The Bear

An old friend asked me the story behind my new nickname, so here goes...

I just got the nickname within the last year. I work at a store in the Midway in St. Paul...pretty much our capital's ghetto--at least, part of it. We see a lot of crazies and occassionally people leave us their phone numbers, ask us out, whatever. They must be impressed that we bathe and have steady jobs. However, they also swear at us, throw their own phones on the pavement outside when they don't get their way and basically make my eight hours of work each day an experience in retail hell.

Anyway, last winter some random lady wrote down on a business card that "if I cut my hair and bear that I would be a handson and attracted man." I assume she meant my bearD, and that I would be handsoM and attractIVE, but really, love knows no boundaries of language. So after I got that note, my friends started referring to my beard as a bear and everyone at work started asking when I was going to cut my bear and hair. It really started out as a nickname for my beard...

A few months ago my manager was ordering me business cards and I asked if I could have Ben "The Bear" Kirkham on my cards. Without flinching he said, "I don't see why not."