relatively speaking
November 18, 2005
the problem with having a cambodian name (sotheavy) in texas is that none of the honkies can pronounce or remember it. i'll say it, they'll say "what?" lather, rinse, and repeat. oddly enough, many people have asked for the spelling, because usually spelling helps, yes? not in this case, sucker!
come to think of it, only one person in my entire life has pronounced it correctly on the first try i heard. it was mrs. hazard, my sixth grade teacher. i was absolutely shocked that she got it right. i looked up at her smug face and was sure she thought hah, hells yeah. i bet she didn't think i'd get that on the first day, sucker!. i know she cheated and asked my fifth grade teacher; she had to have. damn cheater. (no, she was cool. and a cheater.)
a double whammy is when i meet friends of my brother. they're usually the dazed and confused space cadets with too much time and too many video games, and certainly can't remember anything that happens after a five second grace period, much less some foreign and obscure name. to make up for forgetfulness or mispronunciation they name me relative to my brother. hey, little bo... or hey, bo's sister... or hey, i'll just flap my arms to get your attention and then speak directly at you and hopefully you will know that i am talking to you without having to ask your name for the third time.
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