Names

My cousin Mike was here yesterday, picking up stuff and chatting.

I call him "my cousin" Mike because we know so many Mikes that we have to clarify between them. Our friend Mike Fitzgerald was complaining about this the other day on the way to Bowling Green.

He said his parents named him Michael so he would be called something different, but they didn't realize that Michael was the single most popular name for the year he was born.

Robin and I know several; my cousin Mike, Bald Eagle, Corsair, her brother Mike, Michael Fitzgerald, Michael Junior, to name a few. We have the same problem with the names James/Jamie. We know so many that we've had to start giving them nicknames and designations as well.

Uncle James, Jamie Girl, Miss Jamie, and Coyote James are all people we know. Oddly, none of them want to be called "Jim." In fact, Robin's brother doesn't like to be called Jim at all.

Context matters with most of these. If I say "Michael" to anyone in my family, they automatically assume my cousin. If I say "Michael" to one of Robin's relatives, they assume her brother.

I feel sorry for my friend Angie. She married a guy named Michael and has a son with the same first and last name as his father. When I read her Facebook posts, I have to think about context and the situation. If she's talking about school or something about a pet, I assume the son. Anything else and I assume her husband.

Sometimes I'm not quite sure which she means.