Matters of Identity
Well... I thought that I could quietly change my blogspot username without anybody noticing or caring, but it's caused some confusion. So I announce it formally: Yes, I have changed my user name here from Filigree to Velouria. It is still me, and I did it to consolidate my velo-identities. I am "Velouria" on flickr and several other bike related e-venues, and it was much easier to change the blogspot user name than to change all the others.
Though the change exacerbates my already overwhelming identity crisis, I believe it is for the best. Plus frankly, it didn't feel right when some would refer to me as "Fil". If I were to have a male name, I see myself as more of an Armand, or a Victor, or perhaps even a Thaddeus. Thank you for understanding and enjoy your Sunday.
Waiting for the first person to take a liberty and call you "Vel" :-). Great satchel by the way!
ReplyDelete"Vel" would be fine : )
ReplyDeleteBTW, is velo-uria a painful affliction :-)?
ReplyDeleteI am trying to decide from the photo, if she is being banished from Cambridge to Somerville because of the name change. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAaron
frits B, that would be velitus.
ReplyDelete2whls3spds, could it also be that she is choosing an identity?
Frits - only for those asking such questions! But do not fear, I understand there are many new products for that sort of thing nowadays.
ReplyDeleteAaron - They banish me back and forth : )
I have noted that sign in several of your photos. Why is it that people from that part of Somerville are SO bound and determined to be identified with Cambridge?
ReplyDeleteAnon - I often stay awake at night wondering that very same thing.
ReplyDeleteJust make sure the Co-Habitant isn't amongst those that are confused!
ReplyDeleteSomervillain - I only plead guilty to velitatio, in the nicest possible way.
ReplyDeleteVelouria - When I first saw this moniker I had images of racing cyclists splattering onlookers. And then I moved the split one letter and found that you had flaps on your tail (the Greek component). Noms de plume can carry a lot of risk - like the woman I recently noticed who called herself Curva (she wasn't Polish).
Frits - Are you trying to make me even more neurotic than I already am? Have a look here to read about the ancient origins of my name, and have a listen here for cues how to pronounce it! Eh. I guess I should be glad that I can provide entertainment to my readers. And no velitatio please, not here.
ReplyDeletePS: Curva! That's a nice one.
I love the change. I often found writing Filigree long, but felt that Fil did not suit ( although I may have done so in haste as sadly I am a hasty online writer hence my many typos). May I call you V as a Fellow V?
ReplyDeleteWell Velouria, since I was calling you Fil, I'll apologize, and since "Vel" doesn't sound like a name, I stick with Velouria. That's the English spelling, right?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDelete"I have noted that sign in several of your photos. Why is it that people from that part of Somerville are SO bound and determined to be identified with Cambridge?"
anon-- i think one explanation for your observation (with which i only partly agree) is that people who want the panache of a cambridge zip code but can't afford it end up moving to this part of somerville, which is actually quite convenient to many of the major and desirable "squares" of the area. there is a notable example of this: a very prominent international architectural firm has been located in this part of somerville for years... it is their world headquarters (and they occupy very cool quarters, despite being in "lowly" somerville). however, in their "about" statement on their website, they state they are "cambridge-based". i find it a bit disingenuous that they refer to themselves that way (as though they are secretly ashamed of their address), but oh well. everyone wants to be associated with the creative and intellectual mecca that is cambridge, and cambridge does have more international recognition.
on the other hand, underdog somerville has its own rich history (and a richer bicycle history than cambridge), as well as an unpretentious, scrappy quality that i value. most of cambridge's creative talent is being forced into somerville by hugely inflated property values, anyway...
Personal branding on the web... when I went to college just a couple years ago, they didn't teach this! Seems essential now though.
ReplyDeleteI imagine many Americans are having identity crises right now. Massive culture change in the air?
Love the name Thaddus. :)
I can't believe you are seriously discussing the Cambridge/ Somerville thing! But okay, I will go ahead and fall for it; it's just too tempting.
ReplyDeleteOne very simple explanation for why people who live in "that" Somerville neighborhood are "always drawn to Cambridge" is that, oh I don't know, perhaps they work there, or attend a university, or have other business there? Cambridge and Somerville are positioned so that they sort of undulate against each other, geographically speaking. As a result, some parts of Somerville are closer to certain key Cambridge locations than most of Cambridge itself.
I live almost literally on the city line. The only time I need to go "deeper into Somerville" is when I visit Open Bicycle in Union Square, or go through Davis Square to get to the Minuteman Trail. Otherwise, I have no business in Somerville and all my daily activities, errands and meetings are in Cambridge or Boston.
But all that aside, it is somewhat absurd to suggest that anybody today yearns to be associated with Cambridge and is ashamed of Somerville. If anything, it is the reverse: Somerville is painfully hip at the moment. All the cool hangouts are in Somerville and all the cool kids are there too with their cool bikes. It's pretty much turning into the Williamsburg of Boston. So the time to think of yourself as in any way authentic or rough or real because you are embracing being a Somerville resident, is long gone my friend. Blame those trendy little boutiques in Union Square.
Velouria, if anyone can relate to questions of identity, I can!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I love the way your blog looks. And even though I liked "Filigree" as your nom de blog, I think Velouria is more interesting, and more "you." It's a bit like the difference between someone's idea of a woman's bike and a bike that a woman actually rides.
Velouria is also just a really good song.
ReplyDeleteRE: Cambridge/Somerville; as long as it's not Winter Hill it's good in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteAnd I always thought of Allston as the "Williamsburg" of the Metro-Boston area. ;)
I like it, it's pretty, cool photo :)
ReplyDelete