Monday, September 15, 2008

Dirty Little Secret

I have a secret. It’s a part of myself that I keep to myself. Until now.

I am capable of blending in. I don’t think that anyone can figure out my secret just by looking at me. Maybe there is a radar of sorts that some might be able to hone in on it. And I do have this tendency to wear comfortable shoes. And I would wear a pant suit over a dress any day. But I really don’t think anyone knows.

I have never tried to convert anyone to my life style. Socializing with me will not turn you into one. Although if you get to know me, and how I really feel. You might want to try it.

A lot of the people who are like me live in the city. But I am hiding here in suburbia. Living life on the down low.

My friends think that I am like them. They send me emails and pictures. They direct me to blogs that they think I might like to read. They don’t know that I just hit delete. Because they think that I am like them. And I can’t bring myself to correct them.

They ask me if I saw the Republican convention. But I was watching “Ellen.” They ask me if I have heard the latest Toby Keith song. I plead ignorance. When really the Indigo Girls and REM are tops on my ipod.

But truthfully, I am not like my friends. It is so hard to keep this secret to myself. Only a very few people know. My husband knows. And I have his full support.

So, I decided that it was high time that I told you all the truth. I can’t live like this anymore. I must come out of the closet. Let my freak flag fly. Let loose the “L” word. And tell you that I am le…la…li...liberal.

post signature

Theme song: All American Rejects - Dirty Little Secret

64 comments:

KimmyDarling said...

Yaaaaay! I've been "out" for as long as I can remember. Glad to have you on our team. ;) kimmy

p.s. I truly laughed out loud at the Toby Keith line-- I wouldn't know him if he came to my door!

Jennifer P. said...

AAAAAAAAUGH! You do mean liberally conservative, right :)?!

Ah well. I guess if James Carville and Mary M-something can be married and agree to disagree every day, so can we :)!

I'll love ya through it.... :)

Trish said...

Wait..........

I have a secret tooo!!

I am.......a far right, uber conservative, in love with Sarah Palin card carrying Republican.

Don't worry we can still be friends.

I didn't watch the convention either.

Swirl Girl said...

cool.
screaming or just plain ?

Finding Normal said...

I knew I liked you! If this is wrong, I don't wanna be right. HA!

Unknown said...

Well you've known I was not the usually HS fair either. Good to know you are a thinking woman too!

Debbie said...

That comes as no surprise to me... I don't know why...I just sensed you were "on the other side" as it were. And as a Middle of the Road Conservative Christian, we can still be friends ;)

Unknown said...

I'm a liberal butter user. I need to stop.

Lula! said...

Lizzy took all the clever I had in me with her butter use. OH MY HEAD, I am cracking me up.

Am I supposed to pretend that I didn't know this? OK...here goes:

Wow, Kat! I had no idea! I'm glad that I can be part of the vast, right-wing conspiracy and you can be a liberal nutjob and we can still be FRIENDS! 'Cause that's the way America should roll.

Whatever. I totally knew. And you know me. And your phone still tells us that we've talked too much.

And I heart Georgia bands...especially REM and the Indigos...love 'em.

p.s. And shame on you--here I was convinced this post was going to be about your other secret. You said only Rhea and I knew about it, so you know what I was thinking. And I was getting alllllllllll excited! Is this not the longest, most rambling comment ever? Yes. It is.

KimmyJ said...

I am a liberal as well. I like to say that I fall on the side of being able to make my own decisions rather than being told what to do - (Jumping of little soap box)

Elena said...

LOL!!! "Freak Flag," You are so funny! I like to think I am a middle of the road girl. Not leaning too much to either side. It helps to have a conservative mother and liberal mother-in-law. Maybe that just makes me a fence sitter? Ah-well, no matter. I'll take you how you are. (and I love REM too!)

Cant Hardly Wait said...

It's ok. Me too. We have group meetings if your interested. Coming out as a liberal is scary, but a big step into living openly and freely. However, we're only allowed to get married in New York. But that will change soon.

Keys to the Magic Travel said...

KimmyD--coming out was a difficult step :-) but I tried to make the revelation fun. And I know I wouldn't recognize Toby if he came to my door either.

JenniferP--ummm...sure...that's what I meant :-) And isn't James Carville a hoot? Mary Matalin? Maybe?

Trish--I don't think it was a secret on your end. Oh - and I have a PTA website thing I must share with you - it's hilarious. email me.

Gina--You are too funny. I read your post and I so wanted to say "you must be sure to read my Monday post" but I just had no response :-) And yes, you MUST come to visit when you are intown. And feel free to use your curse - I'll smile and roll my eyes.

Swirl Girl--well, in keeping with my theme of the day, how about "flaming?" But only in my head and to myself and in the way I vote. I am so not confrontational. Which is a good thing since I live in the republican hood.

FN--I'snt it exciting to find a kindred spirit? I love finding other in the closet liberals :-)

RidgeSchool--Yes - I knew you were "out" so to speak. I just try to tread carefully.

Debbie--Oh, good. I don't want ya'll running for the hills. I hope this was one of those ALWAYS makes you laughs moments rather than an exasperated sigh moment.

Lizzy--You are too funny. I wish my brain could come up with liners the way that yours does. And I need to get more conservative with the butter myself. And the cookies. And peanut m&ms.

KimmyJ--not to be confused with KimmyD. I have missed you!! I am glad you have come out of hiding. How is the new house?? And another liberal - woohoo!

Lula--Okay - yep, you knew. I am going to pretend you said nothing else.

Elena--I am a big fan of fence sitting. A lot of my strong opinions are general ones - but I have different opinions about how I would personally do things.

Can't Hardly--Welcome. I suppose you found a great day to drop by. And I can't imagine that any of those meetings are within a tank of gas to where I live. Right smack in the middle of the conservative, white bread, hood.

Rhea said...

Hahaha CUTE post, Kat. You're good at blending. This was just hilarious!!!! And, you're coming out! Can't wait to see how that goes.

Rhea said...

I loved, loved, loved Hot Tub Lizzy's comment. She's hilarious!

Skeller said...

hehe. You have incredibly clever commenters!

But, of course, because of Lula!, we now want to know what your OTHER secret is.... ;-)

Skeller said...

hehe. You have incredibly clever commenters!

But, of course, because of Lula!, we now want to know what your OTHER secret is.... ;-)

Jill said...

I have to admit I've been so surprised with how political many people's blogs have been...

My dad is a liberal - and I find that as I get older I tend to share more of his views...

Rock on for not conforming!

Mama Dawg said...

You know what? Just be who you are. That's all anyone can ask of you.

I'm not either...so I don't care that you're a liberal.

Stand strong no matter what.

I loved Hot Tub's comment. She rocks!

Cristin said...

Dirty little secret...hehehehehe.

I'd have the opposite problem... If I came out as a Republican (which will never happen) my family would disown me!!

Welcome! And happy to have you!!!

Insane Mama said...

I'm with Lula, I was getting all excited. Great post. I am really good at ffitting in also. It's fascnating to hear what people think I believe in based on my blog. I think we need to go with don't judge this blog by it's front page.

Piggy said...

Knock knock! Hey, Kat, I just linked to your blog from Debbie's blog and thought I'd drop by and say hi. I think it's cool that you're a homeschooling mom as well as a PTA member. Someone had suggested that I quit my corporate job do homeschooling for others because I found teaching in college to be very rewarding, but I'm not very familiar with homeschooling. I guess you learn from what Madalyn experiences in school to teach Katie? I think that's great because you get to take full responsibility for raising your child. I feel that some parents leave that responsibility to the teachers, but learning starts at home.

TentCamper said...

I don't think anyone would ever guess what I am. SHIT...I don't even think that I know.

Elena said...

I just have to come back and keep reading these comments. They are TOO funny!

scargosun said...

Scargosun was a middle of the road gal until recently. Now I am off the fence and hangin' with the liberals. So glad you are over here with us.

scargosun said...

Scargosun was a middle of the road gal until recently. Now I am off the fence and hangin' with the liberals. So glad you are over here with us.

scargosun said...

Scargosun was a middle of the road gal until recently. Now I am off the fence and hangin' with the liberals. So glad you are over here with us.

Debbie said...

Hi Kat...it's me again. I forgot to mention that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Indigo Girls. I went to one of their concerts and had no idea...if you know what I mean. Here's me: "Why are there so many women here?" I think they are brilliant songwriters...and their music is classic. Let me just hum GALILEO while I type. And I would never ever ever sigh over your political leanings! Most of my friends from college are Dems...I was the lone Repub for the longest time. I think two of them have hopped to the other side. But I love you always Kat.

Nissa said...

I already knew it. ;) I'm glad you've decided to come out of the closet (so to speak). Why have we let people designate liberal as a demeaning word, anyway?

Nissa said...

Oh, and my mom said something about 'those liberal values' ruining America. I told her I guess that's why I've got little hellions on my hands, and she quickly told me, "You're not one of THOSE liberals, you're a conservative but you just don't know it, yet!" I was drinking(coke of course) and it almost came out of my nose. My parents all watch Fox News day & night. That says it all.

Jennifer P. said...

I have had a good night to sleep on this and have come to the conclusion that it must be all those corrupting romance novels :)

And yes--it is Mataline and Matlin on Madalin--something like that.

Jennifer P. said...

and now I'm just padding the comments because I see I'm at the bottome of the list for top commenters and I don't like to lose anything :)

Piggy said...

I just realized while looking through your blog a little more that you have links to the history of homeschooling as well as resources, so I'll check them out to find out more. As for why you hang out with people that are not like you, I responded on Debbie's blog that exposing yourself to diverse perspectives helps you to grow intellectually, which is great. :)

Brandy said...

You had me going for a few seconds. Congrats for coming out!

Kimba said...

I knew der vas sumting veeeeeeery odd about you.

I have no idea what that accent is supposed to be but it's making me laugh. Maybe Pennsylvania Dutch?

Anyway...your post is my point exactly. I'm pretty sure Jesus isn't going to be checking voter registration cards on the way into heaven.

Kimba

Unknown said...

sometimes I want to move to the middle of nowhere, buy a big chunk of land and just live ...make babies, have lots of animals, garden, breathe.

definitely into homeschooling as well...a big option for our future unborn children.

Thanks for sharing your secret.

Britt said...

I loved this post ... I don't pick my friends based on their political titles :o) I have been reading your blog for about a month now, and I just think your the bees knees. We just won't talk politics ;o)

Yeah, my girls love my enthusiasm .. I wish I could lie and let it be that I ride my pony for them. But honestly, I do it when they are taking naps .. because I'm bored. Yep, even I'm laughing at me. :o) Thanks for coming by! I always like it when my favorite blogs come to my 'house'!

Heather said...

*GASP* Okay...I'm just going to take a minute...

I'm fine. No, really, I am. And I still love you.

The Joye of Teaching said...

I had no idea where this was going. You cracked me up! No worries, contrary to popular belief- liberal doesn't = bad (liberal chicks hand shake here)

The Joye of Teaching said...

I had no idea where this was going. You cracked me up! No worries, contrary to popular belief- liberal doesn't = bad (liberal chicks hand shake here)

Alison Purple said...

Hilarious! Congrats for coming out! : )

Cindy said...

Doesn't sound like it is going to happen, but if your friends dessert you we can be friends. Fellow Georgia girl, one in public & one at home, and apparently several other things. I first visited your blog a while back but someone else got to the laptop before I got to put you in my favorites. Nice to "see" you again.

Brian and Staci said...

GASP!!!!! What???? I may have to delete you from my bloglist!!! OF COURSE....I kid :) I say, can't we all just get along? I may live in a dream world...If we all thought the same...where would we be? Of course, if everyone thought like me...everyone would still have blogger templates :) I love ya Kat....conservative or le...la....liberal :) I'm still invited to your blogger conference, right???

Angie's Spot said...

Well, this post certainly generated a lot of comments. I'm not at all surprised by your announcement, but I'm just relieved to see it in blue & green. Your secret is safe with me, my sister. :-)

Tiffany said...

Hey Kat! I was born and raised liberal and must say that I completely understand your hesitancy in "coming out of the polling booth", so to speak! I was a political science major in college so I lived and breathed it for quite some time. Georgia is far more conservative than I ever realized. I must admit that I am not as liberal as I was when I was younger but am the heart of the values, I am still a true liberal. My freak flag is flying right along side yours!

Kimberly said...

You know...I could relate to every single word! :) I loved the part about the emails...if I only had a quarter for every one I deleted...
Good for you! It takes guts to be one of us! :) I've got my freak flag out too.

Gina said...

Hey, nothing like a dirty little secret to bring all your lurkers out of the woodwork!

Gina said...

Hey, nothing like a dirty little secret to bring all your lurkers out of the woodwork!

Gina said...

Hey, nothing like a dirty little secret to bring all your lurkers out of the woodwork!

Gina said...

Oops! I got a little bit jittery ther. No more coke at 8 pm!

Shannon said...

Well, don't you feel better now? Has a burden been lifted? :)

Kelly said...

Okay Kat...just another reason we were separated at birth...
I am a liberal, card carrying democrat and I am married to whom I fondly refer to as the "Angry Democrat"
In fact, the blog he wrote for 18 mos was very political minded...similar to the Cobert Report (but before that came on...)

Anonymous said...

This was too funny. I figured this out when we were in the mountains scrapbooking waiting on the results of the 2000 election. I just didn't realize that it was a secret. I guess it would be a secret if I was a conservative, I would have to come out to my friends, family, social network people, etc.
Well, you are now FREE!
Rhonda

cherry said...

Hi there! I had to come out to say you made me laugh. Love that you were brave enough to do it too. I have seen how political some of my fave blogs have become and it makes me a little tense.. I sooo do not like Palin...argh. cherry

Gramma 2 Many said...

Kat, the sad thing about politics is that it does divide people. I once lost a good friend because of something political my sister said at my house. She did not talk to me for three years. We talk once in a while now.
It is obvious in reading my blog where I stand. I make no apologies for it. In this free society, isn't it great that we can discuss this without fear of being punished by some out of control dictator. There are not many countries that you can find this freedom. You vote girl, however you feel led. The people who do not have the right to complain once all is said and done are the people who do not vote at all. It will be interesting to see what the outcome of this election will be. It is the most interesting one I have witnessed in my lifetime.

Runner Girl said...

Go Kat!

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

Ok,. this is way too funny to read on my very first visit to your site. Back and forth fun banter like this should be how it is...all the time. Some of my sweet liberal friends and I just have to agree to disagree but realize that we can love each other in spite of our politics. Being a conservative home schooler and a speaker at home school conferences (although I am not your typical speaker...I shake things up a bit :), I can completely laugh even harder at this post because I SO know what you mean....makes me laugh and like you already (we'll just stay away from politics, ummm...social issues...ummm....hee hee)

Anonymous said...

Ok, I came over from Debbi's site because I had to see which way your freak flag flew......YAAAAY.....glad you came out of the closet. Be proud...say it out loud!!!

I loved the one comment above...if being a liberal is wrong, I don't want to be right! HAHAHAHA

Kim said...

Just had this conversation with a friend today. Seems the election years bring it out in all of us. Define Liberal so I can decide what I am? I have no idea what I am but I am not normal, average, or fitting in either. Must be in the water in ATL. Yeah. I like hanging out with other non-normal people. And who better to inspire me then a funny, well read Liberal like yourself?

amy said...

Hmmm...for whom was this supposed to be a surprise?

Unknown said...

Yeah, I hear ya ...I think I'm probably one of them too ....

With a bit of conservative and a few other things thrown in, just to stir the pot up a bit...

Unknown said...

I'm definitely an Independant ...

But I can't vote, so that doesn't matter...

The voting people usually avoid my door these days, because I keep asking them what happened to 'No Taxation Without Representation'??

Sugar said...

I don't give much a care about this... I just came to see if you realy liked a song I like... besides viva la vida...

Sugar said...

MOM YOU LIAR! you don't have an ipod! sorry, i just thought i'd tell the world ;-)