I would like to have any number of titles. Ombudsman is a good one, for instance. It is fun just to say that word. Ombudsman. His Holiness is another good title, although I think it is clear that I’ll not be in the running for that one. Nor is it likely (or probably desirable) that I will be known as the White House Chief of Staff. Since these are all titles someone or some group has to confer, I am not going to hold my breath waiting for them to happen.
Nor am I interested in any number of self-appointed identifiers. The one I want the least is “foodie.” I’m not even sure I know what that means. Or “techie”, “tech geek” or “tech savvy.” I think, seeing as how I can set up my own domain name, server hosting, and blog software, I might qualify for this. On the other hand, I haven’t posted an .iso of a new os, so I pale in comparison to some. That’s not to say that I have not thought about appropriating such a label to myself.
But you know who I have never heard talk about herself as “a music lover” or “an environmentalist”? My Sweet Lady. She could actually legitimately claim both of these things. She sings with the best choir in town, and she has lead her company to become a local leader in environmentally friendly practices. She got us into composting at home and drives a hybrid. All the lights in the house are CFLs.
I know that she cares about the planet and global warming and all that, but she doesn’t go on ands on about the problem. What she does is find ways to work on the issue. Maybe the people who want to have a self-appointed title need something to categorize their kvetching. If you are not kvetching, you don’t need a title. And don’t kvetch to my Sweet Lady. She’s also a brown belt.