It's NOT Just A Name

I was at the SGI office today inquiring about getting a Rider licence plate {cuz that's the way I wanna role, boys & girls}.  Those of you who know me are aware that I have had personalized plates for years ~ literally YEARS, like over 10!  Those FLINT plates have been on 4 vehicles & counting...


The FLINT plates started on my first car, a nice reliant automobile.  When I sold the car, we put the plates on our first SUV. I wanted to keep the plates active so no one else could get them ~ you understand?  But the vehicle was only registered in Puffy's name.  What a gong show!  After a flurry of faxes {yes, this was before the advent & universal spread of email} explaining that I wanted to transfer the plates over to Puffy, we finally sorted it all out & life was good again. 


Okay, so that was the back story, all right?  Everyone up to speed?  Then we will continue.


I went down to find out about getting the FLINT plates as a Rider plate {I like the Riders a teeny, tiny, wee, little bit.  FYI.}  Turns out, not as easy as cutting a cheque ~ that's olden days speak for payin' up.  I want to get the plate, plus I want to put the plate on The Bullet, which I am slowly turning into a RiderMobile.  This is where the difficulty lies, as the plate is now officially "Puffy's" and The Bullet is officially "mine".  I don't understand why we just can't switch plates, but whatever.  SGI & the stoopid lady that works there are just being bitches.  Stoopid bitches.


As I am standing there, we start to fill out the form for the new personalized plate that I'll need, & she says, whilst looking at Puffy's info on her computer, "Oh, well the last name is the same," & starts to write "Kracker" on the form.  I say, "Uh, no it's not.  It is Flintstone, thank you very much.  There are enough Krackers in the world, without me becoming one, too."


There are, boys & girls.  At last count, over 80 in just HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY!  Granted, not all of them have the Kracker last name, but still....


That's when this stoopid, stoopid man waiting his turn pipes up & lets this intellectual little gem flow out his piehole, "Why not?  It's just a name."




It's at this point in my story that my head spun around & my mouth got all pinched like Carol Burnett's Eunice ~ it was The Exorcist of Momma's Family.  True story.




I whipped my head around at him, eyes narrowed like a gunslinger & said, "Just a name?!?!?!  So, when you get married, you will be taking your wife's name then?"


"NO!" he blurted out.


"Why not?" I said sweetly.  "It's just a name."


"Well,  well... that's just not the way it's done," he blustered.


"Uh huh.  Well, that's not the way I do things," I said, dismissively & turned back to the counter.


Here's what I WANTED to say ~
"Listen up, fucker!  You obviously have been wandering around deaf, dumb, & blind cuz you've completely & utterly missed the 21st century & a crazy little movement called "Women's Lib".  You're over 50 and never had a girlfriend that anyone has ever seen {that wasn't made of rubber},  and if, IF by some strange weird alignment of the stars a miraculous thing happens & some poor, desperate woman agrees to marry you, you better thank those lucky stars & bow down before her sporting a new last name whilst cleaning her feet in a loving manner."


I married at 35, with a fully developed identity of my own. My name is not only linked to my identity & vice versa, but it is my brand.  I AM Wilma Flintstone {or reasonable facsimile thereof}.  Everyone knows me as Wilma Flintstone.  Everyone will keep calling me Wilma Flintstone.  Why the hell would I want to go through the myriad hassle of changing my name?  Just cuz it is tradition?  Screw that!  


Traditions can be comforting, but also constricting.  If we cling hard to tradition, we may miss other wonderful opportunities.  We miss a chance for growth, for learning, for personal development.  There is reassurance in tradition, but we should not allow tradition to take over for common sense.  We should not blindly accept things & situations because tradition dictates it without first understanding where the tradition comes from & why things are done that way.  We need to insist on being informed traditionalists {if that's the way you want to roll}; otherwise we are just sheep following the rest of the flock without independent thought.  "That's the way it's always been done" is, IMHO, the worst excuse/reason for doing anything.


Let us not forget, segregation was a tradition, as was women not being allowed to vote or patronize bars.& let's face it, we all know a few bars that need, nay DESERVE patronizing!

Puffy's cousin has been married 3 times.  She has had 4 last names.  



That's one tradition that I can ~ & did ~ do without.