Oh, Stop your WHINING!

So the Love Pariah finally made good on her threat to go underground. And it's those of you who have exclusive access to the blog who are up in arms about this recent development. I'm not sure I understand all this whining. Please tell me why a secret window isn't as much fun as an open door.

The reason I chose to limit access to less than a dozen readers was quite simply motivated by fear. Fear of reprisal from those anonymously mentioned, fear of being outed by one of the dozens of indiscreet readers who couldn't keep a secret if their life depended on it. And then there were my fellow journos who questioned my quest for "anonymity." More than once an eye roll was accompanied by a comment such as, "Your blog is the worst kept secret since Clay Aiken's sexual preference." And, finally, fear that my outing would take a significant toll on something as intangible and invaluable as my credibility.

I suspect more than a few friendships have been damaged by this blog. HPG was mad at me for a while. Then I severed ties with a girlfriend I had known since my first reporting gig because she couldn't get it through her thick skull that I was serious about my secret identity, choosing to mock me for it and telling mutual friends and REFERENCES about it. I think the friend poacher read it before it went underground because I haven't heard a peep from her since. So if writing really is equivalent to blood-letting, I've spilled plenty. But again, if there's a compromise I've neglected, feel free to awaken me to new possibilities. If not, pipe down and read!