This week's question is: Have you ever had a nickname?
By Tom Peterson
Welcome to Question of the Week, a weekly news column that poses timely questions about life, politics, culture, economics, health, and more, to people out and about in our communities. Our hope at CCC News is that having this space dedicated to being curious about other people’s experiences can help us to deepen our understanding of people from all walks of life.
This week's question is: Have you ever had a nickname?
Chris Bloniarz, (I forgot to ask his age. But I’m 53 and he’s in my neighborhood), The Dalles
“I had two nicknames in high school,” said Chris. “They called me Dr. D. because I could never dribble inside. The only thing I could do was shoot 3-point shots.”
“They also called me Boober after the character in Fragile Rock,” he said.
“Boober does not like fun and games and spends most of his time worrying about doom and disease. When he's not worrying about himself, he's busy warning others, according to Muppetfandom.com
“They had me either way as a Boober because they got to call me boob.”
You may recognize Chris from a couple of walks of life.
He’s button down when it comes to Title Insurance, but when the lights hit the stage, he’s out there and upfront.
Chris said he spent a lot of years playing with recovery groups and around campfires and small gatherings. But he got a shot to tour with Al Hare in Brewer’s Grade, singing and playing bass a while back, and it opened a lot of doors for him.
You might also recognize him from School bOi an AC/DC tribute band. Chris and School bOi are set to hit the stage at the Wasco County Fair on Aug. 18th at 10 p.m. after the rodeo.
For those about to Buck and Rock, we salute you. Go get ‘em Chris!
Gary Atkinson, Vancouver Washington
We ran into Gary while looking at a car in the former Thomas Motors lot Near Dinty’s and Sinclair Fuel in East The Dalles.
“My friends called me Buda in high school,” he said, noting he went to Evergreen High In Vancouver, years before recently opening the Auto Sales Business in The Dalles.“ That’s because I had a potbelly.”
Atkinson said he later learned that he actually had a torn stomach lining, which caused his stomach to stick out like a basketball. But he struggled for years before an Oregon Health Sciences University Dr. Robert Martindale figured it out and surgically repaired it two months later.
“The doctor was like House,” he said of the television show character. “He was just like that guy. He said ‘I know everything wrong that is going on with you, and I can fix you.’”
“I had been dealing with this since I was 25 years old,” he said, noting he had four separate stomach infections when Dr. Martindale resolved his issue.
“I was 54 when he figured it out. It’s been two years, and I am infection free. And my stomach does not look like a basketball.”
Hannah Kortge, 18, The Dalles
“My family has called me Hannah Bean forever,” she said. “It just happened that way.”
“At school, they call me shopping kart. They call my cousin Jake Nas Kart and my brother Cole, go-kart and now, I am shopping kart.”
Alexus Morris, 22, The Dalles
“I do have one,” said Alexus. “When I was in middle school my grandma Vickie called me.”
“I was hanging out with my friend group from Wy’east Middle School. My grandma talks real loud. And my cell phone rang and I thought I should answer it. So, I did, and she was talking so loud and she called me Pum’kin. And all my friends could all hear it because she was talking so loud.”
And that was it. Alexus was Pum’kin for the rest of her middle school career.
“Maybe I should have ignored that call,” she said laughing.
Austin - no last name or photo required- 22, Hood River
“My dad calls me Frosty,” he said outside of Helping Hands in Downtown The Dalles. “At first it was Aust then it changed to Frost and then it morphed into Frosty. He calls me that when he wants me to feel embarrassed. It started when I was really little. It’s kind of a mom-and-dad thing.”
Suzette Flint, 68, The Dalles
“My name is Suzette, but nobody ever calls me that,” Suzette said. “So, they say Susie Q or Suzanne. They hardly ever call you by your real name. When I was younger I didn’t like my name. In school, there was never anybody that had that name. They were always Suzie. But being called Suzie is not the worst thing, so I thought it’s OK to be called Suzie, do you know what I mean? So, I didn’t really like my name but when I got older and grew into my own skin, I really liked it,” she said.
Paul Dempsey The III, 58, Tygh Valley
“My name is Paul,” said Paul. “But everybody called me P-Paul because I was the third Paul in my family. My sister called me Pollywog, but I don’t know why.”
Paul said he was born in Missouri and his grandma hinted to him that he was likely related to Samuel Clemens or Mark Twain, - Clemens was his grandmother’s maiden name. If this is a tall tale, Clemens or not, Paul had me listening like a kid willing to pay Tom Sawyer to paint a fence.
“What’s your name,” he asked.
“Tom Peterson,” I responded.
“Tom Peterson, like that guy in Portland,” he queried with a smile.
“Yes, but no flat top yet,” I said, eluding to his point that I share the same name with the iconic furniture salesmen.
P-Paul had dialed in on something here. That my real name evoked a whole slew of slogans and images without even being a nickname. Damn you, Oregon! You’ve got my number.
“Wake up to a happy day,” I said on cue. “Free is a very good price. Now, that’s Tom Peterson.”
“I used to pump his gas on 82nd and Foster in Portland,” P-Paul said. “He and Gloria would come in. Them and Rod Anders. You know, Ramblin Rod?”
He was referring to the TV show for kids in Portland where parents could take their children in to watch cartoons and be on TV with Ramblin Rod on their birthday.
Not to be outdone, I had to pull a “Rowdy” Roddy Piper name drop. He was a staple of Portland’s Big Time Wrestling which Tom Peterson sponsored heavily. I believe Big Time came to Kurtz Gym in TD on occasion back in those days.
“My wife used to serve “Rowdy” Roddy’s kids ice cream at the Dairy Queen in Hillsboro in the 80s,” I boasted.
This Just in: Update on what was your first car?
Dani Velar, 36, The Dalles remembers the make and model of the first car she liked from a question several weeks ago. She told us she woke up at 3 a.m. and the model magically came to her.
“I really loved the car after that. We called it the Res Runner. I got it for $100. It was red, and I could drive to Yakima, Tri-Cities, and back to Sunnyside, and I only had to fill it up every three weeks,” Dani told us a few weeks ago. “It was great. It was a five-speed with no reverse. I would stick my foot out and push it back to go in reverse. The car was made in ‘86. I can’t remember the name of it.”
Not until now…
Nissan Pulsar NX with pop up headlights. Brain worm, you are officially, pinned and wriggling against the wall!
