Blog Betrayal

"If you cariacture your friends in your [blog], they will be upset, but if you don't, they will feel betrayed." ~~ Mordecai Richler (paraphrased)

This topic was born when one of the Featured Players in my life didn't like the blogname I had made up for her. I'm not very good at it, to be honest, and for expediency's sake, I tend to choose the first thing that comes to mind get through the rest of the sentence.

It is ideal when the characters come with their own names, as S@L does, or Diesel. Jay keeps it simple by using his own name, but of course I have the best name for him and his spouse, The Tarleton Twins. They are also The Boys, not to be confused with The Fellas, because one must keep their couples straight.

"Dr. A" and "Dr. M" were Victorian constructions that came easily. I suppose I could have been more creative about that, but I think if you try too hard it shows. If they knew each other, I would call them Harriet and Janie and make you go look that up. You should do some work here, after all. This exercise takes effort.

Neither of them would be flattered by this drawing, but I think neither of them would get a Harriett the Spy reference, so I will let each think Janie is the other. That's also part of the game.

Sometimes I change names post-to-post, not to make it look as if I have more friends, but to keep it interesting for both of us, and occasionally to disguise who I am talking about even from them.

And is that wise? Does the Readership scour this page looking for evidence of themselves -- some kind of validation that our daily show is being watched and actually reviewed? And, like the friends in Richler's quotation, are they pleased to find themselves there, or betrayed?

Don't you hate those kind of blogs that ask a lot of questions and don't answer them? Didn't they frown on this in composition class? Isn't it 6:30 in the morning and don't I do more thinking by 8am than you'll do all day?

As it is, I wait for Rona Jaffe to ask for royalties for stealing Caroline's name. To appease her, I will leave you with this. Now get to work. Miss Farrell is waiting. I think we have all worked for her.