Pick a Name, Any Name.
Although it sounds strange when the syllables roll off our own tongues, hearing our names said aloud in a non-perfunctory cadence is music to our ears. Our names define us in consistent and relevant ways as our physical features evolve, our relationships change, and the world around us abandons. So when we feel betrayed/discouraged/orevenashamed by our names, the implications date back to our ancestral roots and the consequences can be fierce. Alternately, the potential for connectedness is equally powerful, to the strangersinthephonebook / popstars /keychains-toothbrushes-licenseplates (or, in my case, math/science/history class) with personal shout-outs. To say I know a lil' something on this matter is like saying Einstein was the worst math student ever. Enjoy!
I know what you mean. It really pisses me off when people to whom I introduce myself to as "Gabrielle" independently decide to call me "Gabby." But even worse is when they independently decide to call me "Gabriel." To which I say, "that's a boy's name." To which they inevitably reply, "actually, I once knew a girl named Gabriel." To which I reply, do I f&^%ing care? It's not my f&^%ing name.
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