The time has come at last,
To throw away this mask,
So every one can see
My true identity."—Styx Mr. Roboto
I had wanted an alternate identity for some time. The idea first coalesced for me during paraclete’s pornquest. I thought it would be fun to write an entry, but I also had some serious reservations ... I mean, I don’t want any of my clients to see any dirty stuff (at least, none I wrote)!
"I do this act for my parents. Of course, I take out the dirty stuff."—Steve Martin
See ... the thing is ... in my job, I frequently get women (and men too!) to take off all their clothes, and get on a table that looks suspiciously like a bed. I put my hands on them and they moan and groan in pleasure—and it is legal!
But, I have to be pretty clean and non-threatening. Massage therapists who seem even a little bit lubricious or salacious (or lascivious, or any of the English language's other many wonderful and obscure words for "icky pervert") don’t get very far. Some get in very big trouble. In Texas (where I live), a client has only to claim that a therapist made inappropriate advances or offers and that therapist loses license, livelihood and potentially, freedom.
My ego and big mouth often result in this exchange, or something very much like it:
Client: "Oh, so you write? What sort of things?"
Me: "Non-fiction mostly: massage, popular culture, word origins—just about anything that strikes my fancy.
Client: "And the site is called 'Everything Too'?"
Me: "Everything, numeral two, dot, com ... My user name is part of an anagram of my name."
This happens a LOT. Like I said—big mouth. I get all sorts of emails from clients about reading (and usually enjoying) my writing (so I can't tell myself that they aren't coming). So yeah, I’d like to leave out the dirty parts ... and the controversial bits ... and maybe some of the less relevant or more experimental bits.
I even discussed the idea of a second identity with my favourite editor (okay, in a seven-way tie for favourite!) ... to make sure it was okay. It is. I'm glad.
It is not like Junkill is going away, but I'm looking forward to a bit of fun here.