Because “something” is better than “nothing.”

I’m tired as hell, but I still woke up with a spring in my step and a smile on my face because, it’s Tuesday and you know what that means, right?
Oprah and Gayle’s  Big Adventure! That’s what.
I’m not even joking a little bit when I tell you that Tuesdays have become the greatest day of the week because of their sweet lil’ road trip. Let there be no confusion, I am still not a “fan” of tom cruise, infact, this road trip has made me dislike her even more, but Gayle, on the other hand.
Lord have mercy, I love me some Gayle.
She’s funny, carefree, she doesn’t take herself too seriously and the thing that I love the most about her? She calls tom cruise out on her shit. (Like when they got in the fight about the Paul Simon song and she was all “you’re just mad because I don’t get it the way you get it and you want everyone to think like you.” Or something really similar to that. OH SNAPS, G.)
[small voice]I want to be Gayle’s friend and go to step class with her.[/small voice]
Speaking of “getting called out”…


I was recently called out for not answering my emails. (IN A VERY NICE , NOT AT ALL MEAN WAY.) It’s something that I’ve been feeling guilty about FOR MONTHS and when I read that, I felt a)like an ass b)relieved that someone finally said it “outloud”. Because I needed to hear it.
Here’s the thing. (Translation: Lame excuses.)
I get incredibly personal, touching emails. Emails in which people tell me how they can relate to my struggles with depression, with my weight, with my body image issues. I am amazed at how open and honest people are in their emails to me. I also get a lot of straight forward “cut the crap and deal with life” emails. Some of them aren’t nice, but I still take in what the person said by weeding out the “asshole-ness” and focusing on the message. I’ve learned a great deal about myself through each one of these emails, one of those things being answering emails is overwhelming to me.
Doesn’t that make you want to punch me where babies come out? I mean, come on! It’s just email! But, sometimes, I don’t know what to say, so I save the emails with every intention of answering them later, when I can find the right words. But then, the emails pile up and before you know it OH MY GOD! 2,000 emails and AHHHHH! EVERYONE MUST HATE ME.
(Remember, I am Perpetual Overreactor.)
After being “called out”, I decided I’d try to get a handle on the emails by deleting old, already answered ones and trying to catch up on the ones that I need to respond to.

(And that’s just one of my accounts, the one where most of my personal email goes has over 800 sitting in the inbox. It’s not so much that I get a ton of email as it is that there are emails sitting there from 2005.)
*Cries*
I’ve created a new email account and I’m going to start over. A fresh start, if you will.
(Yes, I just said I’m giving my email a fresh start.)
(I know. I am a jackass.)
I am so sorry if you took the time to write to me and I never did respond. I truly am. (Part of me cringes as I type that, because, AS IF YOU CARED THAT MUCH that I didn’t write back. Get over myself! I know! But, at the same time, I know how it feels when you take the time to write to someone who you can relate to and they ignore you. It sucks and you kinda hate them because DO THEY THINK THEY ARE TOO GOOD TO ANSWER YOUR EMAIL?)
I can not believe that I just wrote an entire post about email. But, hey, at least I wrote about something.

47 thoughts on “Because “something” is better than “nothing.”

  1. Brandi

    After my surgery I didn’t check e-mail for about 2 months and I only had 200 e-mails. People clearly like you more than they like me.

  2. Y

    Not really. There are a years worth of emails sitting there and keep in mind, all of my comments are emailed to me, so….

  3. Cheryl in Missouri

    This post really opened my eyes. I sent you an email a while back (I’m too lazy to go see when…many months ago…no, I’m not trying to make you feel guilty!). You did send me a short reply thanking me for my email and said that when you had some alone time you’d respond with a longer email. I sent you a few more emails but never heard from you. I didn’t think that you were too good to send me an email but instead thought that you think I’m really weird and so you’re not going to email me back. I never thought that you’re like me at times about emails. I belong to a group of women (there’s 7 of us) that all have thyroid problems and we’ve been emailing as a group for I think around 6 years now. There’s been so many times when I’ve read all the emails but found it too overwhelming to reply to any of them. So I just read them and don’t reply for a long time…usually not until someone asks about me. Other times I look in my mailbox and there’s so many of them (mine get into the thousands too) and it’s so overwhelming that I don’t read any of them except for the ones dated the day that I’m looking in my box. And when I do reply to them, I delete all the ones except for the month that I’m finally reading them. So why I never thought that maybe you didn’t answer mine wasn’t because you think I’m weird (which you may now if you weren’t thinking it already!) but because maybe you’re like me and get overwhelmed by the email thing, I don’t know. Or maybe you think both…I’m weird and you’re overwhelmed. Damn, now I gotta go deal with all of those thousands of emails in my gmail. But I need to watch the last disc of Season 2 of Lost before tomorrow night. I think I better go do that first.

  4. LaDonna

    I watched Oprah by accident last week when they did their road trip (I was too lazy to change the channel…the remote was waaaay over on the other couch) and I loved how her friend Gail totally stands up to Oprah. Good stuff.

  5. Nat

    Girl, now the whole internet is going to hate ME for being the one who called you out! Remember, Internet, before you flame me for anything, that I LOVE Y! (Phew, glad I got that out).
    Anyway, that inbox is way too full (said the actress to the bishop) and I don’t blame you for starting all over again. There’s no way you can catch up with that shit.
    I should have just kept my big mouth shut and kept reading you anyway without saying anything, and understood that it is sometimes too overwhelming to respond to everything. I do understand that, I do.
    So, to summarize my bullshit long comment, I will just say that I forgive you, if you forgive me for being a passive aggressive TWERP!
    Wanna hang out at recess?? Because I feel about twelve years old right now. Ha ha! If you see me at next year’s Blogher, you can smack me.

  6. becca

    Okay, this may sound terrible, but reading about your thousands of unanswered emails made me feel better about my hundreds of neglected emails (even though I still feel pretty bad about it). Also: Gail! Heart.
    😀

  7. Y

    Nat! It’s alllllll good, I love your passive aggressive ass! 😉
    Ok, I forgot to include this in the post.
    How would you feel if Hoprah and Gail crashed your wedding? I think that I would be pissed, because, just because you’re OPRAH doesn’t mean you can come barging in on my big day and cause all that commotion, beeyatch.

  8. Sarcastic Journalist

    OMG you’re so that person that does a screenshot of her emails and shows us all how popular you are!
    I’m Gayle! You’re Oprah and I’M CALLING YOU OUT.
    And also, why does Oprah keep reminding us how she’s not like, a normal person and doesn’t know how to pump gas or shop at a grocery store???
    She’s all “Well, doesn’t everyone hire people to shave their legs? I haven’t shaved my own legs since 1976. Now I only hire skinny white women to do this!”

  9. Y

    WHAT PART OF I’M NOT POPULAR, I JUST DON’T DELETE EMAILS FOR YEARS DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND, BIZNITCH?
    haha. I swear to Hoprah, I KNEW you were going to say something about it. Well, you and “the anonymous people who love me so much.”
    YOU WON!

  10. julianna

    Oh remember when Amalah said this? And apologized? And everyone was like “Oh, it’s ok?” And everyone still loved her? Everyone will still love you 🙂 If you’d like to tradse blogs for a bit, it’s OK. I get like 2 emails a month. If that. And? One of them is this guy who keeps pining for me. Ha! So it doesn’t even count!!!! Also, I will pay you $300 to do my data for me. PLEASE.

  11. ben

    You and your funky comments boxes 🙂
    um, I don’t remember my comment, just that it was teh funny.
    Oh, I remember this bit:
    If Oprah and her posse crash your wedding (I said POSSE, dammit, get your mind out of the gutter), you better DAMN sure beat her to the cake if you wanna get some.
    Oh, yeah, and Oprah isn’t gay, just because she said so. She also said she’d kick my ass if I thought otherwise. And then she’d let Tom Cruise jump on my couch (speaking of I’m Not Gay, Really)

  12. richelle

    Dude, I know. I had over 2000 (over 2000!!!!) new, not even opened messages on Flickr at one point. Granted most of them were “So-and-so has invited you to join some group that has nothing to do with you or anything you take pictures of”, but anyway. They just kept piling up because… um… I never know what to say back to people. I read their messages, and I feel all “awwwwww, that’s so nice!”, and then I feel all “Hmm. I’ll write back later when I’m more composed and stuff because I don’t know what to say right now.” and then I don’t. I had to do exactly what you’re doing right now and make a fresh start at it.

  13. Cheryl in Missouri

    LOL Laura! No, she didn’t email me back….NEVAH, EVAH! *goes back to watching season 2 Lost*

  14. Nina

    I delete everything. If I do happen to get email from an actual person, I read it, maybe reply, and delete it. Before I was married and had kids, I kept every email I got. I had floppy disks (damn, that was a long time ago) full of stupid emails that people had sent me. I got over that and started deleting. It feels good.
    I don’t like email. I like MySpace messages. Even though I delete them too, it’s more exciting when it says “New Messages!” than when my inbox says (2) or whatever.

  15. Jonathon

    I was totally the same way when my inbox got over 2000. But it just keeps growing, and growing.
    I never knew I sent so many freakin’ emails.

  16. Heather B.

    Yeah, I never respond to emails. Not that I actually prompt people to write me, but on the rare occasion that I do, it takes me a solid two weeks, to get out of my indolence and muster up the strength to type. And even then it’s lame and boring and full of exclamation points.
    So! My name is Heather B and I am also an ass.

  17. Mari

    Girl, wipe the slate clean and don’t feel the need to say you have excuses. You have three children and a husband. You have a LIFE. That’s no excuse… it’s just – life.
    Also, did you see Dane Cook’s new blog entry on myspace? BWAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA! He talks about masturbating to Shakira, and calls hers – get this- Shaki. HEE HEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

  18. Kyla

    You know you just have that many emails because of your boobs. *lol* Hahaha! So if we were to email you now, it would go to the new email place?

  19. Kristie

    I e-mailed you a few months back … and you answered me. Kindly, and with more than one sentence.
    I heart you. 🙂
    And feel pretty damn special.

  20. Laura

    OMG Y, Kristie too?????
    What do Cheryl and Kristie have that I don’t?
    Is it possible that my email from you got misdirected and maybe Cheryl or Kristie got it? Yeah that would make perfect sense.

  21. LC

    You actually emailed me off of the first comment I left. I have to agree with Kristie, I felt pretty darn special. I think everyone understands that you have kids, husband and a very popular blog and that even if you don’t email them back that they do know you read it and for me, that’s enough.

  22. Flipp-ay

    Fuck, you wrote to Kristie, but you didn’t write back to me? WTF. Now I’m like totally fucking depressed. Okay, I lied. I’m cool. I got a freelance job today and it’s blog related and I’m HAPPPPPPPY! And tomorrow, maybe a mortgage agent job too.
    I need to correct you about Tuesdays though, my friend. Tuesdays are so totally about Gilmore Girls and most importantly VERONICA MARS. Feh, Oprah and Gayle.

  23. Nadine - Healthifica.com

    Glad I didn’t send you any e-mail. Otherwise, the total emails in your old email inbox would be 2119.
    I, my self, too, get many emails asking things about health. Well, I’ve been trying to answer some of them. It’s not easy, I know, the limit of time is killing me. But I answered anyway ’cause I knew I would have ended up feeling terribly sorry just like you.
    Well, starting something new is great. Hope things will get better with your new email.
    Good luck!

  24. Flipp-ay

    I realized that because you have so many readers, I need to say that the blog job isn’t writing related, so no one follows my link and says, “Hey, I write as well as, or better than she does and how come no one is paying me?” It’s something more on the tech side.
    And still…Veronica Mars!!!!

  25. Nila

    I’m the worst at responding to e-mail. And I get like 5, from my dad.
    To be honest, when I e-mail a more popular blogger, I don’t expect a response. I look at it like fan mail.
    Don’t get all caught up in the e-mailing so that it takes away from you posting. Must. Read. Y.

  26. MamaLee

    Hey, life happens. If you were single with no kids, and had no job outside the house, perhaps you’d have more time to answer emails. (Change your life now, COME on!) You’d be less busy and could think of everyone else but yourself. Of course, THEN you couldnt afford to even OWN a computer, or rent an apartment, or have anything much to write ABOUT, so nix that thought…
    Girlfriend, you have a family. CHILDREN. I’m amazed that you can blog everyday, nevermind LOOK at your inbox!
    I just started my own blog, so having that many emails in the inbox seems crazy to me – talk to me in a few YEARS and perhaps I could relate to it better!! Focus on you and those beautiful anklebiters, hun. And people who dont understand that you are a busy Mommy isnt worth much more of your time anyway…

  27. Velma

    As a special gift, I will NOT be e-mailing you a fan letter saying that you crack me up. Except, wait…you get all your comments e-mailed, right? Sugar shorts! There goes my random act of kindness for the day!

  28. Shelley

    How funny..I was just called out yesterday for not returning phone calls. And reading your post made me post about…I know…I am a post thief, but at least I am an honest post thief!

  29. Claire

    I am feeling special today… i got a very nice quick email… And you are super cool in my book…. it might just be because I like that phrase and lots of things are super cool…. but it might be because you make me laugh and cry and are so real and honest.. oh and SUPER COOL!
    and on the massive email amounts… if I had anywhere over the 300 I have currently in there my husband would freak! his are all organized and his inbox never has more than 10… sucker!

  30. Brandi

    Looks like I’m one of the cool kids. I sent you an e-mail once after reading one of your posts about your beautiful family and you sent me a very nice reply.
    I am so specia.l

  31. Cheryl in Missouri

    Oops….Laura…you’re right (I think I took too much Ambien last night..I’m still groggy and my brain is foggy)…I did get an email from her saying that she would email me when she had some alone time so I didn’t really count that as an email. It was more like an email telling me she was going to email me. But now I’m gonna count it so I can be special too! BOOYA!

  32. Vicky

    Actually, I love you just a little bit more for writing this…because I’m one of those who wrote you a heartfelt email the day I landed here (because, girl I CAN RELATE!). And because I am also a Perpetual Overeactor (read: me loser) I figured you thought I was just a flake and why would this loser lady from up north think she had anything in common with you. Well, I am truly a flake (truly) and I had no idea just how many emails you were/are getting. And now I feel better. Stupid for saying anything, but better.
    Thanks for this 🙂

  33. Ro

    Dude! I thought I was bad with the 1,100 I have in MY email account and the 60 or so I have (including yours lol) in My Space. Holy cow crap girl you need to hire a friggen assistant just to handle your email. lol.

  34. Kim

    Delurking to say that I love your blog, and don’t feel bad about not being able to respond to everyone. Other celebrities probably don’t! I am jealous of your following, but you deserve it, you are so funny! I’m lucky if I get one comment lately, much less email!

  35. Katie

    I cleared out my inbox today (20 emails, I’m so not worthy) and felt all proud of myself. And then the most horrible thing happened. Everyone freaking emailed me back! WTF? So now I wasted a whole day and have a full inbox again. Sheesh…
    (I’m joking, it really doesn’t bother me too much. Especially since I could have responded to 2000 emails. Good God woman!)

  36. girl

    dude, we are so breaking up. that episode is the one episode out of the week that I actually delete from the tivo without watching. yeah, that’s right. I hate Gayle with the passion of 12,000 suns. she makes me want to claw my eardrums and eyeballs out.

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