Dear blog,

Did you know I have a pseudonym? An e-mail address specifically for it? It's true. I have projects that I'm not ready to tie concretely to my real name.

In ninth grade I found a book by my then-favorite author that included a beautifully-written group sex scene. Pure poetry. I was enthralled! I tried to show it to a friend I'd known since elementary school, who also liked that author. She was weirded out. The writing didn't matter as much as the content. It was the first of many tiny gaps between us.

This was my first lesson in not telling people everything that's worth talking about in your life.