Names

Posted on February 25, 2003 in Crosstalk Pointers Whimsies

Raye is responsible for this post.

There’s a random name generator that you can use to “do a little cosmetic surgery” on the name that your parents imposed on you. I tried it and came up with the following list:

Quennel Steven

Nirva Moral

Ezra Paddy

Diallo Rico

Rad Yosefu

Haven Thurman

Cavan Luigi

Do any of these look like the guy pictured at the upper left?

A long time ago, when I believed in destiny, I considered changing my name because, numerologically speaking, Joel Martin Sax had bad juju. I considered using my middle and last names as pen names: “Martin Sax”. Then, when I married Lynn, I went around with Joel GAzis-SAx (a name to which I still answer). I confess the main reason for this was because I intensely admire Gabriel Garcia-Marquez and wanted to be as much like him as a white mongrel from San Bernardino could become. The capital As in the name were pure affectation. Not a few people suspected that I was Middle Eastern because of them. (Lynn is Greek American. I was raised Roman Catholic.)

Recently, I came to the conclusion that I should just be myself. I dropped the Emperor Norton (because I am not myself when assuming this role) except when chatting. I resumed calling myself “Joel Sax”. Let people hang what they may on that appellation. It’s my name.

Though one of the names that Raye got — “River Martin” — seems worth stealing!