Much ado about naming

I think I’m finally coming to terms with the distinct possibility that I might never achieve… I think I’m finally coming to terms with the distinct possibility that I might never achieve international fame. I think I’ve got the mad skillz – with a “Z” – and all that, but I’m facing two very daunting challenges. The first one is a lack of ideas. I’m not too worried about that one, though. Ideas – like this column – will kind of fall out of the sky if I keep dawdling and BS-ing long enough. But the second one is a little harder: My name lacks fame potential.

Suffice it to say that Ravi is an uncommon name in these here parts of Pennsylvania. And I’m not talking “not common” as in “Gerald” or “Herbert.” I’m talking no-one-knows-if-it’s a-guy’s-or-girl’s-name uncommon. Half the colleges in the country tried mighty hard to get Miss Ravi Pandit to attend. The other half played it safe and simply excluded the gender-specific title. As long as this kind of confusion is limited to college brochures or the occasional certificate, I’m OK. But I can just see it now:

“So, senator, what do you think about the recent developments regarding Ravi Pandit?”

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