Facebook, blogging, Twitter: social commentary, social networking, self-promotion, catharsis or all of the above?

I sometimes wonder: Are blogs by their very nature garish? Are the confessions in "Were I So Besotted" merely gossip? Is it unfair to excerpt conversations I've had on dates, or to report about an experience without the knowledge of the person I describe? Why expose the embarrassments of rejection and disappointment at all? Why point out a sense of failure when it comes to dating and mating? In short, is this work simply a diary of he-said, she-said? Furthermore, how is "Were I So Besotted" different from the stream of confessions and ephemera posted on Facebook and Twitter?

Through my embroidery and through this blog, I am hoping to create a community with others who feel there is a gap between experience and expectation when it comes to love and true emotional intimacy. The stories and aphorisms I present are about me, but at the same time, are simply about being human. The voice I use is not always my own. At times, entries are culled from my own diary. At other times, I try to adopt a male voice and get inside the head of the last guy I've dated. I care what he thinks, too. I truly want to understand what happened in a given exchange, and how the way two people inter-relate can lead to lasting intimacy or a month of awkward dating.

At the end of the day, I want what we all want: to step into a shared space with someone who won't be scared off or turned off by my quirks or intimidated by my talents. I want a partner, and I am willing to expose the good and the ugly, in myself and in a given interaction, along the way. Although at times I may feel ashamed, ultimately, there is no shame in any of it. Let the games begin.


Piece at left: Shayne Punim (such a pretty face). Excerpt from conversation I had on a date several years ago. 2007. Embroidery on fabric. Approximately 4" wide X 3.5" high.