WHAT'S IN A NAME
Take Notice World: My friend, formerly known as Dave Andrews, is now Dave Yoshida. He has taken the sir-name of his partner Clyde.

My mind zoomed off into a speculation about what's involved in reinventing oneself, or at least renaming oneself: How much of what and who we are is the result of what we are called, who people tell us we are? My own first name is Luther. I can’t help but wonder what seventy-four years of being Oliver or Henry or Thomas would have made me. Jerral is spelled strangely. What difference would it have made in who I am if the name by which I am called had been spelled Gerald? Even the spell-check software on my word processing program acknowledges the correctness of Gerald but doesn’t recognize Jerral. When I type my name, the computer always puts a little row of red dots below it to remind me that it is wrong. The only other Jerral that I’ve ever known is my son, David Jerral; and, of course, Margaret and I gave him that name for the same reason, I guess, that I was given the name Luther... My father, who was called Luke, was Luther. What if I were Oliver Jerral Miles, or Henry Gerald Miles, or Thomas Jerry Myles. Would I be who I am. What difference does a name make.

Everybody knows what Shakespeare said about a name: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Of course, Juliet said it about Romeo, but she was young and in love. What did she know?

Back to Dave Yoshida: Dave has a fine business. His business, like his name, is of his own making. He keeps the books for a variety for companies, both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. He has taken a load off my mind for several years by doing my income taxes. I will be as confident that Dave Yoshida is the right person for the job as I was when Dave Andrews was the go-between in my relationship with the United States Internal Revenue Service and the State of California. Mr. Yoshida can be reached at (619) 220-0375.