I'm often not asked, "Ben, why do you give nicknames to everything?" It's reverse psychology on me. See, I hate nicknames. A nickname is UNOFFICIAL. A nickname should be ORGANIC, not imposed, not transplanted, not the result of a name-the-team contest. But in the U.S. nicknames are so de rigueur that they become a proper name! Drives me nuts. So rather than aggravate myself every time I have to write Los Angeles Lakers--because there are no fucking lakes in L.A.!--I tickle myself with absurd nicknames. It contributes to my famous equilibrium of mood.