Nathaniel Arnold Sr. was probably a very interesting man

Maybe I got this from my dearly departed grandpa, Pop-Pop. Or maybe it's because I spent some time writing obituaries when I worked at the newspaper in Spokane. But no matter where I live, I always peruse the obits in each day's paper.

Pop-Pop used to do this, but mostly it was so that he could feel triumphant. He'd scan the page, see a name he recognized, and exclaim, "I outlived another son of a bitch!" Then he'd proceed to offer a brief description of the acquaintance as he swelled with pride that he was still kicking.

So I thought of Pop-Pop today when I saw this name on the obit page: Nathaniel "Hot Sausage" Arnold, Sr., 80. Oh, how I wished I knew how the Sausage got his nickname! At 80, did people still call him that? If so, I think that's pretty awesome. I wonder how many of his friends that Hot Sausage outlived. His obit was quite basic and didn't give much detail about his life, other than that he was an Army veteran and a member of Hill Street Baptist Church. But his obit -- that moniker -- screams from the page, and even though I don't know him, I think that's what he would have wanted.

I hope by the time I'm old, I have a magnificent (perhaps inappropriate) nickname that will accompany my name in the paper and make people wonder: Where the hell did she pick up that name? She must have had a fun life.

Sadly, Pop-Pop's ultimate goal was to outlive Ronald Reagan, who shared PP's Feb. 6 birthday. Pop-Pop abhored Republicans, but especially, for some reason, Reagan. Probably had a lot to do with birthday-sharing.

Anyway, Pop-Pop passed away June 2, 2004. And can you believe it? Reagan died three days later.

Almost, Pop-Pop. Almost.