What's in a name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet." William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II

John is my second favourite name. Robert is my favourite name but as the one and only male heir to my empire was christened Robert, I thought I would avoid over-use of this glorious name. John is my heir's second name. It is not well used of course, other than when completing the likes of visa applications, and so I settled on it's employ in my blog.

Oh boy, what an error!

I surround myself with well-educated, well-travelled, refined and erudite individuals so why am I surprised that using "John" as a pseudonym for my dates would present a problem? "John28" made his debut on this blog last week. At first glance my good friend William Thomson, being well-educated and a lateral thinker, was inspired to check the Bible for any hidden nuances presented by the name of the said date. He looked up the book of John and discovered that this book of the Bible did not go as far as John 28 but concluded with John 21 with Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish. On Sunday morning from faraway Kiel (no, not Kiev, Kiel which is far north Germany, close to Denmark) I learned from the clearly well-travelled, or at least well-versed in international culture, Chris Crozier that in North America a john (lower case, please note) is, and I quote a text message " ... a client of a lady of the streets". I nearly fell out of my bed when I read this. The inferences were just too great. Here I am presenting myself as a said lady of the streets.

My knee-jerk response was to move away from the use of my second favourite name. An emotive animated discussion ensued at Father's Day tea where the usual big fat Greek wedding-style family "conversation", not without significant volume (we all have strong opinions), concluded that the name John has to go. Dad was getting extra excited, I think he is expecting 56 Shades of Grey.

In conclusion thus, John is my second favourite name. My dates are going to be called John1 through at least John56. And I know I am not a lady of the street.

Kapiche.