This recently appeared in my e-mail inbox:
I have a conspiracy theory that you are not a single entity, but rather some kind of collection of female academics (perhaps some sociologists as well) sponsored by NSF (or something alike) to create this blog for research purposes. I highly applaud the effort.
Why do I think this way? First, too many exciting, but generally unrealistic stories are supposedly happening to you on a daily basis. While having one or two of them could be explained by coincidence, you have so many that (no offense, but) they simply must be made up :). Second, the writing is of really superb quality. I cannot imagine a full time professor who is not yet dead wood can have so much time to do such a polished job.
Anyway, I do not intend to blow your cover regardless of whether my conspiracy theory is right. Indeed, I really enjoy your controversial posts, even if most of them are completely made up :).
Thanks! I mean that from the bottom of my one, individual heart that belongs to this one person who is FSP, i.e., me, in the singular.
Why do you think my "stories" (many of which I would prefer to call "experiences") are unrealistic, and therefore likely fiction? Because things like these don't happen to you? Ever? As often? And therefore it makes more sense that I am a group of people (including sociologists!), sponsored by a government agency, than a real, individual female science professor?
What if my "stories" are real? And what if I am one person, exactly as I say I am? Does that change your perception of this blog, academia, and/or female science professors? And if so, how?
I am curious about that. But that's just me (<-- note repeated use of singular pronoun).
In any case, I do thank you for the nice words about my writing, but it is a bit sad that you don't think an active full professor has time to write like this. That's OK, I will take it as a compliment anyway, even if it is a bit of a cynical one. Others assume that because they couldn't keep a blog going like this, I must be a terrible scientist, teacher, advisor etc., so I much prefer the conclusion that I must be more than one person.
Of course, writing 5 times/week does take a bit of time, especially since I first write out the post with a quill and ink on paper, and then I laboriously type in the text using only my thumbs. In fact, I am an epic multi-tasker, I come up with ideas in my head and roll them around in there for a while as I am doing other things (walking from here to there, for example), and then I write (and type!) quickly.
Also, 42% of my posts are written with major help from my cats, which is why the blog might have a bit of a group vibe, but I would like to state emphatically that not a single one of my cats -- not even the orange tabby -- is, or ever has been, a sociologist.