so, what's in a name?

[unclej]

as a child and a teenager i was johnny. my father was john or big john so i was johnny. i joined the air force the month after i turned 18 and declared myself then to be john because john was a grown up name and i was out from under the shadow of my father.

i married twice, had a daughter and several careers, made most of the mistakes of my life as john. at times i was pompous, self-centered and generally not a very likeable person. my values as john were what you would imagine a person in search of "the american dream" would be. all as john.

ten years ago i left dallas and all of it's trappings and moved back to the texas hill country where my familiy has lived for the past 30 years. most of my siblings never got out of the habit of calling me johnny and my neices and nephews have now grown up calling me uncle johnny or unclej and even my baby sister and many of my friends in town call me uncle johnny. and the funny thing is that i'm now happier and more at piece with the world than i've ever been before. there's no more pretense in me. my values truly are good and what i feel they should be. i wake up every day grateful for who i am and where i am at this point in my life.

am i happy because i'm johnny again or simply because i've matured and just happen to be johnny again?

does your name effect you? do you like it? if you could change it would it change who you are? what's in a name?

 

[HeavyStick]

your av is a four legged cock..... and you're worried about being called john or johnny

I fear the seventh seal has been broken....

 

[erosman]

I'd rather be called,

Oh! My! (with no gulps)


but, seriously, uncle johnny, sometimes I think it takes a while for us to realize who we really are. That time is the meantime, and then we move into our own space. Glad you enjoy yours.

 

[Basia]

You could be Auntie Johnny...

 

[unclej]

ok, you've got a point there stick. but i probably wouldn't have even been here back then and if i was i'd have found a completely different av.

you're right, of course, erosman and that's part of the same conclusion that i've come to recently. this has been on my mind a lot lately....not as something that worries me but one of those intellectual excercises that we all go through from time to time.

 

[lilminx]

When I was younger I didn't like my name that much. Most people mispronounced it and/or misspelled it, because it's not very common.

People still do it, but it doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I've just come to realize that some people are stupid and don't pay attention, no matter how many times I tell them how to say and spell my name.

I've learned to like my name. I like being unusual, and my name is an unusual aspect of me.

 

[unclej]

that's a big negatory on the auntie johnny.

 

[unclej]

good for you lilminx. it takes a while but we should all celebrate our differences.

 

[HeavyStick]

ok, you've got a point there stick. but i probably wouldn't have even been here back then and if i was i'd have found a completely different av.

you're right, of course, erosman and that's part of the same conclusion that i've come to recently. this has been on my mind a lot lately....not as something that worries me but one of those intellectual excercises that we all go through from time to time.

only sarcasm on my part... is there something else on your mind? I've had similar things disrupt my normal routine and thinking and after some reflection it had nothing to do with the problem, best of luck to you

 

[Basia]

that's a big negatory on the auntie johnny.

I'm sorry. I was just trying to add a bit of laughter to Saturday night.

 

[ksmybuttons]

My given name is a nickname. I always wanted a BIG name. A full first name that could have a nickname, but when I wanted to be pompous, I could use the whole thing. Never had it, never will. When I married, I took my husband's last name just because it sounded melodious with my first name. I like it.

 

[unclej]

no, i'm sorry. i hit the wrong emoticon. i meant to hit the frog. i knew you were teasing basia.

and stick, i also knew that you were being sarcastic and no, there's nothing else going on. it simply occured to me that once i dropped the trappings of living in the big city and came back to a very basic lifestyle that i was much happier and that i was ok being johnny again. nothing heavy about any of it. just talking.

 

[erosman]

I guess I don't mind my name, but I have never really liked my voice. Can't explain it, just don't like to hear my voice.(Although, I do talk a lot!) I suppose it's like a person's name. Maybe it'll grow on me eventually. Maybe I need to move to the hill country of TX.

 

[unclej]

i have four brothers and three sisters and all of them have names that mother could use when she was serious or they were in truble. you know, using all three of their names....blah blah blah, you'd better get in this house this minute.

my full name is so formal it just never worked. my middle name is a fairly common last name and it just didn't work for her. still pisses her off.

 

[unclej]

i know what you mean erosman. i've never particularly liked my voice and really don't like the sound of it recorded and yet i sing in public, have a cd and am getting ready to record another and actually get some minor airplay on a big radio station in austin.

go figgure.

 

[erosman]

that's hilarious, j!

It probably stems from some distant event in our pasts. Maybe they didn't whip our asses just right when we were born.




good luck on the CD

 

[unclej]

well, the doctor might not have done it right when i ws born but my dad made up for it. and i never deserved a single spanking i got......never.

 

[Sillyman]

My name made me tougher. My name made me able to realize my own uniqueness and celebrate it. I have never run into another human being with my name, and I probably never will in my lifetime. My name gave me the power to seperate myself from everyone else, and declare myself a my own being. I love my name, and it's my favorite part about me.

 

[unclej]

good for you sillyman. i won't ask what your name is but was it easy for kids to tease you about it?

 

[erosman]

read somewhere that you create stringed instruments...ever use mesquite, or mesquite burl? I've been seeing some incredible stuff from that country just south of you. Not charcoal material, but 200+ year-old, massive trunks. The figure is astounding.



My last name was a bugger for me. Every two-bit announcer at every two-bit fairground always butchered it. I even adopted the mis-moniker for a season or two. Like sillyman, I think it made me more determined...at least more determined to be less sensitive about how it made me feel.

 

[Suzi]

What's in a name?

That which you call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

 

[unclej]

mesquite is my favorite wood for just about everything i make.

if i could figure out how to insert a picture from a file in my computer i'd show you one of my mesquite guitars.

 

[erosman]

Damn! I'd love to see it. I'll PM my e-mail address to you. We've been buying a lot of old growth stock of late. How do you finish your pieces? Tung oil?

 

[unclej]

mix up equal parts of linseed oil, turpentine and varnish. let it sit up over night and apply it like any other hand rubbed oil finish. 5 or 6 coats gives you a nice satin finish and if you keep adding light coats after that you can get a good gloss finish. with the satin finish i usually top it off with a good hardwood floor wax.

do pm me and i'll send you some pics.

 

[Bluesboy2]

This is not a paid endorsement.

read somewhere that you create stringed instruments...ever use mesquite, or mesquite burl? I've been seeing some incredible stuff from that country just south of you. Not charcoal material, but 200+ year-old, massive trunks. The figure is astounding.


I have personally inspected 3 guitars that he worked on. They were all very nice and oozed craftmanship. All the little things were just right. He doesnt cut any corners. They had great sound were extremely playable. He obviously but a lot of himself and his values in his work and it shows.
I have seen handmade electrics made by several big-name makers. His were just as good or better in my book. I will soon be the proud owner of one. I am a walking advertisement for Uncle Js work.
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