Really.
From C. S. Lewis’s Out of the Silent Planet, the name of Mars (both the planet and the “archangel” who bosses up the place) in the native lingo. I think it was about my third choice, the first two being taken.
It’s from the They Might Be Giants song, ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’.
Eh. Mine’s boring, really. It’s just the initials for the phrase Quod Erat Demonstrandum, which is Latin for “So, there!” It’s the first thing that popped into my head when I registered here.
I’m glad I’m not the only one. (Although I can reach the L. I’ve got long thumbs)
Kevin Russell May
Askia is my first name in real life. It is the Mali name for a lineage of Muslim kings in old Songhai, circa mid-15th century, beginning with Askia Mohammad Toure I. Properly spelt “Askiya,” it means “Usurper,” reflecting the ascension of Mohmmad Toure from his predecessor Sonni Ali, who reigned at the end of the old Mali Empire, the end of the Sonni Dynasty and the beginning of Songhai.
Lucy is my middle name. It’s kind of a long story …
I’ve tried (without success) for 39 years to come up with a shorter explanation, so this is the way I usually explain it in person:
As you may imagine, no child ever gets away with using just their middle initial if their middle name is unique or has an unusual or uncommon spelling. Here is (verbatim, as near as I can recall …) the exchange during roll call on my first day at Irving Junior High:
[Well meaning 7th grade English teacher] “Glen … (long pause) Uhhhhhh, How do you spell your middle name?”
[Mortified newly ordained teen] “Uhhhhh, I’m sure they got it right.”
[Very Persistent English Teacher] “Oh, I’m sure this must be incorrect. Please spell it for me …”
[Very Mortified Teen] “Trust me, it’s right. Starts with an ‘L’ …”
[VPET] “NO, I’m certain that this must be an error.”
[VMT] “Trust me – if it doesn’t look right, then it must be correct!”
[VPET} “NO, this can’t be spelled correctly. Who in their right mind would name a boy ‘Lucy’???”
[Class] (Seemingly endless giggles…)
[VMT, Sheepishly] “My parents.”
Didn’t help that some son of donkey and mule act had a song in the top 10 titled A Boy Named Sue … :wally
By the time I got to the cafeteria that day every single kid in that school was calling me Lucy. I fought it for for a long time. (About 3 nanoseconds) It’s been Lucy ever since.
(Thank you Mrs. Boyden, where ever you are. I mean that sincerely, too! I am not being facetious! 
)
I didn’t learn about the origin of the name till I was 17. My great-grandfather’s name was Ezekial Marion Lucy. The surname Lucy is linked to a very rich family history that dates back to the year 1066 … I sorta wear it as a badge of honor nowadays.
Actually, once I gave up the fight and just accepted Lucy as my primary handle, it has had some surprising advantages. Even now, whenever I call any of my customers or business associates on the phone, the moment I say “This is Lucy …” no one has to guess or even pause for a millisecond to search the ol’ memory bank – they know exactly who is calling, and what the topic of conversation is going to be …
Except …
There was this one referral customer that was a tad surprised to find out that I was male. Her reaction: (Quote): “That’s one hell of a disguise you’re wearing …”
Add a touch of Beatles magic and you have the handle: Lucy In Disguise
(You may send the diamonds to the location listed above …)
Thanx,
Lucy
My real name. (not, like zev, going to put in my 22 letter surnames)
my old one was my last name followed by my first name (which was my email address for a long time until I closed that account). I wasn’t really all that keen on people knowing my name so i changed it to my initials.
I’ve been using “Aleq” since local BBS days circa 1990–it’s an elision of my SCA name I enjoy using because it leads people to make incorrect assumptions about my gender. I used it very long ago on this board before it became pay to play, then recently wanted to get a guest membership to say somedamnthing and couldn’t because “Aleq” was already a member and couldn’t be a guest. So, SmartAleq was born. I kinda like this version better, it’s snottier. Besides, there’s some chemistry geek using “Aleq” these days and I’ve read some of his posts on other boards–I prefer not to be confused for him!
It comes from MST3k. I don’t have my copy of the book at the moment, but somewhere in the introduction they go into an explanation of where the manuscript originated. The long-winded joke involved an abbey and viking raids and the 12th or 13th century. The claim was made that Crow existed even back then, but was known as Kyyrewyyoae. Servo had a similarly ridiculous name with lots of y’s.
The bright side is that it’s never taken. In fact, if I try to register somewhere and it’s taken, it’s much more likely that I signed up there and forgot about it.
We get these every now and then. I may have even posted in this here thread. Who knows? Not me. Not anyone pretending to be me. Yike. Who would pretend to be me? Sometimes I don’t pretend to be me. On the internet, nobody knows you’re me.
John F. Kennedy, in a speech or two, said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Historians say he didn’t write it, and who am I to blow against the wind?
Nott is a part of my family name, and many people call me that. Even Manny Peeples calls me Nott. He’s a great guy, and he’s very inquisitive. :rolleyes:
I actually am the left ear that belongs to John Stamos.
See my signature.
Spatial Rift 47, I’ve had 47 as my “special number” since 1977 when I was at Pomona! As it was explained to me, it was because it was “a cool prime.”
I’m left-handed. My politics are leftist. I’m dorky. I’m a science-fiction fan. I’m somewhat gender-ambiguous. And I think that Left Hand of Darkness, a science fiction novel about gender ambiguity written by noted leftist author Ursula K. Le Guin, is a tremendous work of fiction.
Daniel
Yes. I wasn’t impressed with it as I started, just read it because I was highly encouraged to, but as I went on, I became more and more involved, It was truly a stupendous book.
In medical school we teasingly called one another “Doctor” all the time, especially when we were studying together and quizzing one another. Since my first name is Jonathan, everybody started calling me “Dr. J”.
It was the first thing I thought of when I registered, thinking that I’d never really be a member of the community, but before I knew it it was too late to change it. I was especially uncomfortable about it since I was using the username for three years before I had my MD, but people already knew me by that name so I didn’t change it. (I felt better when I realized that Julius Irving is probably short of his doctorate, as well.)
You are my absolute favorite. 
I wanted my user name to represent my interests somehow, so I chose Dolores Claiborne, a character from a Stephen King book, since I’m a huge fan. I also wanted to make my gender known to the casual reader. I was unhappily married at the time, so it fit somehow. But then I remarried, and I wasn’t unhappy anymore - so I asked the Mods to change it to Dolores Reborn. Still female, still SK-ish - but reborn! (And still familiar, I hoped.)
I’ve wondered what new people think. Does it sound uber-religious? Like “Born again” or something?
Strange thing is when I saw your user name I thought it must have something to do with Dolores Claiborne. I never read the book, but I enjoyed the movie.
I wondered what the story was on the Reborn part but never thought religious.
As a “new people”, I thought I would answer.
Jim
'm lnd s plnnr b prfssin