Toothpaste

People often ask who I'm named after, where I got my name or what my name means. I've asked these same questions of my mother many times. Surprisingly, I got different answers - and they seemed to differ according to the age I was at the time I asked the question.

For instance, my first memory of asking produced the answer, "I had a doll named Kopana."

Next came, "You know how little girls like to change the letters of words and make new words? I had a doll named Kopana."

Followed by, "There was a popular toothpaste when I was young called Ipana Toothpaste. You know how little girls like to change the letters of words to make new words? Ipana Kopana."

NOTE: For those too young to remember Ipana (45-ish or younger) you may have instead seen the movie Grease. There is a scene in which the girls have a sleepover at Frenchy's. On TV is an Ipana Commercial....sing along: "brusha, brusha, brusha, new Ipana toothpaste...."

And then there's my own theory; the theory mom would never fess-up to even if I was right. Before she married dad she was engaged to a Hawaiian. I don't know his name (she's only mentioned him once in my 43 years) but there is a common Hawaiian male name "Kaapana ". (In fact, there's a famous slack key and ukulele master named Led Kaapana ledkaapana.com) Am I a leftover from a romance gone asunder? I think it entirely possible....especially since she'd had 20+ years of rearranging letters to make new words by that time.

Still - nothing sounds as good as being named after a toothpaste!

more names

Here's a good one for ya - remember back years ago before everyone had a cell phone? Back when you made collect calls? Back when dialing zero got a live human being? (Does it still get you a human on the first ring?) Anyway, back "then".....I was traveling a lot and needed to call home. I made a collect call to my mother.

Operator: "Operator. How may I direct your call?"
Me: "Collect from Kopana"
Operator: "One moment"

ring......ring......ring......

Mom: "Hello?"
Operator: "I have a collect call from Chrysler, will you accept?"
Mom: laughter......
Operator: "Ma'am, will you accept the charges?"
Mom: "Yes" more laughter.....
Operator: "Go ahead"
Mom: "Chrysler?" laughter........
Me: "We haven't heard that one yet!"

hello friends

It's far too late at night after a harrowing Monday (aren't they all?) to build a blog but here I am.

What's in a name, you ask? You tell me! With a name like Kopana, trust me, I hear all kinds. Mis-spellings are fun, too. The latest is Kotana which sounds strangely like a feminine hygiene product laced with the scent of banana- I told you it was too late to do this.

I'll share more bastardized mis-spellings later - there's plenty.