Lola by Todd Clark for February 19, 2025

If you think “Rhiannon” is bad, what about Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff. Can you imaging the trouble he must have had as a kid trying to tell people how to spell or pronounce his last name?

When I was much younger, I read a version of the Mabinogeon (?) where the goddess was referenced as Rhiannon of the birds.

Her name isn’t that hard. Just start singing Fleetwood Mac.

I have a short, but German, last name and about 1% of everybody gets it right either spelling or pronouncing it.

Our school once had a student whose first name was Sioban. It’s a pretty Gaelic name. But sadly, it doesn’t fit too well with English. She usually had to explain politely how to pronounce it.

Does Rhiannon’s family come from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?

And where’s her horsie?

Well Lola is as old as the Goddess Rhiannon, for whom the Fleetwood Mac song was written, so she should know how to pronounce it right.

When your mother gives you a funky name, ya got to deal with it.

Someone’s a Fleetwood Mac fan

She-annon? Shannon? Cheyannon …