the road to self-actualization is paved with potholes

show me a “hello my name is” sticker, and i’ll show you a full-blown panic attack.

call it fear of commitment.

call it fear of pigeon-holing.

call it fear of too much revelation.

whatever you call it, i loathe creating my own nametags. loathe it, i tell you.

i recently (during blogher 2010, to be more specific) decided to go to blogher 2011. so there i was minding my own business, filling in the blanks when up came the dreaded what-do-you-want-on-your-nametag question. stopped me dead in the water. for 45 angst-filled minutes, i labored over whether to use my first name (jeanne), my twitter name (@whollyjeanne) or my full name (jeanne hewell-chambers or just jeanne hewell, depending). (no, not impending or even considered divorce, just a stage in the evolution of moi.)

well, i eventually hammered out something – and i’d tell you what i decided, but i can’t remember and it wasn’t included on the receipt, so i’ll be just as surprised as you are when i see you in san diego next august.

now let’s zoom forward to last night when i was roaming around in the blogfield and stumbled onto this recap of blogher 2010. notice anything? there, just under the chocolate and above the whipped cream. i’ll give you a hint: her nametag has HER PICTURE on it.

true: she’s the bloggess, and everybody knows that she’s a rock star while i’m a forming-pebble, but geez. i’d have those 45 minutes of my life back to spend angsting about something else if i’d’ve known i could include a picture of my blogging self.

i’m over it now. have already made my diy nametag packing list and am resigned to schlepping an extra suitcase for my portable printer, ink cartridges, markers, glitter, rhinestones, synonym finder, baby name book, and various other creative supplies. so hey, if you get there and want a nametag makeover, look me up. i’ll be the one wearing a red carnation . . . which, with my luck, will wilt just enough to cover up my specially-created handmade nametag.