile and a nod but it would be a surprise to most folks. That is my choice because I figure it just wouldn't interest anybody. No big deal.

But the thing is if anybody from the wider family stops by they'll get an eyeful of stuff they might or might not readily associate with me and my general "ho let's have another beer" personality when we sing Happy Birthday To You. So if any of you guys are around... hiya!

In a broader sense, though, I have to admit that there are things about myself and my life that I've kept out of the family mix. I try not to talk politics because the family is a bit more conservative. Some aren't as tolerant of other kinds of folks. And intellectualization is not exactly something that would pique a lot of interest (and at a birthday party - dude - why would it??). I don't have in-depth personal conversations with anybody outside of my wife.

My connections to people outside the family, in the performance arts or even in some political spheres, isn't something I tout to anybody in the family. Makes you sound like you're trying to puff yourself up. And I wouldn't know exactly who to sit down and talk books about. The readers in the family love mysteries and romances and thrillers and spy stuff, and most would be completely conversant in the greater TV fare that's available. What that means is that my family is a whole lot more connected to the culture than I am. This is why MrsRW has often wondered aloud if I was supposed to be a hermit when I was made.

My greater family contains a lot of successful people who are incredibly friendly and well-meaning. I've always been sort of a nub on the log (to which I can hear some saying right now "you got that right, sheeesh.").

So the thing is does it now start to have an effect on what goes on here, knowing about new (old) eyes reading? I thought about it for a second and decided - uh, no. because probably in a week they'll have moved on and gone about the business of their lives like normal people do.

But I just thought I'd share. OK carry on then. Sox-Yankees tonight in the bleachers. have a nice weekend.