Ain't No Secrets on the Web

So now I'm FaceBook (tm) friends with someone I'll call Allie, since that's her name, after she found me through a blog post about her late father.  These days, there are no secrets on the internet.

D1 has an awesome newsletter and blog.  Everyone who meets me kvells about it -- they actually learn about nutrition, and are so proud of her professional accomplishments.  Well, not everyone...

Wifey is the manager of her web page, and spends a good deal of time following who subscribes, and who unsubscribes.  In a comic turn, a professional my close friends and I refer to with the C word -- not a word we use casually, unsubscribed.  This woman has a daughter who is, to put it charitably, well, a loser.  She worked briefly with D1, and my theory is that daughter envy caused her to unsubscribe.

The other "high profile" cancellation came from a former relative.  She not only unsubscribed, she reported the newsletter as "spam."  Apparently, according to Wifey, if you get enough "spam" reports, it can affect your web presence.  Thankfully, this former relative was the only "spam" report.

I have a pretty thick skin myself.  I actually reveled in the fact that a friend's wife called me an asshole a few years ago -- as it turned out, for false pretenses.  She apologized, but I told her that I probably deserved to be called an asshole more frequently.

But when it comes to my Ds, my thin isn't very thick at all.  I have taught them they need to be able to accept criticism, and to allow the "haterade" of detractors to be as water off a duck's back.  But when someone takes any sort of shot at my Ds -- well -- not a very good thing to do with someone as exquisitely passively aggressive as I am.  I don't get even;  I get ahead -- sometimes years later, in subtle ways.

No matter.  I delight in my Ds' accomplishments.  I delight in the accomplishments of all my friends' kids.  To me -- that's a hallmark of being a good father -- and someone who isn't a good father will never be in my inner circle.

Yesterday I visited with a friend who was badly hurt in a skiing accident in Aspen.  A young kid was jumping, and crashed into my friend at full speed, in mid air.  My buddy Joel broke three ribs, his scapula, and had a nasty concussion.  Thankfully, he's going to be ok, after a lengthy recovery.

We poured a couple of Ketels, to ease his pain.  We caught up.  His two oldest sons came home (the little guy was off in Naples with Mom on a soccer trip).  The boys are blonde, movie star handsome.  They excel in school.  They're athletes.  They each greeted me with a handshake and a look in my eye.  They then hugged and kissed their Dad.

I left, and told Joel I was sorry about the accident, but he had won the lottery.  He was an awesome Dad to three amazing sons.  They loved him and always would.  A couple of fractures weren't anything to such a lucky man. He agreed.

D2 finished her business trip to Arkansas and flew to Atlanta.  She called last night as I was on my way home from dinner with Dr. Barry and HIS awesome, large sons.  D2 had a three day weekend with her three closest friends.  The last to arrive, Ali, was going to be picked up from her late flight.  Catherine, the host, has a wonderful boyfriend -- an Atlanta dentist.  He wisely decamped to HIS buddy's place in Jville -- to allow his lady her sista bonding.

D2 is learning a lot about corporate America, and is in a true growth area -- online retail.  D1 continues to amaze -- Monday she has a visit to a local TV station for an interview -- with a strong chance they'll put her on a local weekly segment.

I am one proud, rocking Daddy in the USA.  Call my D spam?  Cue Lurch from the Addams Family: huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh.....