I’ve seen and partaken of Grown Up Soda, aka GuS a few times. It’s a native New York brew, so it’s all over the place; and, true to its purpose, it does provide a less-sugary alternative to the Cokes and Pepsis of the world.

But it just occurred to me: The name GuS. “Gus” happens to be the Anglicized version of my name, Costa. (Think of the northern European “Gustav/Gustaf” or Iberian “Gustavo”, which are all adaptations of the original Greek “Constantine”.) I’ve never gone by Gus, and aside from a couple of acquaintances of my parents who think they’re doing me a favor by translating my name, no one calls me that. Still, it’s something of a coincidence.

Further, consider the above photo. It’s one that I snapped more than a year ago, and which served as a reminder of the long-gone Costa Sodas from my childhood.

I’d like to think that GuS is the inheritor of that old New York-based beverage company — Costa Sodas, all grown up. I guess that’s not the case; I’d be surprised if the GuS folks had ever even heard of the defunct regional brand. But I’ll run with the fictional lineage, even if it’s significant only to me.