There are some questions that I find really tricky…
What’s your blog about?
“Oh cool – you’re a blogger. What’s your blog about”? he asked politely. And my mind was blank. After taking a strategic sip of my drink, and pretending to adjust my socks, I replied “Um, just stuff I think about. Pictures of things I like.”
Loser. (Me – not him. He was perfectly nice.)
This blog really is mostly for me, rather than any specific audience. A very lazy digital diary. Maybe when the kids are older, I can pass this diary on to them and they can probably laugh and maybe wonder at the online me.
If my thoughts are little winged creatures flitting around my brain, then this blog is digital fly paper. Sometimes thoughts just fling themselves in to my sticky blog and get stuck. Sorry.
Where are you from?
I was trying my very best to be the charming corporate wife. Husband was still in Sydney, and I was in London meeting his new Big Boss. All was fine, until he casually leaned out of his bright purple v-neck cashmere jumper to ask “And where are you from?” I must have looked confused, because he followed up with “What’s your background?”
I paused and quickly scrolled through the various options in my head – place of birth, where I grew up, race, current address, culture? More mental scrolling… Big Boss and his jumper looked slightly worried that I looked worried.
“Are you working?” he asked, simply and slowly. Phew… He was just asking that other old favourite: “What do you do?” I launched in to my standard pitch – currently running a household (unpaid), and in between jobs as digital content manager/ writer (hopefully paid).
I felt as if I had just dodged a tricky interview question.
Who are you?
Along with “Release the hounds!” I have always wanted to be able to exclaim haughtily ”Do you KNOW who I am?” No need to explain or describe myself.
Actually, I do need immediately to explain myself – unless I become an arch villain with a pack of zombie-dogs, I won’t be using those two phrases in the same encounter.
A life less digital 
Snork. That is my word of the week…
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Oh this post struck such a chord for me. The ‘what to you do’ one is especially tricky. Through my husbands work I’m often put back in touch with people who knew me from my previous corporate life, and they are always asking how I ‘fill my time these days’. All I can usually manage is ‘ummm…stuff…’ so I’ve taken to using the answer my husband came up with for me, which is ‘I lay on the couch all day and snork down donuts’. Far from the truth but makes me laugh every time.
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Yes, the corporate man always panics when faced with a SAHM. Out of their comfort zone. And describing your blog is an answer littered with trap doors. Great post!
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Yes, I need to work on my “elevator pitch” for this blog. Right now it’s just a self-centred digital scrapbook…
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I always get caught with this question “where are you from” too. My immediate answer however, is always: I am from Malaysia. I gathered my accent has gave away that I am no from here originally.
Oh no, I meant which suburb.
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I think you always need to ask them “And where are you from?” And if you want to be a bit rude “And how old are you?” Asian people can get away with asking those kids of questions!
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