Thursday, December 4. 2025
I met a kid with an unusual name today and asked him if he knew what inspired his parents. He was happy to share that they named him after a character in a movie I had never heard of. I looked it up – it’s from 1986 and has a character with the same name, albeit spelled differently (parents went with more traditional spelling of the word). We chatted it up for a while before class started, then I asked the kid next to him his name.
Brody.
“Oh!” I said enthusiastically. “You’re named after a movie character, too. Chief Brody from JAWS. I love that movie. It is so good.”
Other kid joined in, “Me, too. Sharks are so cool.”
Brody gave me a wrinkled forehead look. “I’ve never seen JAWS.”
“Nor should you have! You are 12. It’s a movie with ***SPOILERS**** a man-eating shark. But it’s so cool that I have decided you are named after the chief. Great character. Great movie.”
Other kid: “Isn’t it great to have a movie name?”
Brody was still shellshocked, “I don’t think…”
“No, no, reality has nothing to do with this. I have decided and I love it so much. You are named after a character in the 50 year old classic, JAWS. You should tell your parents.”
Other kid, “Yeah, it is a great movie. Is it really 50 years old? That is old.”
“I know, but it stands up! I watched it this summer and still enjoyed it.”
Other kid to Brody, “Should we maybe start calling you Chief? That would be a cool name.”
Body, “No.”
Other kid, “Okay, but let me know if you want to because I can tell people.”
The bell rang and class started. I called him “Brody-named-after-Chief Brody” a couple times. He is very, very confused. I will check in tomorrow to see if he alerted his parents to his new origin story. I love an origin story.
The POTD is from one of the myriad backgrounds from the Collide Dance Company’s Holiday Spectacular. I have some awful, blurry take-a-bow pictures that I am not inflicting on you. This is all I have. Those people are very skilled and very talented. Wow.
Vision update: Left eye is still pretty blurry, but is clearing up a bit. I can tell there is typing on the screen when I close my right eye, which is way better than just the beginning of the week when it was just a white glow. Yay healing.