Life?

Why Life?

I was born Leif Karsten Johansen and my first name was pronounced life, not leaf, right up until I started school. The teachers made it a point to correct me on the pronunciation of my name. In fact, almost every English speaking person I meet these days tries to tell me how my name is pronounced. Here is an example of a typical conversation.

"Hello, my name is Leif" (life)
"Hi, My name is Bob"
"Hi, Bob. Nice to meet you"
"So what brings you to this neck of the woods, Leaf?" asks Bob
"Excuse me, Bob. But my name is pronounced life, not leaf"
"No it isn't" replies Bob. "It's like Leif (leaf) Garret. You spell it L-E-I-F right?"
"Yes, I do Bob but do you say heanekin (Heinekin)? or do you say Budweaser (Budweiser)?"
"No..." says Bob. Bob still looks up to the sky trying to figure an example to win the debate
"No, you don't, do you Bob?" I reiterate.

Another conversation I have experienced is this:

"Hello, My name is Leif (life)"
Oh wow, man... That is just so cool!!! Were your parents at Woodstock?