What's in a Name?

Welcome to my blog!

You may be wondering how I settled upon the title of my blog: “Wise and Otherwise”. Or, maybe you’re not. I’ll tell you anyway.

It began with a confession and a plea for help.

To a small circle of friends, I wrote:

Blog Owners,

I confess. I regularly (or semi-regularly) stalk your blogs, and it’s not fair: I’m not giving in return.

I’m willing to make an effort to correct my part of the problem, but first I need your help. My blog needs a name, and I’m unwilling to settle for “David’s Neat-O Blog” (yawn), “My Life in North Africa” (Thanks anyway, but there’s a rerun of a CSPAN-2 special I need to watch.), or Cogitations of a Dispensationalist Hedonist Striving to Avert a Quarter-Life Crisis” (Yikes! Are we there yet?).

I also won’t use the clever, but over-used “[Insert Blog Name Here]” name, so cross that one off of the list of suggestions. Sorry, there’s no prize money in it.

Reply when inspired. I won’t begin blogging until I have a name that befits my blog. My blogging future depends upon YOU!

David, the Repentant Non-Blogger
(Sorry, can’t use that one either!)

Only one person actually wrote back, although a couple of others did acknowledge my e-mail in person. An excerpt from my friend’s written response merited serious consideration:

I'll recommend that you claim as your blog-naming muse a man who taught us all so much about literature, writing, and those [mild expletive omitted, as children may be reading my blog] terrorists being everywhere: none other than Albert R. Cirillo.

Unless you happened to attend Northwestern University during the last couple of decades, the name “Albert R. Cirillo” is probably unfamiliar to you. My blog will do little to change that. Suffice it to say that his peculiar loyalty to domesticated felines is touching; he holds somewhat militant views on what constitutes a Shakespearean tragedy; and I took his literature courses in college every time I could.

It turns out that Professor Cirillo also opined about Italian cuisine from time to time. My friend recently sent me a link to a recipe for pasta with chickpeas. I sat perplexed until, alas, I read the Cirillo-ism. The [ahem, fruity, fermented beverage – again, the children] suggestion recommends:

This is a hearty, peasant-style dish, so you don't want anything too sophisticated or rarefied.

Thus, the entry you’re reading now was nearly posted at:
http://heartypeasantstyledish.blogspot.com/

But it’s not.

I chose “Wise and Otherwise” chiefly because I expect this blog to be a variety show. I may have a serious thing or two to say, but my main (read: generally, only) goal in blogging is to entertain myself. I also really enjoyed playing a board game by the same name once or twice, but I have never been able to purchase a copy for myself.

That said, if my blog ever inspires you to make pasta with chickpeas, please let me know how it turns out.