Perfect

When the internet really got going, about a quarter of a century ago, the organisation I worked in, after being nagged by me and others to get on board the new age, set up an inquiry to see if this new fangled inter tubes thingy was going to last or be a one-day-wonder. This approach becomes a little less surprising when you discover that the place had only just got on board with the fax machine, and, having done so, could see no further advance in communications being necessary.

Anyway, we at last got access to emails, and exploring the brave new world, I was delighted  (these were simpler times!) to discover you could set up a \”signature\” block for use with every email you sent. Based, I guess, on the words of Mr Sinatra \”I\’ve been a prophet, a poet, a pauper, a puppet …. A Fool and a King”, and my starting point of being a Publisher at that point, I set up a signature which had the titles \”Publisher, Poet, Prehistorian, Polymath, Palaeoecologist, Philosopher\”. The chap in charge of the organisation, no friend of mine, when he first saw this signature, instead of being mildly amused, and replying in similar vain perhaps, snorted to his second in command that I could use another couple of P words instead. I am guessing one was \”Prick\”.
Anyway, remembering this the other day, I wondered what I would use as a signature today, on the very rare emails I send. Those old titles are long obsolete, even Philosopher no longer really applies, and I have forgotten too much to call myself a Polymath. Anyway, came up with the following longer version \”Pagan, Paladin, Pensioner, Pepysian, Philatelist, Phoenix, Pickwickian, Patient\”, but not, one of my great life regrets, \”Professor\”. I would however, have to add Ol\’ Blue Eyes\’ titles \”A Fool and a King”. Perhaps they would do by themselves …