John Hancock

So here's the thing.

I am pJ Boyd. Patrick, James (the bullet) Boyd.......... hahaha - no bullet.... BUT wouldn't that be cool?

Or how about - PJay the Rain in Spain Boyd!!! OUI OUI?! --- They speak dutch in Spain right?


But over the years - and when I say years I mean the entirety of my life - I have been given nicknames. Going into Kindergarten I was just simply - Patrick Boyd. The young cute - short little white boy whom has dimples that could melt your ice cream into a cup - re freeze itself - and then be in my hand to eat it and then of course have it drop on the floor as I do a child's single tear in the most adorable way possible at people wanting to cuddle me from my pain.


Then of course - come SENIOR Kindergarten - my father - picking me up on the odd days - yet oddly ALWAYS sticking out in my mind - called me PJ............ That's where it came from... Sure sure any monkey or junky could think up calling me PJ after hearing my full name had "Patrick James" in it! BUT - it was me being let out into the small courtyard all fenced up for us young-ens and me running up to my father (Gord) and him simply reaching out and saying "Hey PJ!!" Who knows - it could have been one of those "I don't care what "the woman" wants to call him - this boy will be a hockey playing Man's man! And I will call him what I want and have him love it too! PJ, it is!!!" - But of course all though I've stuck with the name - I hardly watch sports enough to love it - I train and study in Musical Theater - and I own about every chick flick known to man....ahemm.... Woman......


But that's where PJ is from. I think that's why it never faded. Sure, it's a fun name - not to many people go by it. But for me - there is a bit more significance to it then just simply being a way to sign my name.


Which oddly enough for those who know me - KNOW- that I sign my name - P@ Boyd.... But in a nicer way. The "@" overlapping the "P" and the Boyd being as messing as a greasy 14 year old boys hair. BUT that's "how I do".


PJ has been me for my entire life. And as I grew up - and as puberty - and my "apparent" subtle Irish accent hit - it became harder to understand as I introduced myself....


"Hi I'm PJ!"
"Peter?"
"No no, PJ"
"PerrJay?"
"PEEEE - JAAYYY"
"OH! Alright Josh nice to meet you!"
"sighh"


But amidst the confusion - I've cared less - so I have stuck with PJ for my whole life.


And of course this NOW replacing my name of PATRICK - other nicknames for me begun to sprung up like a groundhogs.


One of my earlier ones was "Spade" - hahaha - This was my GRAFFITI name. My good friend whom which I haven't seen in sooo long I hate it (Micheal Valentine) - vacationed together with our family's. (On a side note - know that my family ONLY ever vacationed to Myrtle Beach South Carolina & Disney World Orlando Florida).


So IN one of our Myrtle Beach vacations (we usually do Disney as a solo family - we take out fun at Disney quite seriously) myself and Mike were in the pool. We were unseperable at this point in our lives - and while we had to switch hotels due to tooo much renovation happening in our usual hotel "The Patricia Grand" - we stayed in the "Camalot Hotel" which was brand new that year. BUT in the pool - conversations hit inbetween our competitions of "who can hold their breath under water the longest" or the "what am I saying under water" - we decided to give each other nick names.


He was "Ace"
And I was "Spade"


At the time our friend and still the COOLEST guy I know - who on a side note looks sublty like "Jason Mraz" - my partner in crime diss agrees with me - Matt Donne was into and REALLY great at "Graffitti". And in an attempt to become the next cool gangsta and tag our wicked rad graffitti names everywhere - we gave ourselves these names..... Take in mind I would have only been about 11 - and he was 10.


That faded for us by the time we hit the roads back to Canada.


And then the years past. We both went to Camp - "Ontario Pioneer Camp" - as young kids - and due to me being older - ended first and decided to become a staff member. This "Leader in Training" program (LIT) was a great experience. Although not the "overwhelming spiritual" journey as I thought and was told it would be - NOT due to my leader - whom which I owe soo much of my strength in faith to (matt W.) But it didn't rock my world as I would have hoped it to.


Within this LIT training - you go on a canoe trip with a small percentage of the people doing the training. This is done to of course to bring the groups closer together - to open them up in a small group and get them comfortable to grow in both a spiritual and of a stronger and more stable way to take care of children at the young ages of 16/17.


The first nickname I got was - "Che". This was my FAVORITE thing ever! haha. This came around a little oddly. Within this 3/4 day Canoe trip I ALWAYS sat in "The Princess Seat". Now to those of you who are not the "survivor" type - "the princess seat" is the seat right at the front of the canoe. Pretty much the seat which needs the less amount of effort while rowing. hahaha. I was very comfortable up there. Of course this was noticed. Not hard not to. And our "tripper" the one of course Trained to canoe us around safely - thought it'd be funny to call me "Princess"........ "yeaaahhhh thats not happening" hahaha. So as cool as that COULD(?) have been - she suggested "Princhepessa" - (apologies if I spelt it wrong) - but this was "Princess" in Italian.... She had just spent a year in Italy.... Go figure.... But "Princhepessa" was a little toooo long for a name - so she shortend it down to "Che".


I went by "Che" for the rest of our trip and for the rest of our "LIT" training. But of course my great friend and fearless leader Matt "rev" W. Was on a mission to name me something better. How could I not let him? He meant a lot to me and this meant a lot to him - soo this was happening. And amidst all the names I could have been called - ALONG with his obsession (and I mean obsession) with the movie "Top Gun" and naming people from that movie - He knighted me as "Hollywood".


This worked perfectly due to my acting and film studying and knowledge.


That's my name every summer as I go up to camp. "hollywood" - I love it and it will always be a part of me in both THAT significant way - and because in many ways I'm just a straight up DIVA! hahaha.


And now - as I sign my name - I think it loooooks a lot cooler - to write my name as pJ. hahaha I know I know REALLY lame...... I personally think it looks a lot cooler than PJ. But to be a bit more DEEPER I spell it as soo to SOMEWHAT symbolise the capitol "J" holding up the "P"...... Now for my partner in crime who will read this later - DO NOT get all cocky with me - but I like to think that "J" holds me up when I'm down. And the way the J scoops the rounded end of a lower case "p" I think it works great...................... yeaaahhhh shut up hahaha.


But this is me. This is who I am...... Now among the few stories that I seem to repeat to my dearest friend Jackie Jay allll the time over and over again to show how crappy my memory is - FOR THE LIFE OF ME - I am terrible with names....... Names that are not mine of course :



-Mission 22- Timone: "Oh, whats in a name!?"


I have always been really bad at names. I never thought I was. I just assumed I was pretty stellar - BUT - as of late I have noticed more and more that I really am just getting out of hand with the lack of names I know.


On weekends I work as a Film/Photography teacher to rich children whom parents want rid of them in the morning - and although I work with these children during 9 week periods at a time - I have told them straight off - "Although you may learn something - and remember these classes always - I probably will not know your name next weekend. Or the next." - I even do this in the summer time when I work at a Film Camp where I see these children non stop every day for weeks at a time - I DO NOT remember too many of them.... Now this isn't because I do not care about these children or watch out for them......... But Jimmy is called Paul by the end of the week - the short little black kid who called me "dumb dumb" is then named "night at the museum" - and the short sad looking girl is named "eeyore". When I am at "OPC" being a camp councilor I seem to be a tad better at remembering kids names because of the HOURS and HOURS with them non stop - eating beside them - sleeping in the next bunk - and FORCING them to at LEAST jump in the lake to get some sort of batheing before their parents pick them up at the end of the week!!!


But not just children - no more than - YESTERDAY - was I introducing myself to some really stellar people whom I will be working with this summer - But within 5 minutes I couldn't even point out to you who they were. Sigh.... I don't know if that was just simply I couldn't remember - OR - I'm just a jerk..... But if I saw them I know I would be able to be like ..... "HEY.....You!"..... But thats about it.


Call me what you will. I know I know - I should try harder - and I will. This is my mission - this is my "What's in a name" mission where I will try to be better at remembering names - especially those of who I will be working with the ENTIRE summer. It's going to happen..... And please to those of you who don't see me too often try and contact me and say - "HEY! Who am I!?" For starters it'll say who you are as I get the messege - so it'll be of no use - and secondly I will probably ask to see your wallet.


So my mission is clear - I will remember you ALLLL...... Slash - see a TON of really cool wallets.


signed..................... you know..........ahem.