An Explanation and A New Beginning

Yesterday was one of those long days that just start out that way.  Having put off my dreaded accounting homework far longer than was prudent, I didn’t get to bed until 1:00 a.m. on Monday night; far too late for a girl who had a 5:00 a.m. alarm ready to call her to the gym.  Somehow I still managed to drag myself from the comfort of my sheets and put in my first workout of the day before class.  I was understandably tired, but surprisingly upbeat, as I sat through my first lecture.  It probably had an awful lot to do with the short nap I had planned after class.  Naps can be incredibly motivating when drudging through accounting on less than four hours of sleep.

I hopped on my vintage cruiser and made my way home through a crisp morning.  I leisurely pedaled across the footbridge noting how clear the water appeared as it tumbled over the glistening stones below.  An expert fly fisherman further downstream caught my eye as his line delicately yet purposefully flicked the water.  I’d like to try that, I thought as I turned from the bank and hopped off my bike at home.  I was in a good mood as I hiked the steep stairs of a 1920s row house to my apartment.

For some reason, I decided to postpone my nap and opened my computer to check my email.  I signed in and found myself looking at an email from a contact at Hooters.  Occasionally such emails will pop up to discuss upcoming articles and deadlines I have to meet.  I assumed this would be no different, but rather than seeing the typical dates and magazine themes I was greeted by a simple, direct message:

 Hey there, Sauce.  Could you give me a call?  Thanks.

And that was all it said.  Almost immediately my blinding optimism took over.  I imagined interviews and job offers.  I imagined travelling to Atlanta.  I imagined many things that didn’t begin to prepare me for what I was about to hear.  Niceties and small talk were exchanged and with little to now warning “what are you up to” morphed into “we need you to take your site down.”

Nonchalantly those very words were uttered and my heart immediately sank.  I wanted to cry and scream and be angry, but instead I moved to the pantry – so as not to alarm Dreamy – and acted as professionally as possible as I was told that Hooters didn’t feel the connection to my blog and its somewhat official and affiliated appearance had been deemed inappropriate by new management.  It was all explained as stood amongst the quick oats and cans of green beans, but all that really stuck with me was “we need you to take your site down.”

As soon as the call ended I casually walked to my bed, sunk into its bright yellow comforter and cried.  Quietly at first, my sobs increased as the shock gave way to reality.  I couldn’t have held it in if I wanted to. 

“The blog is over,” I finally managed to utter after much instance from Dreamy.  I let it sink in as the words left me.  After two and half years of work it was gone in one corporate decision from thousands of miles away.

And that is when I managed to compose myself and write the entry posted below.  After hitting “publish” I began backing things up and attempting to figure out what to do next.  For a moment I considered quitting all together and just ending my blogging journey.  I thought about just moving on to totally new things.  But way back when I began this blog, the point wasn’t Hooters.  I began blogging because I love to write.  I began blogging because my creativity needed an outlet – an outlet that was necessary regardless of Hooters.

I had made up my mind to keep the blog in some form as the positive comments began pouring in both here, in my email and on Facebook.  While I knew I had some loyal readers, I was in no way prepared for the response that followed my announcement.  To say that I was flattered would be a vast understatement.  The comments made me feel relevant and appreciated, but mostly they made me smile on a day that felt void of happiness.  I will be eternally grateful for the kind words I received in a moment when I so needed them.

It is my belief that those very words that meant – and still mean – so much to me had some effect on the next email I received from Hooters a few hours later.  The tone changed and instead of removing the site, I was asked to remove logos and branded images.  They loved the blog and it could stay, it just couldn’t look affiliated.  They said I had simply misunderstood what they wanted.  I am still unsure how one can misconstrue “we need you to take the blog down.”  It’s seems pretty clear to me they were backtracking and I have a good feeling that your comments might have had something to do with that.

So here I am, with a horribly naked blog just begging for a redesign ready to continue writing.  While Hooters has given me permission to continue on my current trajectory for now, I’m not sure that doing so would feel right.  Yes, Hooters is a huge part of my life and makes for pretty amazing blog content, but it isn’t worth jeopardizing the valuable connections I’ve developed.  Hooters is only one part of the very diverse life I lead.  And while it may come up eventually, I think for the most part I’ll avoid including it in my posts for now.  It’s time to use this situation to move on to other things.

Welcome to “According to Sauce” were all things are open to discussion.  I will write what I want to write and say what I want to say.  Where exactly I’ll take this project isn’t totally clear; a blank canvas is full of opportunity.

All I do know is that I appreciate the support of my readers.  It’s reassuring to know that somewhere out there on the big bad Internet there are a few people who really do give a damn.  Feel free to keep reading and stay in touch.  I am open and excited to hear your comments and suggestions.  Lets see where we end up.



And on a side note, please keep in mind that I still very much adore Hooters and that at this point they are very open to me continuing to express myself as an individual whether I'm discussing Hooters or not.  The last thing I want is for people to avoid or think negatively of Hooters because of this situation; that would defeat the purpose of everything I have stood for since my employment began.  After all, my purpose as a blogger has always been to show Hooters for what it is behind the orange shorts and implants - I still maintain those desires whether it's the center of my writing or not.  Please keep in mind that the decision to expand my blogging topics is my own and not one Hooters forced me to make.