When I originally chose the name ‘Nest Building’ for my newspaper column and blog it was because the word ‘nest’ has always conjured up an image in my mind of a warm, safe and nurturing place. Later, I reused the name for my book: Nest Building – A Guide To Finding Your Inner Interior Designer.
Illustration by Chris Rohrmoser
The first time I realized that my title might be misconstrued was when I was promoting a Nest Building workshop. The editors of the course catalogue entered the write-up for the workshop in the fibre arts section. Needless so say, interest in the class was not overwhelming. Two people signed up and one of them rang me to ask if willow twigs would be the best kind to use and whether she could bring along some of her homemade felt to use as lining.
More recently, I spent four very long hours sitting in a shopping mall promoting my Nest Building book. It was all rather grim watching expressionless shoppers pushing shopping carts up and down the aisles without purpose. Many went out of their way to avoid eye contact with me, frightened that a mere smile or a nod would commit them to purchasing all my remaining stock.
The last straw (and I mean that almost literally) was when a very nice elderly gentleman approached my table and began flipping through the book. He wasn’t my typical customer but I was encouraged by his apparent interest. After a few moments he launched into a lengthy lecture chronicling his sixty years of bird watching and ended his speech by asking where and how I’d done my ‘nest building’ research!
Despite this, I stand by my title. Nesting is a comforting pursuit and whether it’s feathers, felt, or flooring, I’m happy to curl up in mine.
Of course I’m not the only one who has chosen a potentially confusing business name. A random web search came up with a few:
Effin Computers – actually, there’s not much to be confused about there, is there?
Salt ‘n Battery Fish & Chips – here’s a cause for vegetarians to support.
Dildo Run Provincial Park, Newfoundland – really, I don’t know what to say about this one!
Quality Assured Collision – I suppose if one has to have a collision it should be a good one?
