Make mine a double, take that is.

For security (paranoia) reasons I will not use my real name in the following entry. But, I'm pretty sure if you are reading this you know my last name already so you can still follow along. If you don't know my last name I have no idea how (or why) you found this page and are reading it, and you should know that should you use any information you glean from here to steel my identity or stalk me I will hunt you down if it is the last thing I do on this earth.

Anyway...on my way home tonight I was driving down a very neighborhood street (meaning, that you probably wouldn't be on it unless you lived within a four block radius or were visiting someone who lived within a four block radius of said street). I was about four blocks from my home when I see a parked car, the last one on the block before the intersection so the license plate is fully visible and well lit as it is under a streetlight. I glanced at it, and looked back to the road and then thought "what fuck...????" and then I did a double take, and just to be sure, a triple. The plate was my last name and the number 13.

I've never hated my name; it is more of a challenge then anything, as no one pronounces it right the first time. In fact there was one person, and only one, in my whole life has gotten it right the first time. He was a grade school teacher of Nordic heritage. Anyway...I know my name isn't unheard of but it isn't Smith or Jones either. I've certainly seen it on the Internet, on some boxes one time (a printing company in the city uses the name) and of course there are a few entries in the local phone book, but not a whole lot and god knows I've never met anyone who shares my last name.

I don't want my name on my plates or anything, so it isn't like I am jealous, but who they heck are they? And do they live by me too? The biggest question is, do they pronounce it the same or have they (like some others) gone the way of the traitor and pronounce it the stupid way, you know the one, the one 90% of people say the first time, the one that 30% of them still say and the one that bugs me the most.

One last note about my last name (which shall not be named), a guy once called me at work because he had seen my name on some printed materials. He also shared my last name, and was curious if we were related because the name just isn't that common. He stated early in the call that he could tell by the way I answered my phone (with my name) that I didn't pronounce it the same, I can't recall his exact words but it was clear that he believed I was pronouncing it wrong. What ever, I couldn't care less what a stranger thinks. He went on to tell me that what made it more curious was that his wife shared my first name. I didn't tell him, but I had known of my doppelganger that resides in the Chicago suburbs, that is what a phone book will tell you. He also told me about his daughter ect...and where their family was from. I told him that my family hailed from else where and he seemed satisfied that although interesting we were probably not related or if we are it is very very distantly.

The whole point of the long winded thing was to point out how weird it was to see a license plate with my last name on it. Which I guess I could have done in one sentance.

P.S. To those of you who are wondering, yes, I will probably begin my search on the Internet tomorrow to find out who these people are who share my last name and dare to make me share my neighborhood, don't they know "there can be only one".

Man, Highlander is the best, and I will probably quote that until I die, and everytime I say it (or type it) I will hear it in my head in a bad Scottish accent.