Mugshot of the Day

The fact that the old man has a very common first name for his surname is an extremely difficult idea for most people to process. Something as simple as ordering pizza, purchasing a rental car, or gaining clearance to a nuclear plant are never as easy as they should be...for the "normal" folk with a "normal" surname.

We experienced our last surname headache encounter at the Enterprise Rent-A-Car desk in Phoenix. I assume that when the old man tells the attendant his name and then hands him his drivers license that the attendant can read and compare the license to my own and God bless him, figure out that Anthony is our last name. Where he got Anthony & Anthony Heith, I have no idea. So, most can imagine our dismay when we turned in the car and there was no record of a Lauren Anthony or a Heith Anthony. After almost half an hour of scouring through old files and yesterday's trashcans, Enterprise finally found something with an Anthony. And after arguing with him for another half hour that yes, Anthony was in fact our LAST name, he complied and let us return the car.
What amazes me is how many times people ask the old man, "Are you SURE that's your last name?" That's usually the point where his face turns different shades of red and I hold his hands back. Why would we not be sure? We've somewhat eliminated Heith from any interaction we have to have with the surname and just use Ernest, it seems to be less confusing for most people. As if Anthony Ernest would never show up on a birth certificate. I mean, as if?!

Finally, after months of searching and a DNA test, an innocent little girl's remains are found in a small town in Florida. Her mother is charged with homicide...and her last name is Anthony.
Following this tragedy, we are never asked if Anthony is our last name or if we are in fact sure that it's our last name. People just type it in, only now they ask, "Oh, like Casey Anthony?"