Nomad News-Vol.3-No.64

MY NAME IS ANDREW: I bring this up because, recently at church service, there was a Christening of a female baby whose first and middle names are Hannah James. My question is: Why do parents give a female first name to the child and a masculine middle name. To paraphase the character in the current Rosetta Stone commercial, "My name is Brad"; my name is Andrew MacDonald Dolan. That's what is written on my birth certificate. I can show it to you. I needed this piece of paper to join the National Guard. I needed it to start school. I needed it to vote. I needed it many times during my lifetime. I know of a person who occupies an important government position. He can't produce a birth certificate. That makes him either illegal or you know what. NOW, to get back to my name. I grew up and went through school as Donald. When I started working, I was Donald. When I joined the National Guard, I had to produce that piece of paper so my name was Andrew. Now I have some folks calling me Donald, and some calling me Andrew. Like the girl named Carmen Cohen. Her mother called her Carmen and her father called or Cohen. After awhile, she didn't know if she was Carmen or Cohen.(Get it? laugh) Back to my name. Shortly after moving to Tennessee I decided I would introduce myself as Andrew and then there would be no need for an explanation. Unfortunately, not really, but I had introduced myself as Don to a small group of people, and this is fine. Why my family called me Donald, I do not know. It would have been better if they called me Mac. That would have been easier to explain. I went to high school with a kid named Shirley. Fortunately he was big and strong and played football. He was called "Shirt". It seems, too many parents do not look to the future, and see how their childs' name might affect him/her later on in life. Andy, or is it Don? I don't know. Just call me when it is Happy Hour.