Finally, Kyle is among the names given to tropical cyclones in the Atlantic. I have waited so many years for this, and the fact that the names were announced – or at least the news reached me – on my birthday yesterday makes it oh so much sweeter.

When I was a kid, I was one of maybe 5 guys named Kyle in the U.S., including the famous soccer player Kyle Rote. Now it’s a very popular name. It’s gotten to the point that if I’m in a store and hear a woman yell something like, “Kyle get over here. Put that down! No you can’t have a toy,” I barely look around.

So many times, we have been passed up by less popular names like Hugo. Now at last we have a shot at the title! We can be somebody – a contender. A Kyle could be a Category 5!

I’m so excited. And I’ll be watching the eastern Atlantic as the summer bears on. The way travel costs are going, this may be the only way a Kyle ever gets a Caribbean vacation.