Monday, January 14, 2013

I've never tried using a "Starbucks nickname" before. Suddenly I wonder if I should.

My unusual names, first and last, bugged me as a kid. When I was young, I just wanted to fit in and be normal and a distinctive name, first and last, made that hard. It was also corrupted into lots of weird nicknames, which I didn't like. That was mostly me being hypersensitive rather than anything insulting about them, but still, yet another unavoidable problem because of what I was called.

I've mostly made my peace with it by now. I can better appreciate the meaning and history of "Cyrus." Having a weird name is actually useful in at least one way: weeding out telemarketers. It can be a conversation starter, now and then. And of course, I've grown a thicker skin. And while a "Starbucks nickname" might be be nice, I rarely actually go to Starbucks.

However, I am planning on simplifying my last name when I get married. It would be too confusing to have a hyphenated name when neither part of it came from my wife.