John, if Al Gore has ruined “snippy” for you, may I offer up “snarky?” I’ve grown quite fond of it.
Back to the OP: An online friend just had a baby way early and the little thing is struggling. They named her Alison. A-L-I-S-O-N. I realize there are many ways to spell it, but this is what they chose, and mom typed it several times for us to see it.
Yet I keep seeing messages from other people on our mailing list reading, “Poor Alyson!” And “I’m praying for Allison!” I feel like screaming. Can you not get this one thing correct? The poor wee girl is lying in a plastic bassinet with tubes and wires going every which way. Could you at least get her goddamn name right? I don’t know why this set me off (it’s not like she’s not going to be facing this for the rest of her life, assuming she lives).
I realize I am an asshole for not just being grateful that they care enough to send nice messages to her. But then, I do have this handle for a reason…
Sometimes I wish that I could STOP you from talking, when I hear the silly things that you say.
Somebody better put out the big lights, cause I can’t stand to see you this way.
Of course, this is from an idiot who named his firstborn after that damn song, and misspelt it (with two "l"s). Your friend got it right.
elmwood - add me to the list of folk who have the Dave/Dan problem. Man, instead of being pissed, be happy they got that close. There are some names I always confuse. Like, I’ll know a guy’s name is either Frank or George, but I won’t for the life of me know which it is. Or Curt and Doug. Why the hell would I mix those up?!
Wait, I think RickJay was using hyperbole and sarcasm to make a point in a humorous fashion.
Hang on, let me check…
Nope, don’t care.
(On a related note, why do people feel obliged to read a thread they’re not interested in reading anyway only to post a message saying, “What a stupid thread!”? Seems rather pathetic, IMHO.)
You are still welcome to go fuck yourself in whatever way pleases you most, though. And have a nice day!
I have a hyphenated name. That means that the first part of my last name (not really, but whatever) is NOT my middle name! I do not use my middle name for anything BUT LEGAL DOCUMENTS AND OTHER THINGS WHERE SUCH IS REQUIRED! My parents decided to put their two last names together. Not my decision, nor was my first name. No, my mother is not a feminazi. She didn’t want to be the umpteenth Mrs. XXXXXX, since my father’s the youngest of ten legit kids.
When I tell you my name, I’m telling you what I want to be called. Please do not assume my name is Patrick but I really want to be called Pat for as long as you know me. It doesn’t bother me that much anymore but it still does bug me.
iampunha. not iamthepunha or poon or imp. iam or pun or punha work just fine. And it is pronounced, if you feel the urge to say it, I-am-pn-HA. Not Poona or anything.
Hmm, it’s “derivative” of esprit. It is pronounced precisely the same as esprit. There’s just an X at the end, instead of a T.
Could it be that you are the one spelling it wrong, Spree?
I used to be friends with a girl named Alyson Allison. I witnessed a great deal of patience from her dealing with spelling her name for people who, when she’d finish the first name and start spelling the last, they’d cross off what they’d just written, thinking they must’ve gotten it wrong somehow. Huh?
What’s worse is, her middle name is Ann. Why? Because she’s “an Allison,” as in Alyson, an Allison, hence Alyson Ann Allison. Her parents should’ve been shot AFAIC.
Actually, IRL my name is not TVeblen, or Veb. Let’s just say it’s short, deceptively simple and nobody outside of my immediate family gets it “right”.
No, my parents weren’t sadists, hanging the moniker on my helpless infant self, they just applied an old fashioned name–and stuck to the traditional pronunciation even though a brief celebrity association warped how my name is said. Oddly enough, people routinely spell it wrong as well.
The fact that both my maiden and married names were distinctly unusual just compounded the fracture. People have mangled my name(s) for as long as I can remember. And it doesn’t matter. They aren’t doing it be rude, must making an innocent mistake.
I realize that names can mean identity, “me-ness” to people, so this is a purely individual reaction, not a universal truth. But on the grand scale of things to get upset about, it doesn’t register with me.
TVeblen, I have to agree with you on not minding when one’s name gets mangled. I can’t imagine there’s anyone not named John Smith this doesn’t happen to. Case in point: my own name, Greg Duke. How can a name like that be messed up? Well, here are a few examples from the past year:
Geoff Duke
Greg Dulle
Greg Dulli (also the name of the lead singer of The Afghan Whigs)
Greg Dyke (also the name of the Director-General of the BBC)
Greg Buke
Gary Duke
There’s only eight letters in my whole name! With this track record, I’m surprised that anyone with a more difficult-to-spell name ever has theirs spelt correctly.
If I introduce myself to you as Elizabeth, say “hi, this is Elizabeth” when I call you on the phone, and sign every email I send with either “Elizabeth” or “E,” why do you keep calling me Liz? It’s not my name!
I can understand misspelling. My maiden name was not easy to spell, and I was very nice about correcting it when people did so (even my advisor who was still spelling it wrong after seven years). But it really annoys me when people tell me to my face that they can’t be bothered to pronounce four whole syllables.
