Speaking of trends I've been in front of, this page has been a monkey on my back for nearly six years now. Amazing. For the first five years, I had maybe four readers. And that was Jen hitting Refresh three times. Now that I'm completely running out of creative gas and utterly losing interest, I have hundreds.
Bastards!
Readership comes with a cost, though. Lately I find that my relationships with people have become colored by this page. No, not the right people—Percy is still an unrepentant douchebag. These are friends, not intended targets. I'll call a new parent and ask how labor was, and the answer is a toe-digging "Um...I'm...not sure what to say to you." A peer will go into confessional mode that "I'm the type of editor you just hate." Just last night, a buddy said "I read your poker rant. I guess I'm one of the poseurs." And then there was my "user error" post.
No fewer than four people have read it and thought I was talking about them. I'm suddenly getting gifts and thank yous. (Jesus tap-dancin' Christ. Stop that!) The worst reaction, though, has been from people whose solution to a perceived inequity in our relationship is not to adjust such that they're comfortable, but to immediately smack down any kindness I extend. If I try again, my gesture is belittled as unneeded, or even over the top. And if I protest, I'm informed that my consideration is really a worrisome character flaw.
Yeah. This is precisely what I had in mind: balance achieved through no one extending the slightest kindness to anyone else. Health = reciprocal lameness. Got it. I'm so there.