Well, my username on this board will be AshRyan. It's a combination of my nickname, Ash, with the name of my deceased older brother Ryan. Before he died, Ryan taught me the importance of clear thinking, logic, rationality, etc.; in effect, he helped me become the person I am today. You could think of him as an intellectual "father" to me. I think it's therefore fitting that I use his name as a surname. My real father and I are ideologically opposite in too many respects, so I don't really want to go through life with the name I received from him. I intend to have my name legally changed to Ash Ryan as soon as it's convenient, probably in a year and a half or so once I've received my Bachelor's degree.
