Being retired, I recently got myself some new business cards printed, which describe me as ‘Ernest Zanatta Esq’ – putting my degree (a mere BA (Hons)) as a post nominal seems rather passe. I gave myself the title of ‘Gentleman Of Leisure) .
I got 500 printed, and will hand them out at social occasions, such as when I meet people at either of my Clubs or at other convivial occasions (I am attending a new wine club tomorrow which is meeting for luncheon at Jimmy Watson’s in Lygon Street, for example).
When I was at the Kelvin Club a couple of weeks ago, I had a chat with a fellow member who does not have business cards anymore, and he did mention that the most interesting discussion about business cards in modern literature was in the novel American Psycho.
If you dig back through this blog far enough, you will see that I am quite familiar with American Psycho, and indeed find the business card scene where everyone in the bar compares their business cards in minute detail to be quite amusing – it is one of the more memorably amusing moments in that novel.
I was quite pleased to find someone who also is familiar with American Psycho in such detail (few people have read it and even fewer admit to it) so we did have an amusing chat about it for a few minutes.
I hosted two of my recent acquaintances from the Kelvin Club for luncheon at the Savage Club this past Monday (one of whom also has a business card where he uses the post nominal Esq (for Esquire) with his name. Afterwards, we repaired to the main bar downstairs for a few convivial drinks with some other members and guests.
There I met one of the more senior members (I believe he is on the committee or has been in the recent past), and we exchanged business cards. We agreed that normally this is not the ‘done thing’, but as neither of us are working, and our cards are more for contact than to promote any business related networking (retirement is a beautiful thing), it is not poor form for us to swap cards.
His card is even better than mine. Whilst I thought long and hard before putting ‘Gentleman of Leisure’ as my title (other possible titles considered and rejected included ‘Fifth Generation Descendent of Count’, ‘Citizen Journalist’, ‘Garage Vintner’, and ‘Enemy of Karens’), he has an even better title: ‘Man Of Action’. Under that, he lists such services and abilities he can offer, including ‘Lions Tamed’.
I love retirement and the finer class of people I meet in my travails.
Lost For Words! 