I don't make any money blogging.
In real life I avoid defaulting on my mortgage by working as a high school teacher. As far as jobs go I think it's a pretty good gig. My work is meaningful, my day is over early, I have the summer off and the pay is steady.
In exchange for this lifestyle one of my professional responsibilities is to abide by the school board's code of conduct. This means that all interesting aspects of my personal life must be omitted from public spaces like the internet. There's an ongoing argument about how much of a life teachers ought to be allowed outside of the classroom and I suppose I could be really self-righteous about my personal freedoms, but the truth is I understand why the policy is the way it is. I don't expect that I should be able to start a blog wherein I share my views on fucking, drugging, politics, religion or whatever else and have parents feel comfortable about sending their kids into my classroom. I don't think there's anything scandalous about the way I live, but I also know there are those who don't feel the same. I have to respect that.
When I started blogging in 2008 my goal was to create a site that was above all else honest. The best way to do this while respecting the professional responsibilities I was taking on as a new teacher was to write under a screen name. I could say or write about anything I wanted without worrying about being fired.
The night before I started Suffer I was out on a date with a girl I was seeing at that time. We were walking down Yonge St. and decided to stop in at a psychic's to get our fortunes read using tarot cards. One of the cards that turned up for me was The Fool.
When I got home later that night and registered my blog I decided I would write as The Fool and titled my blog Suffer The Fool. It's been my anonymous handle ever since.
