From Roger to Rodney to Raj

Roger gets a couple of new names at several points, both prompted by the presence of girls. On Day 28 and 29, with Cindy Latourette acting frisky at the beach, Roger rechristens himself as ‘Rodney.’ Why?  “To counterbalance Cindy’s heavy interest in motorcycles and drag racing.”  Perhaps that sounds like a non sequitur; why would ‘Rodney’ sound like a gearhead name any more than Mario or Jimmy or Mike?  Maybe because of the use of connecting rods in automobiles, say, from the crankshaft to the piston?  I dunno. Anyway I’ve known a heckofalota guys into cars whose name is Rod.  Otto altered his name to ‘Omar’ for that stint as well. As for ‘Raj,’ that is what Gwen calls Roger at the Grand Canyon on Day 34.  He’s taken by surprise by it but steps into the role wholeheartedly. Raj is Sanskrit which apparently comes from the same root as Roger in English, German, and French. For Gwen, however, who gives him the name, it’s a term of endearment. She is Buddhist. Raj would seem to be more of a Hindu name than Buddhist, but Gwen names him ‘Raj’ to set him apart for herself, to make their union special. It’s just exotic enough to gain Roger’s full attention.