Day 2: Titles and Taglines

Today’s assignment is to edit my title and tagline.

The tagline for my blog is currently “stuff I think about doing when I’m doing other stuff.” I think I’ll be keeping it, at least for now. Not only does it sound good to my ears and imparts my wit (hopefully!), it also sums up the way I feel about the hodge-podge of ideas that I have for this blog.

The things I want to explore through my writing are infinite – travel, cooking, writing and language, yoga and meditation, being a childless step-parent, my aging parents, surviving in the workplace, nostalgic and amusing tales (again, I hope!) of people I’ve known and experiences I’ve had, and the general absurdity of the world around us. These things swirl around in my brain constantly, so I think my tagline is staying put, unless and until my blog becomes more focused on a single topic.

I’m less attached to my title “Maid’s Day Off.” I came up with this when I set up my WordPress blog. I can thank the boss I had at my first job after college for this. You see, my name is Rita. Those of you old enough (or with enough taste) to know the Beatles may get it without an explanation, but for those who are not, it is derived from the song “Lovely Rita, Meter Maid.” My boss Dudley (yes, it was really Dudley!) would hum or sing it when he saw me. This sounds kind of creepy now, but in those pre-Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill days, it was par for the course. (Look it up, kids.) My work friends caught on and would call me Meter Maid, and finally just Maid. I was less than thrilled, as is the case with most nicknames, but what are you gonna do?

Nearly 30 years later, I have discovered my love for writing. I squeeze it in when I can while still keeping my day job, so the name for the blog became “Maid’s Day Off.” Once I get further into my blogging and decide where my focus will be, I will change it. My latest thought is “Hemorrhoidal Tendencies” because I’ve also been called a pain in the ass! I’m not sure I’d get the right audience based on google searches though…