So it wasn’t so long ago that a very kind and thoughtful writer made a point of passing along writing opportunities to folks like Gentry* and myself. It’s nice to complete that circle (albeit in a minor way) by helping point other folks along.
I’m hesitant to say “the next generation,” because I’m just a blip on the horizon myself. It’s easy to remember what it was like to be small when you are small. :)
When I was in college I used to organize “No-Pro Road Shows.” We’d toss our decks in the back of Rob’s car (since he was the only one who had a car) and strike out for new places to skate. We were never any good, which explains the “No-Pro(fessional)” part, but we always had a great time. (Even when we blew out a tire in a blizzard on top of Donnor Pass.)
I wonder if it is worth having a No-Pro Show for GenCon. Get all us nobodies together for some carousing. Of course, all the Names are welcome too, if they’re looking to do some slumming. ;)
*BTW, how cool is it to have a name meaning “the social class ranking just below the aristocracy; consisting of families who are not of noble birth but are entitled to have a coat of arms.”
What’s your coat of arms, Ed?
3 comments:
Hey, *I* have a coat of arms for my family. I believe LaSala is a derivite of an Italian word for "palace."
How's THAT for pompous? :)
But yeah, some guys have all the luck. He might as well be named Ed Noble.
Jeff,
That's great. Do you have a digital image of your coat of arms?
Blame it on my recent immersion into the 16th century, but I feel constrained to point out there is no such thing as a "family coat of arms" or a "family crest." Arms pertain to individuals, not families.
The good news is that anyone bearing a given surname is entitled to use the family badge, which is the crest (in its original meaning, the figure placed above the helm on the coat of arms, NOT the entire coat-of-arms design) surrounded by a buckled belt. This is frequently accompanied by the motto.
Since Americans don't hold titles, we are not bound by laws of heraldry and do not, in fact, bother ourselves overmuch with the particulars. This, plus all the gift shops and online sites erroniously hawking "family crests" ("crest" is often used interchangeably with "coat of arms," though its original meaning was more specific), leaves us with the impression that a coat of arms can be assumed by anyone who bears a given surname. Not so.
The Cunningham coat of arms pertains to the Earl of Glencairn. (Alas, there is no current Earl; the title became dormant with the death of John Cunningham, the 15th Earl of Glencairn, in 1796.) Unless there's more to my husband's family history than I know about, my sons can only display the Cunningham badge: a unicorn head surrounded by a buckled belt.
So, bringing it on home: If Ed wants a coat of arms, there are two ways he can go about it. He could do some heavy-duty geneological research to ascertain whether or not he's entitled to inherit arms granted to an ancester, or he could apply for his own coat of arms, which he would then pass down to his descendants.
Yeah, I know--too much information. :)
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