I changed my name - or did I?

This evening I was reading through Connie's and my blog posts and noticed that I had started the blog under a different name. I had forgotten that I did that. I thought "I wonder if any one cares about the story behind the name. Also, I realized that I have a story for this weeks journaling class. The assignment for this week is "what have you been carrying?" It occurred to me that I have been carrying the wrong name on the right person or the right name on the wrong person all of my life. I could name this article "Now, Here's the Rest of the Story" as a memorial to Paul Harvey, God rest his soul. I loved his program and his great voice. God how I pray that if I ever get to heaven I will be somewhere near Paul and get to listen to him tell stories. Now that would really be heaven. Last year I wrote an article for class about the book "Catch 22" and how it was originally supposed to be titled "Catch 18". The name was changed to "Catch 22" because of another book that had just been published with "18" as part of it's title. I found that to be interesting because it raised the issue in my mind of whether the book would have been the same with the title of "Catch 18". My guess is that the book would have been just as successful but the title "Catch 18" would have never become a household cliche like "Catch 22" has. I still cannot imagine anyone saying "that's a "Catch 18". 18 does not have the looping qualities that 22 does and after all what is a "Catch 22" but a never ending loop. Thinking about "Catch 22" started my thinking about my name. Am I really who I think I am or am I really someone else in disguise? Am I the last of the Battys or am I the first of the Beattys. You see, My father's name was Cecil B a t t y, an English name pronounced to rhyme with "bait". However, when he grew up the people in his local community pronounced it to rhyme with bat and they were called the"Batty" family (rhyming with BAT). Half of the family threw in the hat and called themselves the Batty family. The other half dug in their heels and insisted on Batty ( like bait) not Batty ( like bat). My father was part of the Batty (like bait) clan. Being called Batty (like bat) bothered him so much that when he named me and my siblings he put the name of B e a t t y (rhyming with bait) on our birth certificates. To further confuse the issue my father filled in my birth certificate and named me George Stanley Beatty. The name of George being in honor of my grandfather George I. Batty. Now I should have been called George but, due to his smoking and drinking, my mother did not like old George I. Batty so she refused call me George. Hence, instead of being George Stanley Batty, I became Stanley George Beatty. Now some of the things I write I sign GS Batty and others I sign SG Beatty just to see which one can write the best. I have to wonder if George Stanley Batty would have become the same person as Stanley George Beatty. I have to believe he would have, but probably not quite as loopy. GS Batty or SG Beatty (which ever you prefer)