Mostly, I read blogs in RSS feed (bloglines, if you have to know). I've been reading this person's blog for, I don't know, three years? We've never met in person, although I know a great deal about this person's career, marriage, house, children, interests.... we share a number of interests. I've commented on this person's blog, and (rarely) this person commented on mine. (And yes, I am being deliberately pronoun-obtuse).
Sidenote: I know there are gender-neutral conventions, but I haven't mastered them. So sue me.
This person is married, for all I know refers to xe children by xe children's real names, and so on.
Tonight's post was way too much into the too-much-information field, having to do with how often zie had sex with zie's spouse, how zie's spouse proposed intimate relations, and doubts about the future of the marriage.
Weird. Every once in a while I'll read a post on a site that really surprises me. It's so out of character for the site that I can't help but think, "...what?!"
As for gender-neutral conventions, I don't use them. There's no need. We've got bigger fish to fry in this world than demanding equality through pronouns.
Posted by: Matthew K. Tabor | Monday, September 24, 2007 at 10:51 AM
Yes, this happens. I bet I can tell you some stories that will make your hair curl and uncurl and curl again in this line.
We do the best we can up to our own personal limits. Venting is not a bad thing.
And for the record, I have no idea who you are talking about. You did good.
Posted by: Joel | Monday, September 24, 2007 at 05:40 PM