So three months ago I started a new job. I was really thrilled at the opportunity to work for a national broadcaster and I was determined to make a good impression. I did my best: I tried to be as presentable as possible despite my hate for ironing or any form of clothes flattening, I became extra careful with the way I talk or the words I choose and - of course – I doubled the amount of effort that I put into pretty much everything I was asked to do. For about 24 hours, I succeeded in my attempt to appear smart yet humble, ambitious yet poised, respectable yet easily accessible. I answered questions about foreign politics, social issues and international trade. Everything was going extremely well. Until of course someone asked me my middle name. “I don’t have one!” I blurted out. Awkwardness and dismay filled the room. “So you’re just… Valerio” “Yes, but you can call me Val!” I replied cheekily while unintentionally throwing a vintage pop-reference to the 1980s ma