Multitude of Joy
So last Friday, during pesach, Joy[1] and I went to a Matza Brei[2] party at a friend's apartment. At one point I noticed someone who I didn't know, who wasn't really talking to anyone. Now, I'm not normally the most outgoing of people, but I thought it would be nice to include her in conversation. So I basically said, "Hi, my name is Goljerp". She said, "Hi, my name is Joy[1]." "Ah," I said, "let me introduce you to my wife Joy[1]. Joy[1], this is Joy[3]." Joy and Joy discussed what it is like being named Joy[1] a bit, and they talked about the names that people call them by mistake instead of their actual names. Then my mind nearly exploded. But I need to digress a bit to explain why. Joy (my wife) doesn't have the same last name as me.[4] Let's pretend her last name is Wood.[1] For some reason, many people mistake her last name for Wool[1]. It's close (many similar letters, begins with a W, two Os), but not really the same. So Joy and I joke that there's a Joy Wool somewhere out there who's being invited to various events. Why is this relevant? Joy (not my wife) said, on the topic of people messing up her name, "... and My last name is just 4 letters long, and people mess it up all the time!" For a minute I thought that this was the notorious Joy Wool who we joke about. But no, she had a different last name. What a relief! Like (my) Joy, she is a history teacher, so Joy and Joy had a lot to talk about, even though she isn't Joy's doppelganger.
[1] Not her actual name
[2] A dish made with Matzah and Eggs, fried. The ratio of Matzah to eggs and the other seasonings can vary; in fact, that's actually the point of the party: everyone is encouraged to make their own family's recipe. They range from "french toast with matzah instead of bread" to "scrambled eggs with matzah" to... well, nobody (that I've noticed) has gotten really wacky, but you get the idea.
[3] In case it's too confusing, Joy and Joy have the same name, although it's still not Joy.
[4] At least, not right now. At some point she intends to change it. I believe her. I also know that she's not in a rush, and that's fine with me.
[1] Not her actual name
[2] A dish made with Matzah and Eggs, fried. The ratio of Matzah to eggs and the other seasonings can vary; in fact, that's actually the point of the party: everyone is encouraged to make their own family's recipe. They range from "french toast with matzah instead of bread" to "scrambled eggs with matzah" to... well, nobody (that I've noticed) has gotten really wacky, but you get the idea.
[3] In case it's too confusing, Joy and Joy have the same name, although it's still not Joy.
[4] At least, not right now. At some point she intends to change it. I believe her. I also know that she's not in a rush, and that's fine with me.