Sunday, February 06, 2005

Identity Crises All Over The Place

by Tom Bozzo

Nina is told by a friend that she's developing a "Marion the librarian [reputation] in some blogging circles."

Jeremy stands accused by some of his commenters of being the Lonely Donut Man.

Both suggestions are absurd. Let's get on to a really important identity crisis, which is to say mine.

No, it's not my refusal to use my first name in daily use. It's not even really my impending loss of frequent flyer status, though that's Pretty Bad. I mean, I'm just 1,752 miles short of a million miles! For those inclined to numerology, that's exactly my house's finished square footage, according to the City of Madison Assessor. I also get a chuckle out of the smaller type used for Base Member. Would Platinum Elite be full-sized?

Very interestingly, I've received an offer that would tie my 2005 status to my credit rating: they'll move me back up for one paid round-trip by mid-May (no problemo, even with my diminished travel schedule) and a successful application for the WorldPerks Visa Signature Card, which I gather to be the high-rolling product in the Visa line. If my creditworthiness isn't up to snuff, or more likely I choose not to apply for the card, it's off to the cheap seats until I manage 25,000 flight miles.

Curious. Makes me wish JetBlue would fly here, actually.

Are you still with me? The problem is that I've been advertised by a blog pal, if not necessarily widely viewed, as the nice blogger in our gang.

How to combat that impression? Even more self-centered posts than the above? Turning on Ann Althouse for today's Frank Rich and Bill Clinton-bashing, thereby reinforcing her views of the left blogosphere? Probably not, I'm too nice. Be a lot tougher on Junior and his underlings? Likelier, though I would like to be able to get on board an airplane without being strip-searched first.

I still have to figure out a writing assignment for Drek, my prize for participating in his public sociology experiment. It will probably be seriously dorky, but since I'm nice, not so dorky as to make it a chore.

Ah well.
Comments:
Your identity crisis notwithstanding, the Frequent Flyer Elite Status game is a nightmarish dance with the devil. It is an addiction of the worst kind. I have seriously considered restructuring my research agenda in a way as to maximize my hold on my Super Elite Status on Air France. And just as I say to myself "enough! time to sober up here," they'll do a trans-Atlantic upgrade and I am sucked into it all over again. I hereby propose establishing a Madison chapter of FFAnonymous, meetings once a week, with promises of no consecutive flights on any single airline within a calendar year. Okay, within a month. One small step at a time.
 
I thought I had structured my set of projects to give me sustained Gold status, but was foiled by D.C. travel hassles.

Anyway, Suzanne read the comment, said "yes!" in what must have been the first sentence, and was nodding in agreement throughout. So an intervention may be needed.
 
You know, Tom, the good thing about being a nice guy is that if you give someone else who isn't nice, like myself, a chore, nobody will conclude that you aren't nice. It's like karma, or revenge, or some such thing.

In any case, take your time, I ain't going anywhere.

And that could refer both to my blogging, and to my career in general.
 
While you're probably right about the perception thing, Drek, I consider myself free from the notion that I should reconstruct my blog persona at your expense. Perhaps you may even agree with that after you get the assignment.
 
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