Chicken Dance

We were talking about names the other day, some friends and I. The consensus seems to be that my parents christened me with a name that would sound already-made-up when, twenty years later, I made them the proudest parents on earth by becoming a country music DJ.

Pause for laughter.

I like my name now, didn't when I was a kid because it rhymed and was thus easy to poke fun at, among people who had yet to hear the 27 replies I had in my quiver concerning their provenance. I sort of wished for a name like "Leon" or a nickname like "Pretty Boy," but was assured that neither seemed appropriate.

BUT if you are about to give birth to a baby in the next few days, try to persuade him or her to remain in utero until Sunday, September 9.
You ask why? Well, the good people over at Kentucky Fried Chicken are offering a jackpot of $11,000 if you name your baby "Harland."



Yep, that Harland. 

"Colonel" Harland Sanders (1890 - 1980 - interesting symmetry!) was no more a Colonel than buffalo wings come from a buffalo, but he did know how to make some mighty fine fried chicken, and started one of America's greatest businesses with his Kentucky Fried Chicken.

September 9 being the ole' Col's birthday, the marketing squad at KFC came up with this: all babies born on 9/9 and named Harland are eligible to have their parents enter them in the drawing for 11 big ones.

The "11" comes from the amount of herbs and spices in the KFC breading recipe.

The word from the KFC henhouse is that the 11G is intended to be college tuition for the little winning Harland, which just goes to show that someone on their marketing team has not taken a good look at college fees of today, let alone what they'll charge in 2036.

Maybe the winning family can devote the 11,000 semolians to getting help for a kid who will have 11,000 people asking him, "Where'd you get that name?"