Monday, March 17, 2008

It's All in the Name

I have a colleague who shares my name. That in and of itself is interesting as there are not many around here who have my name, and in fact, I have not run into many at all anywhere I’ve gone. I’ve often wondered if names impart certain personalities on the people who carry them. Many teachers, it would seem, think so. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard to never name a boy one of the dreaded "J" names. Apparently John or James is safe, but almost all the others are a teacher’s worst nightmare: Jason, Jordan, Jeremy, etc…all bad news: hard to manage, hyperactive, and the sort that “stir” up trouble. Of course I have no solid evidence on any of this, but it would make for an interesting study. But back to the story of my namesake.

Carla has a bubbly personality and a smile that would melt the coldest chunk of ice. Like me, she seems to attract interesting, bizarre situations which, if nothing else, make for wonderful stories. One day, she shared the following with me: She had just been in Vancouver and one of the afternoons she was there, she was walking down Robson Street when she sees this guy she is sure she recognizes. She thinks, “Hey, there is one of the Trail Italian boys my brother used to hang out with.

(As a side note, Trail is known for its large Italian population…for years, and we are just talking Canada here, it had the largest percentage of Italians per capita outside of Toronto. Also, in this area, it is very common to identify people with their ethnic / cultural heritage even if they were born in Canada. I could probably tell you the ethnic identity of every single person who was in my kindergarten class. Back then, we just called it nationality, but of course semantics have changed since then.)

In any case, Carla can’t remember this guy’s name, but in typical Carla fashion, she waltzes right up to him with a huge grin and says, “Hi, how are you?”

He smiles and politely replies, “I’m fine, how are you?”

She continues on, “Great. Wow! It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. What have you been up to? What are you doing these days?”

He says, “Well, I’m in the movie business. I’ve just finished making film.”

Carla’s thinking, “Whoa, that’s pretty good for a Trail boy,” and blurts out, “Wow! Who would have thought? You making movies? That’s fantastic! You must be pretty proud of yourself.”

The stranger smiles, in fact almost blushes, then says, “You have no idea who I am, do you?”

Carla takes a good hard look at his face and suddenly the penny drops. “OMG, you’re John Travolta, aren’t you?” Yes, indeed. She said that he was extremely personable, gracious and polite. And she got to walk away with a good story.

25 comments:

Fuser said...

No way, this really makes for a story. John Travolta? I guess it all worked out smoothly because she had no clue in the first place. Nice story.
Good night and good luck.

Carla said...

It's even funnier the way she tells it. Who would have expected it?

Anonymous said...

LOL. That is so funny. I had to read it to Sirdar who had a good laugh over it too. I think you might have something with the name thing. On the other hand, I have visited some Dawn's blogs, and not many have struck me as similar to me. Some don't even seem friendly, but perhaps they are just over sensitive like me;-). I am always curious about people with my name.

Carla said...

Dawn, I thought that was pretty funny too. I don't know how far that name thing could go. Certainly I know people with the same name who are very different, but then sometimes others are just so similar that it seems it has to be more than mere coincidence. Perhaps it's the middle names that make those other Dawns different than you :-)

Steffi said...

That´s a funny post.
I think Carla is a nice name.Have a nice week!

Carla said...

Thanks Steffi. I hope you have a good week too.

jillie said...

OMG...that is SO funny!! That sounds SO like me, something I would do. LOL...thanks for the great laugh.

Happy St. Patrick's Day Carla

;o)

pandave said...

that is HILARIOUS!!! and so great that the other Carla you know is such a wonderful fun person. The Karla i know here is amazing. i love love love her and when i was unwell she was the best thing ever. my mother was impressed too.

Carrie said...

OH MY GOSH!!! That's hilarious!!! poor Carla.. but that is a fantastic story!!!

Ed & Jeanne said...

Does that mean that all Lucifers are evil?

Carla said...

Jillie, I know!!! Sounds like something I would do as well. Just imagine what would happen if we were ever all in the same place at once. Sheer craziness.

Pandave, I'm glad your Karla is such an amazing friend. Those are worth their weight in gold.

Carla said...

Carrie, Are you kidding? Carla (the other one, not just me) thinks it's hilarious. Definitely worth minor embarrassment to get a good story.

VE, You're not telling me that your middle name is Lucifer, are you? I knew it!

Mone said...

Well, John is the good J, isnt it? Hahaha. Happy easter =)

Pamela said...

I would probably melt into a puddle of embarrassment. What a tale!

I know a Carla. She is Italian (:

Carla said...

Mone, Certainly is, certainly is. Have a lovely Easter.

Pamela, The Carla I know is also at least part Italian, but I am not at all.

enchantedartist said...

I'm so happy to have stumbled upon you blog! What a great story...and I love your banner. You do truly live in one of the most beautiful places on earth...I know this personally...because I have lived there too!

Also I have a son with a dreaded 'J' name...Joe...fortunately he's a teacher's and mom's dream:)

Have a great day!

Carla said...

Enchanted Artist, Thanks for dropping by. Yes, Nelson really is a fabulous place. There's always something exciting happening. I haven't ever heard anything bad about the name "Joe," so it must be one of the "safe" names. I'm sure your son is a lovely boy.

Mark said...

That is such a great story. I believe that is exactly how John would act. I would enjoy visiting with him. I believe he is very genuine in who he is.
As far as names go, well, we often live up or down to peoples expectations and that does contribute to the story that is us.

Carla said...

Mark, Yes, John seems like just the sort of person one would want for a friend or thoroughly enjoy visiting with. That's true what you say about living up or down to people's expectations. Good thing I know nothing about how people view my name. Rather freeing, really.

Carla said...

Wireless, Thanks for your compliments. Hope to see you around again.

Guilty Secret said...

Oh my, what a great story!

Something similar has happened to me... whenever I have seen someone famous, I give them that little nod of recognition before realising why I recognise them! So embarrassing!

yoo hoo said...

That's hilarious!Well to add to the confusion and the fun, your co-worker Carla sounds so much like me and really close to something I've done just like that. And of course you know my name, it's Carla. Perhaps we should all get together and start a Carla convention. I was named after my Grandfather Carl, my uncle Carl and two cousins Carl, you might say it's a family name. :)

Carla said...

Guilty, I personally think it's great, and I'm sure they appreciate your friendliness.

Carla, That's so funny, I was named after my grandfather as well (actually both my paternal grandparents...I have my grandmother's name as my middle name). And I too have many similar stories. Could you imagine the riot we would have if we all found ourselves in the same place. Too much fun, as if that's possible.

Anonymous said...

My Dawn told me about this post. Darn funny!!

Carla said...

Sirdar, It sure had me laughing. It was the best thing I heard that day.