Let's guess why people in Britain would say this to me. . . . There are so many options. The truth: none of the older-ish Brits that I have encountered have ever met anyone with my name.
"Really? Is that your Christian name?" said the security guard at All Souls College.
"Is that your real, given name?" said the nice person at Stonyhurst in a group discussion wherein my confirmation was followed by, "Well, it's clear your parents weren't from Northern England," punctuated by chuckles by all around. Um, ok. You got that right, buddy! That may be the understatement of the year!
And at least two or three other librarian-types or securty/admissions types that I have encountered have shared with me this curiosity. Even some Americans that I know from far reaching lands outside of Texas have said they've never actually met someone with that name (though they usually have heard of it, unlike the crazy Brits, who have never conceived of such a thing). And yes, Security Guard #2 did make the usual "Play Misty for Me" crack, because that's something I've never heard before. I think the piano guy at the LaSalle even played that for my birthday one year instead of what Taranee had actually requested, "Happy Birthday." But let's go with what makes most sense, naturally.
And in a complete departure from all sense, take a gander at this article from the Metro paper -- something that commuters just pick up for free. And, especially when we're talking about things academic or intelligent, plus add to that things Anglo-Saxon/medieval . . . you get what you pay for.
For Ridiculous Metro Article Click HERE!
I've never HEARD of such a thing. . . .
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2 comments:
Have you thought of just going by your middle name (not that I remember what it is)? While you're at it, maybe you should just pretend to be a Brit. I had an American friend at Oxford who had a splendid fake British accent, and Brits were apparently friendlier to her.
Hmmm. Interesting concept. I'd hate to risk offending real Brits, who were quite friendly to me anyway.... They were just genuinely amazed at my name. Plus, I only use my fake British accent to confuse Americans who don't know what a real one sounds like. :-)
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