Friday, January 11, 2008

I wish my name was Nick

I really like nicknames. I like having options for when I address a person. I don't know why, I just do. Maybe because i think nicknames are endearing and let's face it, I am an endearing person. It also makes me feel endeared when people use nicknames for me. Here are some nicknames that have been assigned to me, for better or for worse:

Jen
Pen/PenniferHen/Hennifer--which is fun, because it sounds like heffer.
Sven
Glen (boo)

Scrubby--Once upon a time, Brooke and I were co-writing an article for the Jr. High newspaper and in the spellcheck, that word was the closest word to my last name. Several very random people called me Scrubby. I rejoice at its death.

Jez--i don't remember how this one came about. ash, what is it? jezball?

Jeb (when i feel like a mountain man)

and similarly, Jed. Jed is also my name when I have a cold.


I'm starting to think these are just nicknames i call myself, which is lame & a little sad.

I also have several nicknames that make no sense. Sometimes they are born through various roundabout ways, similar to the way Michael Scott comes up with nicknames for people. (Roger, for Daryl Philbin...then Regis... then Rege.. then Rodge.. then Roger.)

I also have a male name for when I a) cut my hair really really short and wear a baseball hat (i.e. when i did that circa 1996) and b) if i'm sick and/or have a low raspy voice and sound like a man. This name is: Jimmy.

Sean calls me Jenders, which I like. Hmm. Should i feel like a hermaphrodite? I don't, fortunately.

and others...

J-sco
J-dogg
J-mo
Jenmo


Interestingly, you may think I dislike being called Jennifer. I don't. I like my name. But i think that i like when people call me Jen because I am a very informal person. In the way i talk, behave, etc. So it's nice to feel familiar to someone who i may not really know that well. It kind of feels to me like, hey, we're friends already. But, i like being called Jennifer too. It seems like nowadays i'm mostly Jen and so when i do get a Jennifer, that has almost become endearing now.

When i was dating Sean, i really needed to come up with a nickname for him but Sean can't really be shortened. Then one day, because Sean will always love the skinny jokes, the most brilliant nickname for him came to me: Scrawn. HAHA! I loved it so much except he hated it and since i was trying to get him to marry me, i stopped. But man, it's a winner.

Some people do not like nicknames. This is hard for me but I can learn to hold back. Also, some people don't like it when mere acquaintances call them by nicknames as they might be reserved for close friends and family only. What do you think? And what are some of yours?

7 comments:

Michelle said...

Um, Freakifer? Did we forget? Jensababe? What else....Scones comes to mind.

Misslefart
Mitchel
procmi
mup

Scrawn is pretty funny.

Anonymous said...

Jez. It "roots" from (ask Jen to explain that phrase) when you decided to call me Atch. You kept raving about how great it was because it sounds so close to my name, but I argued that it wasn't that close and it would be like me calling you Jez.

Joel said...

Jo-Jo
Golden Arches
J-Diddy
Adolph (because my last name is Hiller, not because I'm a horrifically evil genocidal maniac. That part is just a coincidence.)

Brooke said...

Jen, thanks for reminding me of Scrubby. I'll be reviving it now.

Brooker
Brookewheat
Hoosker-du
Brookie
Brookles
B-dogg
B
Brooklyn
Brookie Scout
Brookie Crocker

Rachel said...

Racho Muchacho
Chacho
Rach
Rachet
Rachel ba Dachel
Roch
Smachel (I might have just made that one up, but I like it)

)en said...

Those are such great nicknames. I wish i knew the background behind all of them. My favorites of all of yours are:

Procmi
Adolph--because what a horrible nickname
Brookie, of course
Rachet--it just feels right

Ash, you have too many to choose one. I do like Atch. And ok, and "roots" comes from my weird brain that chooses that to say instead of "stems from." Roots, stems.. it's all part of the flower. But Atch is almost like Ash <-- with that i'm just letting air out. Jez is nothing like Jen. I still like it though.

Natalie R. said...

I used to go by Bentley (my former last name), and one friend called me either Bent-dogg or Bents. The only other nickname I've had is Naf-Naf (which one friend turned into Naferonie and Cheese - very creative).