What's in a Name?

Part of getting married has meant changing my last name. And while this sounds easy enough, believe me, it is not. First I had to change my name at the social security office before I could file taxes. Then I had to change my name at my new bank - I barely had time to activate my new debit card before I received an even newer one with my new name on it. I still need to activate that one. One step at a time. And the sneaky man at the bank pulled a few strings for us so we wouldn't have to get a whole new set of checks as soon as I came in to change my name - so the checks came with Jacobs on them to begin with.

I also had to go get new a student ID. Of course, I had to wait until I had a new social security card to do that, so I didn't end up switching my name with the school until a good ways into the new semester. I've been putting "Caitlin (Bishop) Jacobs" on all my papers so that teachers would find it easier to keep straight who I am. Apparently it didn't work. I had a teacher tell me yesterday that he didn't have a grade for me for the only assignment we've turned in. I informed him that it was probably due to my last name changing and proceeded to show him the assignment he had given back to me weeks earlier (I want my 96% thank you very much).

Same thing happened with a test I'm trying to take in April. I'm taking this test to become a Certified Health Education Specialist - which basically just means I get to put the letters "CHES" after my name and feel really important and smart. But I received an email yesterday informing me that they were missing a letter from my advisor and if they didn't get it by today, I wouldn't be able to take my test until October. Panicking, I called Tanya in Pennsylvania to straighten it out. I explained again that my last name had changed, and was it possible that this was the cause of the missing letter that I know was sent in over a month ago.

And so I echo the immortal words of Juliet - "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". Or, we could go the opposite direction and quote Proctor from the Crucible as he cries out "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" I think I'll side with Proctor on this one- I like my new name. Leave it to me.