I never thought I would type these words but here goes:
I Madeline Rhodes agree with fuji.
:faint:
Now for the rest of you I want to share a couple stories.
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Long ago and far away in a land called No-Frills-Land I was strolling through the fields of produce with one of my best friends. Thankfully that best friend happened to double as my driver and she and I were together morning till night most days. (She's the type of friend who would help me hide the body... Even all these years later!)
This "gentleman" (I loosely use this word - think late 30's and should know better) came up to me and started telling me he'd been starting at my photos for weeks and had read my reviews on TERB. He told me how he loved my chutzpah and he definitely wanted to book me at some point.
During all of this I was telling him over and over to send me an email as I was on my personal time and didn't know who else might overhear this conversation... Thank you for the compliments, but really had to go, etc. etc.
He kept going. Getting louder and louder. Following me through the aisles.
Finally I stopped everything. Turned around and said the following:
"I was flattered for all of 3 seconds. Right now you would be outing me if I didn't have the moxy to tell my friends and family how I spend my time. You need to back the fu.ck off and walk away before I have a screaming fit here in this store and call you a stalker."
Finally he took the hint and left. He did of course blast me on the board, but that was manageable. What wasn't so manageable was being outed so loudly that one of my classmates heard the conversation, the name of the board, and my stage name. It took all of 2 days to walk into the computer lab and see 15 people crowded around checking out my photos on my site.
Privacy is priceless.
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This world is too small. Even hours away from your "real" world.
I see a handle on TERB that makes me go... No! It couldn't be! So I send a PM saying "Did you by chance live in?" Of course it was and his reply was "WOW! You haven't changed at all!". It turned out that one of the young strip club junkies on the board was the older brother of one of my grade school "boyfriends". You know... That whole "holding hands", and "riding around on our bike while hanging with friends" types of boyfriends. It ended up being entertainingly funny but the jig would have been up if we were not adults.
This never became a problem because we were both discreet, and adults about it.
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I am sitting in the Zanzibar. With a TERB member. We'd agreed to grab a drink and watch a couple girls as I knew where that place was and the likelihood of our stumbling across a real life friend was a touch lower then either of our local haunts.
In walks "Bad Penis". Now you might be thinking 'why is she calling someone "Bad Penis"?' right about now. This "gentleman" was someone I had seen through an agency approximately 1-2 years prior, and that line happened to come up enough on the duo booking that he became forever more "Bad Penis". Back history aside I shall move on now...
He walks over to me and totally disregards that I am sitting with someone and asks me for my "work number". Yes! He said "work number". I gave it to him, shook it off and went about my night. Until about 4 hours later when his wife found my number. Thankfully he called, gave me his name and work place info so I could punt the ball a bit so to speak. Within 15 minutes she called me and started flipping out. I had all the right things to say, and I got him out of his hot water.
I never spoke to him again but I always wondered what happened to him.
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I'd decided to go to a comedy club with my roommate. We went, she had fun (the "comedians" were a bit sketchy at best), and I went home. I turned my computer on to 3 messages saying things like "Were you on King Street tonight?", and "I saw you standing there in that long black skirt, and sexy blue top". EEEK!
I'd never seen any of them. I never did see any of them. They went on my "slightly creepy and potential stalker" list. Not just because of the initial messages but the ensuing conversations.
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I share these stories for one reason really. That is to make you think twice about anything more then a smile and a nod.
I have had many of those over the years, and occasionally indicated it was ok to be approached. That said... To approach without invitation is not at all advisable. Just because I am not "standing with someone" doesn't mean I am not well known enough that it is noticed. At least in the past. Now I can tie it all to another time and place but back then it was not so easily done.
Smile - fine.
Nod in passing - fine.
How are you today? With a polite "great and you?" - fine. ** EDITED TO ADD: THIS is when walking down the street, etc. in that whole people passing people kind of way. NOT walking over to distinctly say hello.
Sending a message asking if it was them? And saying they look pretty - can be hit or miss.
Addressing someone by "name" - failure.
Approaching someone when not casually walking by - failure.
Sending someone a message telling them you liked what they were wearing? - failure.
Failing to ensure a number is properly concealed - failure.
Any questions?