Manager of The World....

This may be funnier to those of you from Western Mass....

The Episcopal Church publishes a biennial clergy directory. In some circles, I've heard it called The Stud Book because it lists parents, children, spouses (current and former!), etc. It also lists former positions.

As most of you know, I spent twelve years managing The World Eye Bookshop - the world's second best job - an independent bookstore in Greenfield, MA.

Today, I received the form toupdate my listing in the directory. It's filled with bits of trivia (like my father's middle name). And, it lists my former employment as Manager of The World from 1991 - 2003. OK. That's pretty cool. But, I'm feeling a bit like a slacker. You'd think I could have done something about poverty, AIDS, sexism, homophobia, or at least poison ivy while I was in charge, eh? It's been making me giggle for the last hour.

The language mishap reminds me of another more serious one. The headline in the Greenfield Recorder (our local paper) on January 8, 1996 created some confusion and fear. The headline, in about 40 point font read: Inferno Destroys World Eye. A fire on January 7, 1996 gutted our building; only our cat, a few metal shelves, and (miraculously) the computer's hard drive survived. We later learned that a woman visiting the area for the first time was thrown into momentary terror by the headline, fearing that some some cataclysmic event in space had imperiled the planet.

The store was named by its founder - who thought that books were your eye to the world around you - but the name has caused issues periodically. This latest one is the most amusing. I'm submitting my changes electronically so that I can keep the paper listing me as the manager of the world. It might come in handy sometime when I need to be excused from a nasty meeting or a parking ticket. (Don't I get some consideration here? I used to be the manager of the world!)