Is it Thursday already? I'm confessing anyway.

I don't know what the heck is causing this, but I'm having very vivid and also strange dreams lately. This one, for instance. Or the one that made me mad at a female of my acquaintance for an entire day. Last night I dreamed I was pregnant (I'm not), and pretty doggone excited about it (I would be).

The eye surgery went well. I'll chronicle the entire saga, but not today. (I know, I know, the suspense will kill you. Try to carry on.)

Ok, down to the point. Here's my Year of No Fear experience for this week. (The lazy person in me . . . . wait, that IS me. . . . would like to start abbreviating Year of No Fear, but I've abstained thus far so as to avoid confusion, since YONF is what I named this here blog's other contributor. But I'm tired of it, I tell you. If I referred to the Year of No Fear as YONF, and to you-know-who as Yonf, would it befuddle you all terribly? No? Excellent. I'll add a clarification to the sidebar. Eventually.)

Where was I?

Right. For my YONF this week, I'm going to delurk on a blog. Here's why: One of the downfalls of the voyeuristic world of blogging is that occasionally I run into somebody whose (who's?) blog I've been perusing anonymously for quite some time. I am instantly thrown into an internal panic. Do I confess I've been peeking at her blog like some sort of creepy peeping tom? What will she think? And yet if I pretend to be surprised as we catch up on each other's lives, I'll feel more fake than Lee Press-on Nails!

Internal panic doesn't look good on me. I have an insanely hyperactive conscience that screams in my ear and obliterates all mental function and social grace, which can only be recovered when I come clean in as awkward a way as possible. Three past experiences come immediately to mind (if you know me well, feel free to have a giggle at the dress in the casserole dish, the diamond engagement ring, or the spilling of the nemesis).

Help me out here: What do you do when blogging meets real life? Is it practical to comment occasionally on every blog you read? Or even just the blogs of people you actually know? Do you lurk, or are you a conscientious commenter?

But in the meantime, for my own YONF, I'm going to leave a comment on a blog I've been reading for a while. It's a friend I grew up with, but I haven't seen her or been in touch for a good 12 years or so. I came across her blog through a friend, who I found on another blog, etc. I've enjoyed reading about her adventures, but I didn't comment at first because I felt silly popping up out of the blue like that, and then because I felt silly for not commenting to begin with. Now, quite some time later, we've added each other on facebook, and my stupid conscience is screeching in my ear that I've got to come clean so I can enjoy that friendship again without being a big Press-on Nail Faker.

Still holding onto a shred of respect for me? Allow me to relieve you of it: This particular person has commented on this very blog. Not with her real name, but with her blogger ID (which, if you're following, I'm well aware of). But I didn't return the favor and comment on her blog because of the confession vs. faker dilemma. (See how we're approaching the part where I confess awkwardly?)

So that's it. I'm off to comment. If you're reading this, and you remember me begging you for a stick of gum to get the flavor of a nasty menthol cough drop out of my mouth in 7th grade science class (and by the way, do you remember how we used to mock the teacher for telling us that he marks his wife's cycle on the calendar so he could be ready for the crazy?), you should check your blog. I'm coming clean.