BS: Why did you choose your nickname?

Subject: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Magpie
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 03:44 PM

Please forgive me for my curiosity, but I've been looking at your nicknames, and I'm wondering what made you choose that particular one? Is it something you've been called since childhood, is it something you think suits your personality?

Me, I chose magpie because that's what my boyfriend calls me (translated from Norwegian, that is). Apparently there is a red magpie up in his part of the country, and he started calling me that after I dyed my hair red.

How about you?

(Red)Magpie

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 03:49 PM

Well, I guessed that Master of the Universe soundeda bit presumptuous...

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: MMario
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 03:49 PM

"Mario" is a character I have been using at ren-faire for 16 years. When I started out on the internet, it seemed a logical choice for a name.

MMario (short for "Master Mario")/aka Benjermin Laudley-Bellows/aka Stavros Splinteri/aka Owain Songster/aka Maleo the dark bard

and people wonder why I complain about "the voices"

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Allan C.
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 03:51 PM

Mine was a birthday present.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 04:02 PM

Well, I've always thought that "Joseph" was a bit pretentious, and "Joey" too much like a little kid. I chose the name "Joe Offer" at the age of four. It took a while to train my parents to stop calling me "Joey." I still use "Joseph" on checks and affidavits.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 04:08 PM

Because that's where I live. 'Way back when I first joined the 'Cat, there were several regulars identified by location, and it was a simple, modest solution.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 04:12 PM

This is going to be interesting. I can't wait for some of them.

Rick Fielding (who is too dull to think of a nickname)

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: emily rain
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 04:18 PM

oh, great. do i get to be the first new-age spiritual weirdo? *smile*
when got my first e-mail account, my pseudonym was "raining". i think i was scared to be leaving home, and the idea of a good cool rain sounded comforting to me. then when i took a class with six other emilies, i told the professor to just call me "rain".

now i keep it because my last name sounds like a barking dog: "grrrrrrrrrOFF! rOFF!"

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: sophocleese
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 04:19 PM

Sophy - sophocleese, what could be simpler? The fact that I was in therapy at the time I chose it is completely irrelevant and has nothing whatsoever to do with growing up watching Monty Python episodes. Neither does a resemblance that some people have noticed to Jamie Lee Curtis.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 04:33 PM

When I went to get an email account, I used the first three letters of my first and last names; when I got here, I added the 'ghing and it seems to fit. The "Kat" I have always been accused of being, so it was a natural, too. Besides, some Mudders just didn't want to spell out the whole of it!

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Bert
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 04:36 PM

I know what you mean Joe, It was years before they stopped calling me Bertie. Didn't help that my Dad is Bert also.

When I first started work, it was at the same place that Dad worked, and they called him 'Big Bert'. So when I started work they called me 'Little Bert'; which everyone thought was a great joke, as I was an inch or so taller than him.

Bert.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 04:44 PM

Bert-- Ain't it strange how that kind of moniker can stick with you. Until Dad died two years ago (at 87), he was Big Bill and I was Little Bill--Even as a passed 50 birthdays and had children grown and married. But I preferred Little Bill to Billy.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Ely
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:04 PM

Well, I'm from Texas, not Minnesota, so it's not that . . . (actually, it's "Eli", with a tweak). My real name is Alethea, which is hard to spell, pronounce, interpret, remember, etc. Somebody suggested before the fact that my parents should name me Elizabeth because it sounded good with our last name, but my mother's family is chock-full of Elizabeths already. "Alethea" lends itself poorly to nicknames if you don't like "Thea" or "Ally", so I picked what I would have been had I been "Elizabeth" instead.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: wildlone
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:06 PM

As some of you know after my favourite story by R K.
[I refuse to start all those old jokes again]
and I have always been one to walk by myself but as I am quite friendly I can soon make myself at home.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Magpie
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:06 PM

I have this other nickname that my baby brother made up as he couldn't pronounce my real name, Christine. But seeing as this is an English speaking community, Titti doesn't really do the trick.

Magpie

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: bill\sables
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:13 PM

When I first joined mudcat I was Bill Sables but then I installed a new hard drive into my computer and was refused admitance to mudcat and had to re register. I put Bill Sables in but it said that there was already someone using that name ( I wonder who that was) so I had to use bill\sables instead. Cheers bill\sables AKA Bill Sables

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Bert
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:18 PM

So Bill, do people now call you 'backslash'?

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:21 PM

Because I was scared and thought if I made myself small then Mudcatters would be compassionate which I must say you are. I wanted to call myself tadpole but it was taken. Can I change my name, as I feel more seasoned like an Elder Mudcatter?

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: skarpi
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:23 PM

My nickname, hmmmmmmm, it is a shortcut from Skarphéðinn to skarpi .

You should try to pronounce my name that is Skarphéðinn, it is hard. bless á meðan skarpi Iceland.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: John Wood
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:27 PM

Hallo Magpie!
Your presence at The Dubliner Sessions has been sorely missed.
Is it something we said?(big grin)

Greetings John.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 05:53 PM

I'm similar to Bill in Alabama. Roger is my given name. Westminster, my real home town, seemed too obscure (and now I know it may have confused our British group. Maryland, my home state, seemed too broad. So I chose the nearest big town and there I was, Roger in Baltimore.

I went to last year's Getaway and Bill D. took some pictures and they were part of the first Mudcat photo album. Well Catspaw saw that and started to refer to me as Big RiB, RiB being short for Roger in Baltimore. I liked it, so I use it to sign off on threads where my intent is not so serious.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Cap't Bob
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 06:09 PM

I've had a boat of one type or another for the past fifty years (primarily sailboats). On one trip to Lake Huron's North Channel the harbor master in Canada's Meldrom Bay referred to me as captain. A friend sailing with me wouldn't let it die, and by the end of the trip I was beginning to like the name. I'm actually the captain of a 22 foot English build Westerly Nomad. Her name is "Aweigh".

Cap't Bob

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Llanfair
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 06:18 PM

I just wanted people to know that there was a member in Wales, of Welsh descent. Llanfair means "parish of St Mary". I was christened Bronwen Pugh, but serial monogamy has resulted in a succession of surnames!!!! Hwyl, Bron.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Bobby Bob, Ellan Vannin
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 06:23 PM

In Celtic patronymics, you get named from the line of your forbears. As I'm baptismally a Robert, and my father was also called Robert, I'm Bobby Bob, which is what a lot of people know me as.

However, on my radio programme, I usually go a bit further to my grandfather, John, and my great grandfather, William, which gives rise to the patronymic string, Bobby Bob John Billy.

Some people, possibly born out of wedlock, had their mother's name as part of the string, like Juan Nan (Juan is a Manx name pronounced JOO-an, not like the Spanish name of the same spelling) which is John the son of Nan, or Billy Paaie, William the son of Peggy.

Shoh slaynt,

Bobby Bob

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Magpie
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 06:30 PM

Greetings John! I knew you'd figure me out sooner or later. And, no, it isn't something anyone has said(or not said for that matter), I've just been terribly busy with gigs, kids, work and boyfriend.

By the way, are there any other "Dubliners" here? This, of course, would belong to a totally different thread.

Magpie

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: _gargoyle
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 07:14 PM

Like most good things....it was a gift...from friends...

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: poet
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 07:19 PM

I used to be a CB and although our extended family over the water may not realise it AM CB became illegal and FM was the legit way to go. I was fond of AM but to be legal I was on Both My handle On AM was Bouncer(my Job) on AM and Poet(My Secret Hobby) on FM. and I've stuck with them.

Graham.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 07:27 PM

I use my real name (except Jonathan is shortened to Jon which is what I prefer to be called). I have always prefered to be me (ie Jon Freeman) rather than go by another name.

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Banjer
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 07:30 PM

I just took the name of my favorite instrument, dropped the letter O and added JER. Don't ask me why...I just did!

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: WyoWoman
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 07:47 PM

I started out with my real name, then discovered there was another K.C. on the 'cat, so I changed to WyoWoman, but we haven't heard from that other K.C. since. So I don't know if s/he also changed to avoid confusion or what...

But I like WyoWoman -- it lets people know where I'm from (sort of -- although people from outside the U.S., and many from inside -- have no concept of where/what Wyoming actually is. No matter how many times I tell people I live in Wyoming, or I moved to Wyoming, they still ask me how I LIKE Montana. We have a bit of an identity problem here...)

WW

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 08:04 PM

What nickname?

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: bbc
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 08:09 PM

unassuming initials for Barbara Bowen Carr.

bbc

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 08:29 PM

Llanfair, white what???

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: BSEED(CharlesKratz)
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 08:36 PM

Since college one of my friends has called me "Bad Seed," or usually just "Seed." When I signed up for AOL, I thought I'd use the name, but Bad Seed was already taken, so I changed it to bseedkratz, not noticing I had hit the caps lock, which made it BSEEDKRATZ. --seed

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: j0_77
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 08:50 PM

like j? in use j1 in use and so on till j0. No data on the rest ... mbee mIRC or something can't recall - 3 years and still the same nick. J=JugBand :)

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 09:11 PM

Because no one would believe my name was Reebok J. Plimsole.

Don

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: bbelle
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 09:57 PM

Well ... my first nickname was "humdinger folksinger," then I was "chinadoll," then I used my real name for awhile, but had to change that, so I decided on "moonchild." I'm not a moonie and the only time I ever "mooned" anyone was a Capitol police officer in 1968, riding through The Capitol grounds in Washington, DC. Actually, I chose it because that's who/what I am ... a July baby and ruled by the changes in the moon ... moonchild

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 10:09 PM

hmmm...because I know so many here, I just wanted to be ME....and *big grin*..I had ONE attempt at choosing a cute, clever nickname..and it caused too much byplay and remarks.........my name is Bill Day..or B Day.which CAN be written as..ßIÐÉT...can you imagine THAT lasting in here...*grin*

so....Bill D sort of is enough

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Dave Swan
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 10:28 PM

I had wanted a nickname all my life and none stuck to me. It was Catspaw who hung El Swanno on me and I loved it immediately. Sometimes, usually at the end of a goofy posting, you'll see me sign that way. It's nice to be called that around here. pj still doesn't call me that, but I think some of the animals do.

E.S.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Mudjack
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 10:33 PM

I used to be Jack Mostly Folk. I got that from a co-worker some years back. He asked me what kind of music did I play and sing and I answered'"mostly folk". He then said Oh. Jack "Mostly Folk" Roberts.I used that for about 8 years. Jack Mostly Folk was just to much, so some time back I decided to go with Mudjack and it's easier to type in. My given name is Jackie, but like Joe said you can't keep a little kiddies name ad I've been Jack for most of my adult life.
Mudjack

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Susan A-R
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 10:33 PM

Well, I got to be known as Susan A-R at work (where there were three or four other Susans. Seemed as good as anything. Arnowitt-Reid is just too darned long.

Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: sophocleese
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 10:57 PM

You're right Don, I don't believe you. There isn't an "N" for Nike?

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: campfire
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 11:40 PM

I started "Mudcat" life as Dawn, my real given name. Then once I was trying to find one of my old posts (with the user search) and found stuff I never wrote! Guess I'm not the only Dawn in the 'Cat! So I decided that since around a campfire is about the only place I ever really play anymore, I might as well be...

campfire

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: John Hindsill
Date: 04 Oct 99 - 11:51 PM

Actually I don't like nicknames, especially diminutives. And for very personal reasons I will not respond when people call me Jack...a common nn for John. The last time I had a nickname was in Phys Ed class in HiSkool. If you can guess it, like Rumplestiltskin I will make you wealthy beyond dreams.---John

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: escamillo
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 12:44 AM

Since the early times of BBSs I had to choose a nickname, and I decided that it should be an Opera character, the music I love (not all operas). I considered Radames, Calaf, Giovanni, Scarpia, etc. and then winner was.. Escamillo, le torero de Granada ! (from Bizet's CARMEN) There were two reasons: I was already singing as baritone (before my teacher declared me a tenor), and Escamillo was so handsome, so brave, so ridiculously romantic !

(I hate bullfights and hunting and any kind of torture on animals, and would like to see all toreros in jail, but the character was overwhelmingly attractive)

I owe to myself to once get dressed as a "toreador", scan the photo and put it in the front page of my programs (I'm a professional programmer) and see my customers' faces.

Andrés Magré

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: CarlZen
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 01:11 AM

My last name is Carlsen and the Z slipped in there, looked nice.........

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: _gargoyle
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 01:15 AM

Dear BBC.....I sincerely hope that YOU and others within this thread were NOT so "trusting" and naive as to reveal you real name.

"Madonna @...." can explain why.

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: Big Mick
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 01:18 AM

Real easy. My given name is Mícheál. My Grandmother always called me Mick. I am 6'2 1/2" and about 18 stone (250 lbs). Hence the Big. And in the early days I remember the confusion if I used Mick, because Mick Bracken and Mick Lowe (Hello, fellas) were also on the site.

Big Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: MudGuard
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 01:33 AM

You see, there was this discussion about whether we are MudCats, MudKittens or MudWhatever...
Then I noticed there are some other members called Mudjack, MudPuppy, MudKat...
So the first part of my nickname had obviously to be Mud.

Now for the second part:
My (German) surname is Waechter, which translates into Guard.

I just put these two parts together resulting in MudGuard.
And some weeks later I learnt there is an English word mudguard (which translates back into German as Schutzblech).

MudGuard

Subject: RE: BS: Why did you choose your nickname?
From: roopoo
Date: 05 Oct 99 - 01:43 AM

I make and sell salt dough models under the name of Mouldy Old Dough, and I have never been what you would call a tidy person. mouldy