“I know you from another life!” the professor greets me after reading my name off of an event sign-in.

Oh, no. Say it isn’t so, I’m thinking. What other life? Through what informational channel? And why? In this public venue, I want to be known only by one life, not two. Actually, in this venue, I’m in the audience and don’t care to be known any other way. It helps to have my lives not overlap. People have a hard enough time engaging with others without mixed messages or “noise” in the message.

Chasing Bylines

For many years, my work involved all sorts of bylines. The first enchantment involved the high from publishing. Then, it came from engaging the world and people as they made their public personaes. And then, I thought, “But why?” Where’s the thrill? There’s something about that whole insanity that no longer holds any fascination. The point now is to do the work and not care a whit about the name. The credit does take care of itself, on the whole. I avoid doing interviews for student media if at all possible, unless it’s absolutely critical to a work assignment.

Then I flash to my online teacher personae: tough, supportive and demanding. If she knows me from that life, that means something else. Could it be that personae, that embodiment?

Protecting Data

This incident overlaps with the awareness of people’s work lives that may result in embargoed research. It is a privilege to access protected data. And yet, it would seem difficult to work with that sense of constant surveillance that comes wit the field and the work. There’s a lot that may be done from the public side and with a lot less hassle. All work requires some conscious selection of what to reveal and what to conceal.

“I know you…”

The other life is from reviews and writings that are from another life. And the meeting is somewhat anti-climactic. We chat. We have lunch. I get another faculty member’s card. I field a few curiosity questions. And life goes on.

I want to avoid mixed signals. I’m thinking strongly that I’ll simplify my lives / my life (I mean).

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campus reputation