Awkward Thursday: The Name Game

Okay, back by popular demand. It is a special Awkward Thursday phone call today.

Super popular demand. You guys love Awkward Thursday.

Yes, yes, the cringe is something that is, you know, really beloved on this show.

It's not that it's Jeff's intro for Thursday.

Of course I see.

I say.

That's yeah, you found the second eight podcast and we're glad you're here. Before we get to it, though, we love to always highlight your comments. Yes, Annie and Matthew said, you guys have become my new addiction. You'll are the first thing I hear in the morning and the last thing I think about when I go to bed. I think I'm in a relationship with this podcast.

Are exclusive?

Oh I don't know.

No, I don't like titles.

Oh yes, I did need to freak out this out.

All right, let's just get to it before I talk to or say too much. Yeah, il y, your brand new Awkward Thursday stords right now.

If your boyfriend says he has a little romantic surprise for you, what are you hoping for? Okay, maybe a candlelight dinner, yeah, trip to Sandals, Jamaica, a salmon protein shake, one glass too strong? Hello, well, one of our listeners says she was not ready for the surprise her boyfriend had in store, and now she needs help figuring out how to get him to take it back and do it without hurting his feelings. You're gonna hear it in your special all New Awkward Thursday phone call right after

Thanks guys, Thank you. Yeah, I need some guidance in this.

Yeah, I mean, Jeff, he's fine.

People who call us are always desperate.

It's okay, Yeah, are you collecting strands of his hair yet?

You know it hasn't gotten that far yet. But based on the story, I don't know. If I did, you probably wouldn't blame me.

Oh what are we solving? Is this a mystery? What's happening?

Going one?

Okay? So basically I have been dating this guy, Thanks Paul. We've been together for about six months or so, and it's been going great until just the other day. Uh oh, brings up this scenario.

Yeah, so it didn't need a sound effect in that another day, whoa, what happened?

What happened?

So anyway, we're having dinner at my apartment the other night and he's like.

Oh, I've got a surprise for you, and so he hands me a piece of paper that he had printed out from like the courts county system or something, and it's a it's a name change.

Form name change like legal to legally change your name. Who my first I was like, oh my gosh, is this like a proposal and.

You're change your last name?

That would be a red flag.

Enough you come together for six months.

And a terrible proposal document.

Well will you notarize this legal document with me?

It's romantic that he went the extra mile to do that for her.

Wait what was it?

Was?

It filled out?

So it was like half filled out. But once I took a look at it, I saw it was his name on the forum and I was like, oh, he wants to change his name okay.

And he basically tells me that he likes my name so much my name is Aaron, that he wants to change his name to.

Aaron too, like the male very double a.

What what's what was your reaction to that?

My first though I thought it was a joke, and yeah, I'm like, I start laughing and I was like, oh my god, wouldn't that be crazy?

He's so serious about it.

And I was like, oh my god.

Are you he wants to go from Paul to Aaron.

Yeah, he wants to legally change his name. And I didn't even know this, but his middle name is Aaron.

Why does he need to legally change anything? Then just go by his middle name.

It seems very dramatic, but that's what he wanted. He wanted to be Aaron and Aaron, to be.

Aaron, Aaron dating and Aaron.

Okay.

So there's red flags here.

I don't know what they are.

Yeah, but it's one of those names when you say it a lot, it starts to not sound like a word.

Okay, personally I like this idea, but I'm sensing in the room and from you yourself, Aaron, that you're not a fan. What what are your qualms about it?

I mean, one, it would be confusing for of all, I mean, who are we referring to?

Right?

And also it's weird.

He's met a lot of my friends.

He just recently met my mom, and now I got to go back and say, like, oh, yes, I know he was Paul, but now just because he wanted us to be Maggie Matchie. Now his name is Aaron, so everyone now call him Aaron.

Let me go through with it.

My dad's name is also Jose.

We go by Big Jose, little Jose. You could go by big aeront Aaron, and I thought was better.

Yes, I still don't understand his reasoning.

Yeah, I don't. He just kept saying that he just really really likes the name, and he calls me by that name all the time, obviously, and he just was saying that he he wanted to also feel that.

Good about it when people would.

Call him by that name. I don't know. It wasn't making.

The name.

You should be flattered in a sense, like he's truly.

Can you continue dating a guy who changed his name to your name?

Do you have the same last name as your husband before you guys got married, so you don't.

Last name?

All right?

Seriously, Obviously you've reached out to us today because this decision on his part is making you feel uncomfortable. But what are you hoping to do with your awkward Thursday phone call?

Well? So he I mean he hasn't changed it officially yet, but he is starting the process, and I just I need advice to stop him from doing that without hurting his feelings.

Okay, you don't want to break up with phone or anything.

You still like him?

Yeah, I mean it's been going really well up until this moment.

Okay.

I mean some say Michael even better if you're both Aaron, But you know it's up to you. It's fine. We can try and help you out when we come back. Yeah some some people some do say that, but we will come up with some advice to give you on how to tell your boyfriend not to change his name to match yours when we come back for your awkward Thursday phone call right after.

This thank you?

Yeah, hold on, it's awkward. It's Thursday.

It's awkward.

Thursday phone call.

Tina Fay, Brad Pitt, Rihanna. All people who decided to publicly go by their middle names and look where they are now? Washed up has beens who will do anything spertly trying to stay in the spotlight.

Ran is like a billionaire.

Yeah, self made only a billionaire. Sad story. And I think we learned from all those examples that going with the middle is a terrible idea. And our listener, Aaron wants to make sure her boyfriend doesn't end up as the next Brad Pitt doesn't want it because his name's Paul, but he wants to start going by his middle name erin which yes, is the exact same as his girlfriend, just slightly different spelling. And our listener, Aaron doesn't want that to happen.

It's strange.

Yeah, and luckily he hasn't done it officially yet. But I do want to just get a little clarification, Aaron, is he legally wanting to change his name to Aaron Aaron or what?

Oh?

Okay? No?

So he basically he just wants to.

Swap his first and middle name legally.

Okay, he wants.

To be Aaron like the guy from Baking Bad, Right.

Yeah, his career has not gone well since the end of breaking his Heisenberg. He missed the window exactly. So again, Aaron needs advice on how to stop her boyfriend from changing his name. Jose, what do you have for her?

A person's name is a big thing, right, It's not their identity, but it can be your personality.

Oh for sure, I feel Brook, yes, in my soul.

So just tell him, like things are going so good right now. If you change major things like this, you're worried it's gonna hurt the relationship.

Okay, that's good. Threaten him with a bad future.

Okay, Well I'm all about, you know me, compromise in a relationship.

Brook to a t.

So, Aaron, how would you feel about just calling him Aaron in private?

Like a dirty secret?

Like listen, honey, you just keep Paul and then I'll call you Aaron and that can be our thing.

Family.

That's the weird part.

By the way he's been talking about it, I honestly doubt that it'll go for that. I think he wants it to be like universal, but I'll definitely pitch it.

Okay, well, okay, I mean I would just be careful because if you don't start calling him Aaron in private, one of his coworkers might, and you're into a whole new area of weirdness. But we have the advice out there for you. You can use it if you like to, but really up to you. I'm gonna dial Paul, at least for now, your boyfriend, and then we'll see if he picks up.

Here we go, Hello, Hi, Paul. Yeah, I'm sorry, I think you got the wrong number.

This is Aaron.

Yeah, It's it's me Aron. Hey.

Oh oh hey babe. How's it going?

Hey?

So you know how I was going to come over after work tonight. I don't. I don't think I should come by anymore.

Actually, oh why not, sugar bear.

To be honest, I feel like things have really been going well in our relationships recently, but lately I've just been kind of frustrated and I don't know how to talk to you about it exactly.

Oh, I mean I think it's going well too. Look, whatever is on your mind, you can tell me, because I'm your sugar bear. All right, I'll listen to you. Aaron to Aaron, I'm here, I'm here for you. I'm okay.

Well, okay, that right there, that is what is not sitting well with me.

Wait, what's nuts it me being here for you?

No? No, just you using my name as your name.

Okay. Well, first of all, it's not the same name, because you're Aaron with any and I'm Aaron with an A with two a's, And technically i'm older impact though I actually had the name person. If anyone should be changed the names, probably you. Wait what I was older that my mom gave me that name before your.

Mother gave you this. Well, even you told me that the only reason that you wanted to go by that name was because once we started dating, really like the way that it sounds like it was, the inspiration was from my first name, and.

It was and I thank you for that. I went wow, this person. But I also went wow, I think I'm also that person. I think I think that's me.

The point is, we've been seeing each other for six months now, and my friends think that it's weird. I think that's come on.

They're probably just saying that out of jealousy, because we have a good thing going there and they think it's super cute.

Nobody, unfortunately, thinks it's super cute other than you and mom. Your mom even keeps making this dumb joke about us being Aaron squared and.

I don't want that, but you know what, she loves it so much she might start using it.

Oh now, your mom wants to go by Aaron too.

That's a joke.

What just happened? Are you okay? Oh? Man?

I don't know if she's okay.

Yeah.

Yeah, we're feeling okay though, because we're telling you that you're on the radio right now, Paul.

Okay, First of all, Aaron is my name. Second of all, who are you people?

We're a radio show. We're called Brook and Jeffrey in the Morning, and your girlfriend, Aaron is a listener. She asked us to reach out to you for this segment called the Awkward Thursday phone Call.

It's a good thing. She wants to make this relationship work. That's why she was asking for help exactly.

That's really sweet. This is super embarrassing. I wish you would talk to me, Aaron before you called the radio. But let's figure this out.

Yeah, that's what we're here to help figure it out.

Yes, are you being serious? Your mom wants to change her name to Erin. I'm sorry, we got to go back to that.

Well, she's the one who gave me the name in the first place, so she's always liked it. It might just be because she never got the chance to have that name when.

Okay, yeah, wow, she has a fondness for it.

I mean, you should have an opportunity to be an Aeron.

It's sure ridiculous.

I mean, the thing about being in a healthy relationship is being two individual, independent identities of people exactly.

Like you need to be you and have your own identity and something that means that for you. If you don't like the name Paul, that's totally fine. We can go with something else, just anything but my name.

I mean, what about Baron?

It rhymes with Aaron. There's so many.

Options, Karen, that's a really popular name.

Right now, we'll come up with something for sure.

How about we use initials, where guy Aaron you could be AP and girl Aaron you could be EP.

Okay, Guy Eric can just stay Paul, Jeff. That's what we're working for.

This is getting so confusing, but I think Brooke gave some good advice. She said, why don't I just call you Aaron in private and I can just be like our saying, like, you know, my little pet name for you, but then still in life you.

Go buy Paul legal name.

What do you think about that, Paul?

What about this? What about I go by Aaron in public and then if it bothers you so much, then in private you can still call me Paul.

The opposite.

No, and then that's like circumventing all of the issues, which is that you've already been introduced to my family and my friends and everyone in your life as Paul. It would be it would be crazy.

To change it now.

I know, I just changed my email signature already, so it's going to be awkward to go back.

That's a lot easier than legally changing your name.

How about let's just meet in the middle and all agree on Sugar Aaron and call it a dad.

I don't know if I can get on board with that.

I still liked them.

As square and as a couple.

All of this, what are you going to do?

I think we're going to have to sit down and have a conversation about that somewhere, maybe not.

On the air, Okay, that's a good idea. And the best news is we accomplished what we were trying to with this call, and that's put the idea out there. Just put the problem out in the open, so everybody knows there's an issue.

Pretty sure, we established at the beginning we were trying to stop him from.

Changing at all, and now we have fifteen different solutions that they can choose from for how they want to resolve itself. You too, go off the air and figure out how you want to call each other and report back to us. Give us an update on how you decided.

Okay, we definitely have some good leads.

Yeah, but don't just sign an erin because we won't know who wrote us.

Yes, Sugar, arran Brook and Jeffrey in the morning, Well, did we accomplish what we set out to do at the start of this phone call? No, not exactly, not at all. Did we at least get the conversation started between the two of them, Yes, yes, that's true. I'm going to take that as a victory for us, And I think an entire family full of errands could actually be kind of a cute thing, really, Yeah, like the Kardashian family with their whole k situation. This just takes it to the extreme literal.

Did George Foreman name all his kids George?

Oh yeah, they're like.

There's like eighteen George's in his family.

There is a road to happiness with these two.

Pronounce a different an, the famous actually all the monogrammed Aaron stuff around them.

The more we talk about it, the more I like it. So I hope that they give us an update on what they decide to do with their first names. Maybe they'll have the same last names too. How cute will that be? That's that will not be cute if they get married.

Yeah, yes, it'd be easier for Texas and last name.

I'm loving it more and more, and we can help out you and your personal life, just like we did with the Aaron family. Reach out to the show and we can help try to resolve your issues with an awkward call. Make sure you go. If you're listening to this right now, subscribe to our podcast. You get all the awkwardness wherever you listen.