I don’t usually read my comments.
I mean, I do, but as appended to posts, not in the dashboard. (No, I spend my time in the dashboard cleaning the gunk out of the Civil War page. All those links just attracts the spam like, um, flies to spam. Or something.)
Anyway, when I did happen to note that BJ was responding to some old posts, and was working her way through my archive, I was delighted.
BJonthegrid, you see, is a regular commenter on TNC’s site, and despite Miss Emily‘s best efforts (thanks, Emily, for the TNC blogroll and your many exhortations to check us out!), I don’t get many of those folks strolling through my site.
So here one was! Excellent.
Except.
Except there was that comment about saving her a ton of money on food. Huh? Maybe she has me confused with someone else, but, whatever. She’s here, she’s reading my blog, she’s reading my novel—it’s all good.
Except, well, why is she using BJonthegrid there and BJ here? Eh, maybe she’s more comfortable going with the short name over here, away from the main drag of the Atlantic site—kind of like slipping into flip-flops rather than bothering with real shoes.
And then there was the comment on my Sound of Music post about DW retiring. DW? Who? What?
OH! That DW! As in, D-Director, formerly of SmallTown’s high school theatre program. (She was also an English teacher, but, uh, let’s just say her talents were better served on the stage.)
How the hell would BJonthegrid know about DW? That would mean she’d have to know about SmallTown, and theatre, and one or three other things about me. Which would be strange, since as far as I know, we’ve never met.
Whooooo-oooooo, choo choo pulls into the station: This BJ is not, as I put it in a post at TNC’s place, that BJ.
No, this BJ is an old, old friend, one who I kept fed at Madison’s food service (don’t ask how), but haven’t seen since. I think I recall my sister telling me that he worked at SmallTown High School was her daughter’s volleyball coach; was that how he found me? Or is it that he now works in the same school district as that niece?
Back to whatever: it doesn’t matter.
I’ve stated repeatedly that I have no desire to set up shop on Facebook, grumping that I don’t particularly want to make it any easier than all this dad-gum technology already makes it for people to find me. And I’ll go on harrumphing about privacy and what’s past and whatnot.
Still, allow me my inconsistencies: I remember that BJ was a thoroughly decent guy, and I’m as delighted to have him here as I was to have that other BJ.
AbsurdBeats 
Whoa…now I’m famous. And a Beatles tag line none-the-less. We’re not THAT old!
Million things to say, but, since it’s your blog…lets go with these two.
Thoroughly decent – I’m either going to use that on my resume, or my tombstone.
The Mouse! I had forgotten the connection to that niece. S. was a great kid, and there is no way she’s an adult person already. Maybe I am that old. There was a day, at a VB tournament, where Clarence’s niece and S. were in the same room. I nearly gathered them up and screamed, “Do you know who your aunt and uncle are?!?!? To me?!?!?”
There is a hilarious and touching photo of S and me. I’m teasing her, like always, and she’s taking it well, like always. You can’t help but smile at the pure glee of the entire scene. I can’t post it, but you should have it. So many similarities to her aunt; all good ones too.
pardon the intrusion
http://www.bostonreview.net/BR36.5/noam_chomsky_responsibility_of_intellectuals_redux.php
do you know the Public School?
Well, BJ, I could have written that you were a cutie pie, but you probably didn’t want to read that in a blog post. . .
@dmf: No, I didn’t know about Jodi Dean. Interesting, very interesting. (And I got to the Chomsky post through the Leiter report—which blog I also owe to you.)