Hi,
This does not have much to do with swimming, but I was just wondering how people come up with their handles (your alias that you use for your name). Do you have a specific meaning or did somebody just give you this nickname?
Mine was given partially tot me by my brother-in-law, who thought that hans was a Dutch name (i am Dutch) and I like James bond, although he is a bad swimmer...
Parents
Former Member
Well, like Bert, I was given my handle by my parents. But there is a story there . . .
You see, my father grew up in the *really* backwoods of the Tennessee hills. As near as I can tell, they really did not have names, and he was only called 'John's boy,' that being his father's name (and about everyone else's.) Anyway, he liked to hunt raccoons, and thought himself pretty good at it, so tried to go by the handle 'Raccoon.' But he was not a very good shot, and kept hitting the back end of the animal, rather than the end that counted, so his people called him 'Ar(s)coon.' After he escaped from that place, he became a Quaker, who don't really approve of words like that, *or* hunting, so he changed his name to 'Arcune,' to kind of cover up the origins of the name. Then, when he registered to drive, either his handwriting was bad, or he was a bad, TallPaul like speller, and his handle ended up 'Arcuni.'
That is my family name. The rest of it happened like this: My mom and dad were missionaries in Africa. They left me when I was an infant, briefly, on the riverside. Along came an hippopotamus and ate me. Well, despite the fact that more large-animal-caused deaths occur from hippos in Africa than any other animal, they really are vegetarians, and this one spit me out. Actually, I think I either tasted or smelled bad. But for a while after that I was called 'filled d'hippo' by lots of the people there. Then my parents were archeologists in northern Africa, examining ancient greek ruins. My mom, feeling sorry for me because of the name I had, and because of her love of Greeks and the Greek language, shortened my name to 'Philip,' which means 'lover of hippos.' My mom was always a soft touch.
That is my story, and I am sticking to it.
Well, like Bert, I was given my handle by my parents. But there is a story there . . .
You see, my father grew up in the *really* backwoods of the Tennessee hills. As near as I can tell, they really did not have names, and he was only called 'John's boy,' that being his father's name (and about everyone else's.) Anyway, he liked to hunt raccoons, and thought himself pretty good at it, so tried to go by the handle 'Raccoon.' But he was not a very good shot, and kept hitting the back end of the animal, rather than the end that counted, so his people called him 'Ar(s)coon.' After he escaped from that place, he became a Quaker, who don't really approve of words like that, *or* hunting, so he changed his name to 'Arcune,' to kind of cover up the origins of the name. Then, when he registered to drive, either his handwriting was bad, or he was a bad, TallPaul like speller, and his handle ended up 'Arcuni.'
That is my family name. The rest of it happened like this: My mom and dad were missionaries in Africa. They left me when I was an infant, briefly, on the riverside. Along came an hippopotamus and ate me. Well, despite the fact that more large-animal-caused deaths occur from hippos in Africa than any other animal, they really are vegetarians, and this one spit me out. Actually, I think I either tasted or smelled bad. But for a while after that I was called 'filled d'hippo' by lots of the people there. Then my parents were archeologists in northern Africa, examining ancient greek ruins. My mom, feeling sorry for me because of the name I had, and because of her love of Greeks and the Greek language, shortened my name to 'Philip,' which means 'lover of hippos.' My mom was always a soft touch.
That is my story, and I am sticking to it.
