Melding Pot

Kevin and I have been using the made-up surname Bartioka to describe ourselves, but now the Chicago Tribune informs me that melded last names are a hot new trend, popularized by the new mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa. People are embracing the trend because it is both practical and untraditional:

"It avoids the classic hyphenation problem, the apprehension that people have that if they hyphenate their names, and then their children hyphenate their names, then there'll eventually be chaos. With heterosexual marriage, there's more pressure to go the traditional route, but there aren't any conventions governing gay marriage," he said. "I think as the principles of choice and equality spread across the land, with gays showing us the way, we'll see more melding and other creative solutions start to emerge."

Sounds like a good solution for the Mitchell-Mitchell's right, John?