There was a time when I led an exciting life. I leaned over the open rear-ramp of a Chinook helicopter while flying over the pine-topped Cascade mountains; spent weekends aboard a 128' Army Tugboat, sailing through the serene Puget Sound; was swept away on exotic vacations by handsome men; found myself on the VIP lists for the best clubs where I hung out with Calvin Klein underwear models, pro boxers and Austrian playboys; went to school studying with the brightest minds....

But those days are behind me now. I traded it all to be a wife and homeschooling mother of three children. Any regrets? No, absolutely not. What I have gained has far exceeded what I gave up. 

There are times though, when boredom sets in. I long for adventure and fun--to do something epic again...something that makes a great story to tell friends over a beer....

A friend recently said to me, "I'm still searching for my voice on twitter. Should I be funny or sarcastic? Inspirational or conversational? I feel like I need to find a unifying theme."

When I started my twitter accounts, I found myself drawn to the comedians. People like @the_troy_show, @bedheadblonde and @thebenbrooks. I love to laugh and have always been drawn to funny people.  I dreamed of having a following like they do, thought it would be a blast to have that kind of notoriety.

Over time, my twitter voice turned that direction as well. Without deliberate effort, my main account self-defined as a funny, highly-flirtatious, carefree party girl with an overly sarcastic tongue and an intellectual side...

It started simply enough: I told a joke and got laughs. So, I told more jokes like that. Eventually people started shooting me responses and I started engaging with them. Hecklers joined in and that's where my sarcasm got to run wild. It was fun--great fun.... except....


I was bored, looking for excitement and fun. And, I got exactly that. But somewhere along the way, my twitter account has become a persona, a character with a life of it's own. It's no longer "me" in the true form, but a role that I play on-line for laughs.

I now have exactly what I wished for--a following that is tantamount to an audience. I've become a character on a stage, @nottypicalblond is now a stand-up act that I've written, almost a sitcom of sorts that no longer resembles my true life.

While I am genuinely thankful to have this opportunity to be the center of something that is so much fun, and I will certainly say that it has been interesting....there are days that I wish I could go back to just being "me".



1.  For the record, my days of adventure are not "over", I'm simply on hiatus while I raise my children.  I wanted to be sure to clarify that before commenters did.

2.  This article relates specifically to my account @nottypicalblond which I consider to be my main account.  That is the one I use for the majority of my twitter interactions.

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This article was originally featured on RioDancesOnTheSand.com, a blog for the thinking person... Written by Rio Denali, a 30-something with peculiar curiosities, who makes the observations that many of us avoid. Full of useful links and entertaining articles, it is a fun favorite for the intelligent reader. For more great articles like this, please visit RioDancesOnTheSand.com.