Call Me TC

I was nervous, walking into Tamar's the other day, New Year's Day to be precise. I've been there about half a dozen times by now, I've met (and have quickly come to adore) her mother, am among Damian's biggest fans (challenged primarily by Em), and think that Dan is a truly special man. So, why worry?

Well, for one thing, it was the second? third? annual LA-area bloggers' get-together. And while I'm a very gregarious person in general, I'm actually fairly shy when put into a situation where I know very few people. And I knew very few of these people. Not to mention I had my skeptical-about-this-whole-blogging-thing husband with me (as well as my unskeptical children, who were just excited to play with Damian), who came only because he really enjoys spending time with Dan. So I knew I'd be on my own with the whole small-talking endeavor.

My anxiety was misplaced, of course. There was an awkward warm-up period, but then I really enjoyed listening to all the gossip about fellow bloggers (almost none of whom I know anything about, but it's not news to me that I'm not really a 'part' of the whole blogging community), and the discussion of various political and social and personal issues.

The whole thing turned out to be really inspiring, to be honest. I got to talk to a few people for a fair amount of time. [This is where, if I were a better person, I would go and link each and every one of the extremely cool folks I chatted with, or who I only got to listen in on and butt in on occasion on their conversations. But I'm not a better person. I'm a tired person, who will have to do it some other time.] I got to hear some fascinating points of view. I got to watch The Mighty Kymm allow N to 'trick' her with Damian's snake-popping-out-of-the-after-dinner-mint-can trick about six dozen times, and if she wanted to strangle him, it didn't show even once. Plus, as I may have mentioned, I got to eat a bajillion homemade scones with clotted cream. (Have I mentioned, by the way, that I gained more than 7 pounds this holiday season? Oh, really? I didn't need to?)

So why did I call the experience "unique" the other day? You'd sort of have to be in my skin to understand, but suffice it to say that there is only one person in the world who actually calls me Tiny Coconut, or TC, or any derivation thereof, and that's my brother-in-law, who gave me the name in the first place. And so, while I've been writing as TC for a year and a half, and I've received countless emails as TC, it was truly bizarre to be in a room full of people who were actually calling me TC. And none of them had my brother-in-law's voice, and probably none of them really understood where it comes from (for that, you need to go to my second-ever post, back in August of 2003). And it just made me...I don't know. Not uncomfortable. Not upset. Just...Odd. And maybe a little guilty, I guess. Because my brother-in-law, who's one of my best friends, doesn't know about this site; I don't want him to. I know Baroy won't read it, because it makes him uncomfortable, the whole idea. But J, my brother-in-law, would not only read it, but feel compelled to comment to me about things I get 'wrong' or misrepresent or whatever. And I just don't need that.

So, all afternoon, I heard comments about where "TC" had gone, and voices saying things like, "What do you think, Tiny Coconut?" and it was just...unique. In the purest sense of the word. Like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I liked it, I think. I look forward to doing it again. But it was, indeed, a one-of-a-kind experience, especially this first time. Thanks for including me, Tamar.