As far as I know, my surname is unique. It is pronounced /ʃa​ˈmɔlli/ (shah-MOLL-leigh if you’re English, Schamolli if you’re German, and Chamolly if you are French). I will not be bothered if you get it wrong, but probably entertained. My favourite so far has been a friend who suspected Middle-Eastern origins and pronounced cha- as k-, which in my mind would make me a hot contender for the next Iranian Ayatollah if selection were based on catchy names alone.

In fact, I do not know much about its origins. Around 1850 an ancestor of mine moved from East Prussia to Arnsberg in Westphalia, where the family stayed until I ran away. The family legend is that said ancestor had to take up a new name and made up something on the spot that sounded French because it was fashionable at the time. I have no evidence for this theory but since I can perfectly imagine myself doing something like this, I give it the benefit of doubt.

If you searched Google (or, I hope, DuckDuckGo) for Dr Chamolly and instead of me found a dentist then congratulations, you confused me with my dad. I’m afraid he might be at a loss helping you with your academic enquiries, but I’m more than happy to take a shot at pulling you a tooth or two (at your own risk, naturally).

Before it was cool, I had the mad idea to tackle a 32,256 piece jigsaw puzzle of the Manhattan skyline viewed south from the Rockefeller Center. I worked on it every time I visited my parents, and it took about 2 months of work distributed over 2.5 years. The total area is about 10.5 square metres and I wish I had a wall (or just a floor) large enough to display it. The one time I set it up completely was before we sold my grandparents’ house, and even then it was not possible to take a picture of the whole thing. Now I have a wide angle lens but the house is gone. One day this thing will get the space it deserves.

If Antarctica is melting, does that mean it is an incontinent?

I can’t think of any more right now but they definitely belong here.