What’s in a Name?

I have a last name that's quite uncommon in the US, and not so uncommon in Poland. My parents kept their last names when they got married, and since my dad has the nondescript name 'Smith' he encouraged my mom to give the kids her maiden name: Ratajczak. (Spell check still doesn't believe that's a…

Bubba

I have about a billion and one cheesy little nicknames for my little nephew. Some of them stick and then he gets called that by other members of my family. Sometimes they're spur of the moment baby talk nicknames. And sometimes, my favorite, the nicknames are made just to witness the chagrin on his parents…

Dog Names…

My father says that if you want a really good name for a dog, you should find something with as few syllables as possible, to make repeated calling of the name less tedious, and that it should be composed of the sort of sounds which carry farthest and loudest when screamed. My father wants to have a…