Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

Schmuck

April24

Does anyone else find herself having conversations (in real life) and saying “Someone was just telling me about…” then as you talking about it you realize it wasn’t really a conversation, you read it on a blog? You then are faced with either pretending you can’t remember who told you that story or tidbit of info or owning up to the fact it was a blog friend? If the person is a non-blogger, I feel like such a tool when that happens. With my husband I don’t really think about it. I find myself starting many conversations with him “One of my blog friends…”. I wonder if he thinks it is a little sad that most of my friends live inside my computer?

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And my husband?  He totally rocks.  He has been busting his ass all week so that I don’t have to do any lifting – heavy or otherwise.  I pack boxes and leave them where they lie.   He comes home from work and stacks them and packs them into the cars so we can drive to the new house and then he unloads both cars once we are there.

Tomorrow (Friday) is the big move. I will be off line from tomorrow morning until sometime on Monday when they hook up our DSL at the new house. I will likely be rocking behind a stack of boxes after 4 days without my friends who live inside the computer. But you all are normally pretty quiet on the weekend so let’s keep it that way – m’kay? Guess I won’t have much excuse to not get a lot of unpacking done. Oh except this whole creating life thing – I find that is a handy dandy excuse for just about anything I don’t get done.

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34 Comments to

“Schmuck”

  1. On April 24th, 2008 at 9:12 pm Stacy Says:

    Good luck with the move!

    BTW, I was recently telling Doug that we have to go to another city for a weekend because a friend from Texas is visiting and it’s the first chance I’ll have to meet her friend. It was a few days later that Doug realized this was someone I actually knew and not one of my blog friends. And I’m still not sure he realizes it’s her biological son. Is that weird, he assumes everyone I know is an adoptive mom blogger? Weird, sad, whatever.

  2. On April 25th, 2008 at 3:32 am Kim Says:

    Yeah – I do that all the time. Luckily most of my “in real life” friends know about my blogging obsession.

    I hope the move goes as smoothly as something like that can go.

  3. On April 25th, 2008 at 5:26 am soltana Says:

    Good luck on the move:)

    My hubby thinks I’m “crazy” when I start telling him things that are happening everywhere else. He just looks at me nad telle me I need to get out more:) I asked him why I still talk to all my “friends”

    hehehe…

  4. On April 25th, 2008 at 5:51 am Megan Says:

    Yeah, I find myself starting conversations like that too. I actually had someone ask me “What is a blog?” WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!

    Use your excuse as much as you can girl…You won’t be able to use it forever. Although after the birth…if you intend to breastfeed-that’ll be a good one too as no one else can do that….Good luck with the move.

  5. On April 25th, 2008 at 5:52 am Kristi Says:

    I usually cover and say “one of my friends” than internally feel like a tool for referring to someone as a friend without even meeting them. ESPECIALLY when you’re a lurker on their blog and calling them a friend. Good grief!
    Good luck with the move!!

  6. On April 25th, 2008 at 6:22 am Cass Says:

    This happens to me all the time – I find myself defending my “friendships” with the blog people to the non-blog people. I feel like I know my blog friends better then the non-blog friends.

  7. On April 25th, 2008 at 7:05 am Tina Says:

    Urgh, I hate moving! When we lived in Pittsburgh, we literally moved every year. Now that we are back in OH, we have stayed put for the last 3 years and I still have packed boxes in the attic that have not really been unpacked. lol Oh and I soooo understand about blog land buddies cause I start at least one if not more conversations a day with one of my blogfriends or I read online. And props to your hubby for being so helpful. See you Monday!

  8. On April 25th, 2008 at 7:51 am Amy Says:

    Haha – I do that too except I always say generically “I heard that….” rather than “I read on so-and-so’s blog…”.

  9. On April 25th, 2008 at 7:56 am melany Says:

    Good luck with the move. There is nothing I hate more – and weirdly, nothing I love more either. I’m itching for a move right now.

    ANYWAY – back to you – my blog-friend – 😉 I do that too… but once I meet the person (which I try to do when possible) it is a relief because I can just say “a friend” without being a schmuck.

  10. On April 25th, 2008 at 8:18 am Trace Says:

    Yes, I do that too and then I feel weird. So now I just say, I met this girl who told me…

  11. On April 25th, 2008 at 8:46 am HabeshaChild Says:

    do it all the time.

    AND I start saying “I know somebody who…” and then if asked who that person is I realize I may not even know their real name, because it’s someone I know only through the blogosphere…

    Gawd I’m a geek.

  12. On April 25th, 2008 at 9:00 am Lori Says:

    Yep – I’m in the schmuck club!! It is weird to think that those who have given me some of the greatest support or advice have come from my computer. Oh well….this is life now!

  13. On April 25th, 2008 at 9:02 am Lori Says:

    oops…forgot…Have fun watching your husband move you guys! You can always slave over a stove making him something yummy and say that it is all apart of moving! 🙂 Enjoy your new home!

  14. On April 25th, 2008 at 10:03 am Steph Says:

    Oh my GOSH! My dilemma – telling “real” friends about something on a blog. I can’t say that I don’t actually know these people, so I will say “someone i met in Guatemala during the adoption or someone from my agency.” It’s like it makes it more legit – otherwise it’s weird. But hubby gets it now – I still think he thinks it’s weird, though.

    Good boy, Steve! Michelle, you could not have timed this move better. Next move you either need to arrange to be pregnant again or throw your back out. Either way. 😉

  15. On April 25th, 2008 at 10:06 am Tessie Says:

    That blog friend thing happens to me ALL THE TIME. I usually just say “I read online…” without getting into the whole BLOG thing, unless the person I’m talking to is a blogger too.

  16. On April 25th, 2008 at 10:11 am Muriel Elrod Says:

    Cheers to that! it is such a great excuse.

  17. On April 25th, 2008 at 11:07 am Alleen Says:

    I do the same thing!!!! I feel weird saying that friend did or said something or another and it not being someone I actually know! But, then again, I feel my blogger friends are just as important as those I have IRL. And there are certainly more of them!!!!

    I hope the move goes well and lucky you that you happen to be in a state where you can’t lift those boxes!!!

  18. On April 25th, 2008 at 11:59 am Kerri Says:

    I think 90% of my conversations start with blog friends.
    Happy unpacking!
    Kerri and Ruby

  19. On April 25th, 2008 at 3:45 pm Malia Says:

    I often catch myself trying to tell a non-blogger type about something I’ve read on a blog. I usually either say, “a friend was telling me the other day” (which is true, this is how we communicate these days!) or, “I read somewhere that…” (which is also true, even if they do think I’m talking about a magazine or newspaper or book). I’m rarely questioned on which friend or where I read it, so it works out.

    And yes, having to explain the blog thing can be rather awkward at times. I had a “spa party” at my house a few months ago and everyone who came was either a blogger or knew that I kept a blog except one woman. She was kind of confused and surprised to find out that most of the people sitting in my living room were people I’d met from the Internet!

  20. On April 25th, 2008 at 3:57 pm staciesmadness Says:

    omgosh, I do that all the time….or confuse real life conversations with things I read on a blog. LOL

    good luck with the move, hope it all goes smoothly!

  21. On April 25th, 2008 at 5:35 pm Bobbi Says:

    Ok, so glad it is not just me who has mostly cyber-friends. But, you know I think that I could dump on so many of them and get real support. Is it sad, or really cool that I know so many people from so many places?? I vote for cool OK???

    Good luck with the move. We will miss you, but look forward to hearing from you in the new digs. Hope it goes well. Your husband does rock!!

  22. On April 25th, 2008 at 5:59 pm Priscilla Says:

    We’re moving in today and tomorrow – let’s commiserate on Monday. 🙂

    Good luck!

  23. On April 25th, 2008 at 6:30 pm Dottie Says:

    I thought you were listening into my daily conversations when I read your post today. I often start many conversations with my “in person” friends by saying “one of my blog friends” said this…
    My dh often has to ask me when I am talking about something if it is a blog friend or a work friend I am referring to.
    Dottie
    http://www.journeytng.blogspot.com

  24. On April 25th, 2008 at 7:11 pm Martha Says:

    I can totally relate…and I am sure my irl friends think its odd that I talk about my blog friends…but actually 3 of them have started blogs since I started mine, so maybe not!

  25. On April 26th, 2008 at 7:30 am artsweet Says:

    What’s with the Schmuck? subject headline? Do you know what that actually means?

  26. On April 26th, 2008 at 9:09 am Julie Lussier Says:

    Oh my gosh. You have been listening to me!!!! I always say that and I do not include blog friends when I talk to real people. LOL they would think I were pitiful with only a lot of blog friends. Well at least we are all in the same boat, I just wonder why no one I know has “blog friends”??? Maybe they are ”closet blog readers” like me.

    However, schmuck headline, me confused too?

    Jules

  27. On April 26th, 2008 at 12:56 pm Martha Says:

    I thought schmuck meant a kind of a odd guy out, or a noodle head of some kind…My dad used it alot – he grew up in a Polish neighborhood, I think that is the origin of the term.

    He used to say “What a schmuck that guy is”

  28. On April 26th, 2008 at 12:59 pm Martha Says:

    Oh dear, here is the meaning from Wikipedia:

    When used as a pejorative, schmuck is a noun that literally means a penis or head of a penis, used as an insult to men. An equivalent of schmuck in English is dick, or dickhead i.e., a detestable person or a jerk. The word also means a stupid or idiotic person. In these senses, schmuck entered English as a borrowed word from Yiddish, where it is an obscene term and an insult. In his famous cultural lexicon, The Joys of Yiddish, Leo Rosten lists the Yiddish schmuck as related to the Slovene word, šmok, meaning “a fool, an innocent, a gullible dolt”.

  29. On April 27th, 2008 at 5:28 am MizFit Says:

    thinking about you.

    so glad steve rocks as it’ll make this whole thing LESS PAINFUL 🙂

  30. On April 27th, 2008 at 5:28 am carla Says:

    frick.

    thats me above.

    always forget to change.

  31. On April 27th, 2008 at 6:38 pm Julie P Says:

    Good for you not lifting! Good for Steve to do it all! BTW I loved the CA pictures, I keep thinking we should do it too.
    Seriously though – what about your post makes you a schmuck? Gotte love the web that the actual definition is there. It all sounds totally normal to me, and its comforting to know from you and all the commenters that I’m not the only one with that strange dilema about blogging friends in non-blogging life!
    I hope the move went well. I’m so excited for you and Steve and Sabrina to be in more space, and now you can start getting everything ready for baby sister!

  32. On April 28th, 2008 at 6:03 am Maggie Says:

    I do that all the time. “Someone told me about…” then I realize it was on a blog. I invariably pretend that I can’t remember who I talked to. Most of my family doesn’t know that I blog and I don’t want them to!

  33. On April 28th, 2008 at 11:55 am Burgh Baby Says:

    My husband refers to bloggers as my “imaginary friends.” Whatever! I know y’all are real. Yes, I do.

  34. On April 29th, 2008 at 12:53 am Stephanie Says:

    I’m smiling. I start SOOO many sentences with “one of my blog friends…” and my husband thinks it’s very funny (but he’s getting used to it). 🙂

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