Factotum

Let’s start with a bit of housekeeping. I’ve decided that if I manage to do an entry once a week, I’ll be satisfied. Since not every word of the day sparks any thought or sentiment, I won’t force it. Now, on to todays word.

One of my favorite authors is JD Robb (also known as Nora Roberts). As Nora Roberts, she writes romance novels with a hint mystery. As JD Robb, she writes futuristic crime drama with an occasional hint of romance.

What, you may ask, does the word factotum have to do with JD Robb? Well, I’ll tell you. There is a character in the over 50 novels in her “In Death” series who is described as a “factotum”. He is a little bit father-in-law, a little bit butler/chef, a little caretaker and a little in house security all in one.

According to Merriam-Webster, a factotum is “a person who has many diverse activities or responsibilities, and especially one whose work involves a wide variety of tasks.”

While I gravitate toward mystery and police/legal dramas, my BFF was all about the romance novel. Nora Roberts used to write in trilogies. (I say used to because it’s been a really long time since I read a Nora Roberts novel). Christine used to read the first book, but wait to read the second book until the third book of the trilogy was just about to be released. (For those of you just joining us, my BFF was named Christine but she passed away in 2021)

I think it was an accident that I started reading JD Robb. I don’t think either of us introduced the other to the novels. But we were able to share them as they just contained enough of our preferred genres to still be interesting. I do remember being shocked that they were the same person.

Finally, to some degree, I think my role as Director of the Office of Academic Opportunity Programs, in some ways, leads me to being a factotum. From day to day, week to week, I never know what I may need to handle. In some ways, it’s analogous to being a jack of all trades, master of none. In other ways, it’s because I’m a busy body who is just learning that “no” can be a complete sentence.

This is where the word factotum led me.