Monday, July 25, 2005

What's in a Name

Sometimes I wonder, when my parents named me if they had any idea how many names I would actually end up with.  Robin's comment in my prior entry got me thinking about it.  Sure, I have my given name, but I have a whole treasure trove of nicknames.  The majority of which were given to me by Sam.  And I don't know why.

It started out innocently enough, as all things often do.  Then, as the months passed by, different nicknames evolved.  Oddly enough, I found it rather endearing.  At first, he called me Missy, which turned into Misster, then Mistaruni, and that turned into Runi, and it stayed like that for awhile.  Until he decided to start calling me Stempy, as in Ren & Stempy (don't know where that came from...I don't resemble him at all!).  Stempy turned into Stemparuni (huh?), then he dropped the Stempa and we were back to Runi again.  For awhile he switched back and forth between Runi and Rutie.  At that point I decided there was no rhyme or reason to these nicknames and I just needed to go with the flow of it.  Then out of the blue, after watching True Grit, he suddenly started calling me Cogburn, which led to Berniture and we now have Bernie.

So, what's with this man's obsession with nicknames?  Well, see, Sam is his nickname.  His given name is actually Gary.  Sam, is short for Sambo, as in the story about the little boy and the tigers...and of course the restaurant.  As a small child, Gary loved pancakes, and someone observed how his affinity for pancakes was like that little boy, Sambo.  So, they started calling him Sambo, and never quit.  As he got older, it became Sam.  Family and close personal friends call him Sam; to everyone else he is Gary.  Which was confusing at first, but there is a positive side to it.  If the phone rings, and the caller asks for Gary, it's either someone from work or someone who doesn't really know him.

So, Robin, if you were confused before...well, what about now?  And remember, your the one who decided to start calling me Maggie.

I did say I am a complicated creature, you know.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Complicated?  Maybe.  Fun?  Definately!  Thanks for this anthology of your nick names.  I must admit I was wondering a little about them, too.  I think I would like knowing your Sam.
Sam

Anonymous said...

Complicated, yes you are!  After that last post I am completely and utterly confused.  But that's OK - I love ya anyway!

Anonymous said...

Lol, this reminds me of the names I'm always giving my boy!
My Aunt used to have a record with that Sambo story on it.  I loved it, was obsessed with it, and listened to it over and over every time I stayed with her :o)
Thanks for bringing back that memory!!
Sara   x

Anonymous said...

I have one nickname its Nicki short for Dominique.