You've got to be kidding. This is NOT me, NOT us, absolutely NO WAY are we this old. And even if we WERE this old, we wouldn't LOOK like this.
I think it's my grandparents.
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Holly's photo from cutting ranch yesterday turned out really well. I'm envious. She took her pictures right after I did, she even used my camera. And hers turned out waaaay better. I need to stop sharing and make her use my old camera.
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I volunteered at the library tonight for the first time. I figured it's the least I can do, since they work so hard for me. One of my favorites there said, "Now that you're volunteering, I can finally ask you something that I've always wanted to know." (Isn't that a great set up?) "Where," she asked, "does your middle name come from?" (It's on my library card.)
My middle name is my Slovakian maiden name, very unusual, whether it's spelled the real way or the Americanized way. There are only two families in Pennsylvania with this last name, and I'm betting we were related further back in Europe. In my California high school, the vice principal called me in to his office just to ask if I was related to an old classmate of his in Montana. (No, it was probably the Butler, PA family.)
Back to tonight. The library girl said, "The more I looked at it, I began to wonder if it was Japanese." I'm adding this part because I know my sister will SOOOOOO relate.
Now you really know what an obscure Slovakian name it was.
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It was kind of cool having such an odd last name. It certainly doesn't rank in the top 55,000 most common U.S. surnames. No one ever asked, "Are you related to _____?" (The exception, of course, being my high school VP.) It was two short syllables, and people pronounced it right 75% of the time.
Now I have the 900th most common surname. And people pronounce it right 25% of the time. Go figure. (Actually, I HAVE figured, and the problem is that 75% of our population does not know English phonics.)
6 comments:
When I worked at OOCL I would always hear people ask someone about my name - is she Japanese? No? Is she married to one? No? And since my entire department was Asian and it was assumed I would people would come into my office and ask where I was. Most software guys are more enlightened and get that its Eastern European. I love it now - more often than not, I am asked 'how do you spell that'. I start to spell my last name - and they say, no, how do you spell Lori.
And you're not going to tell us what that name is? I can't believe you'd put us in such suspense!
Love the "old" shot. :) That is quite a shock, isn't it? I have been working on a project for our family that requires sorting through lots of old photos. It has been completely shocking to me.... picture proof that not only am *I* getting (and looking) older, but all my baby nieces and nephews are growing up, too. How did that happen??? I still *FEEL* 25. Doesn't that count???
By the way - cool site on surnames. And I am mulling over what a Slovakian name that sounds/looks like Japanese could possibly be. :) Fun.
WHAT?! This is so not right that you don't tell us.
How about Zavodny -- Zav-od'-ny. Though in Oklahoma we have always pronounced it Za-vod'-ny.
Bunch of Slovaks, or maybe Moravians trying to pass as Slovaks, because that was seen as way more cool.
Grandma was a Mikes, changed to Mickish to be more American (how that's more American, I do not know). They were from Lahota, Bohemia & Hrustin, Hungary.
My people probably knew your people. Maybe they traded around their diaries because they didn't have electricity for their blogs.
My maiden name is very unusual to say the least. The only people with my maiden name are people that I know. lol
Oh I wish I had time to volunteer at our library. They sure do work hard for us as well!!
Enjoy the day!
Laura
Well I'll leave disclosure up to Kris - I was just happy that we were not among the Jacko's or Buckos or other Slovak/Moravians that I've come across - Placko, Packo....
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