Sunday, April 21, 2013


Pen names, etc.



I got a computerized horoscope back in 1970, roughly a year before I decided to learn astrology for myself. It said that Neptune conjunct the MC would incline me to take a pen name. I never have, but I needed something on Tylnet to distinguish myself from Don McBroom. I got so hurt when people would say how smart and wonderful Don is, and then realize that they didn't mean me.



A co-worker started addressing me as "Donbee" after I would sign forwarded jokes as "Don B." So to Tyl students, I am Donbee, and Don McBroom now uses Don Mc. Oddly, neither of us is named "Donald".



My late wife's birth name was Loreta Gene McLearen. Loreta is pronounced with a long E. So my wife was "Reta Gene" to her family and "Lori" to her friends. In the late 1960s, she actually knew the Beatles and had an affair with George Harrison behind Patti Boyd's back. So she later changed her name, legally, to Georgeanne Harrison. Then she married me and took Borkowski as a surname. And much, much later changed her name back to Lori McClearen.



I should add that during the time she knew the Beatles, she told Paul McCartney that in America, “traffic wardens” were called "meter maids". Paul thought that was so funny, that he teasingly called her "Reta Gene the Meter Maid" and from that hook, a song was born.



Names seem to be a function of both the first and third houses, with each contributing different attributes of names.



Don Borkowski
(503) THE-WASP [843-9277]