How much do you identify with your DU nickname?

[SallyMander]

It's funny -- my real name isn't Sally, but when i'm here i feel like it is. When people address me as SallyMander (or Sally, or Mz Mander or SallyEm as Sugar Smack does, hehee) it feels like they're using my real name. :D

What about you? Do you strongly identify with your nickname here, or am i silly? (Not mutually exclusive... :P )

[DS1]

1. not much at all

it doesn't mean anything. well, it stands for something, but that's mostly irrelevant anyway.

[SallyMander]

13. What's it stand for?

Or is that classified info? :D

[DS1]

17. I can't write it here

the du html thingy destroys it. but it's not important, just a gaming clan thing.

[Lavender Brown]

2. Not much. I wish I hadn't changed it during that name amnesty thing in '04

:wtf: was I thinking?

[SallyMander]

12. What was it before?

Maybe they'd let you change it back?

[Lavender Brown]

43. I don't know if I care enough to change it back

:shrug: I was Winter79 before.

[RadiationTherapy]

168. We can just call you Ron's Ex-Girlfriend.

Just rrrrrrolls off the tongue!

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. About 4% of the universe, I suppose.

But then, I've never been good with identifying things and I have a hyper-inflated ego.

[SallyMander]

20. ?

:dunce: <---- me

[Rabrrrrrr]

27. Well, you asked "how much", which could mean "how much stuff"

not just "by how much", or "to what extent".

So I took it in a materialistic literal way.

Because I can.

Because I identify 4% of the universe with my username, and have a hyperinflated ego; and therefore, like to stand out amongst lesser beings.

:crazy:

[SallyMander]

36. Which 4%, that's the important thing

Does it include earth? Any major constellations? :D

[Rabrrrrrr]

50. Most of it's your butt

:P

:rofl:

No, I have no idea. Mostly dark matter, I suppose. And black holes. And neutrinos. And every seventeenth shoe.

[SallyMander]

55. My butt accounts for more than 4% of the universe

That is, if we're discussing the universe of IzaSparrow's attention span

:rofl:

[AlCzervik]

4. i don't, i was just feeling bad for actual chimps, thought they were getting a bad name because of

Bush.

[SallyMander]

15. LOL!

I've always liked your name :thumbsup:

[Pierre.Suave]

5. My user name here

is my name, with out the "c" of course.

Edit: However, when I see your posts, I imagine a female salamander named Sally sitting at the computer, probably trying to get a lower rate on her car insurance...

:P

[SallyMander]

19. That's a gecko, you bum!

:P

[Pierre.Suave]

I know...

I was checking to see how long it would take you to check it.

and I have to tell you, I not only want Elmo, I also want Simon now too.

:P

[SallyMander]

23. I didn't have to check it

I am already driven crazy by Geico commercials here that refer to the gecko as "Ohio's official state amphibian" ... :grr: :wtf:

My dogs are super... I miss Simon a boatload already... he better do OK tomorrow! :(

[Pierre.Suave]

38. He will do well, I am sure of it...

He knows he is loved.

:hug:

edit: I should add that I knew you knew the geico gecko was indeed a gecko, I was referring to how long it would take you to check my reply, thats all.

[SallyMander]

49. I hope you're right!

:hug:

[TimeChaser]

6. A lot,

it's been my a name I've used since middle school, and people in real life call my by the "official" shortening (Toki)

[SallyMander]

21. I like Toki

That has a nice sound to it :hi:

[evlbstrd]

7. 100%

I even answer to it IRL.

[SallyMander]

10. LOL!

:D

[evlbstrd]

22. I thought everyone did.

[TZ]

8. I am Sue/Susan

so yes, I do identify with my nick!

[SallyMander]

25. Before i knew the story of your nick

it always made me think "Turtling Sue"... which only makes sense if (like me) you hang out with people who use animals as verbs... e.g., "let's go birding," haha. So i imagine you out looking for turtles. :D

[TZ]

34. another spin I had not thought of

Is the fact that I am a alumnus of University of Maryland..so I am a terrapin! Fear the Turtle (nsue!):)

[SallyMander]

37. Diamondback terrapins, right?

They are such gorgeous creatures! :D

[madinmaryland]

111. Pffth!!1!! "Turtling Sue"

I always thought you answered to Dr. Snyder!!1!!

:rofl:

:hi:

[TZ]

123. And you answer to...

Fucking village idiot!! So there!:P

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Rowr.

[TZ]

18. You know,

I met you and got your name in real life but if I see your picture I think "ocelot" automatically....

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

41. LOL! Wish I was more like an ocelot, they're both cute and fierce.

I like turtles, too.

[KamaAina]

11. I use it when posting elsewhere, specifically the NOLA blogs

so they will know that "that Hawai'i guy" is in the house.

[SallyMander]

28. What does your name mean?

I love the sound of Hawaiian names/words... i have a friend whose middle name is Kaohinani -- way cooler than mine! :D

[KamaAina]

57. "kama'aina": local Hawai'i resident, as distinguished from "malihini"

"foreigner" or "visitor". Literally, "child of the land". Often used in the phrase "kama'aina discount", given to people with Hawai'i ID at hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc., as basically a sneaky way to charge tourists more.

I had only been here less than a year when I delurked (right after 9/11), but there were and are very few other Hawai'i posters (GD-P in particular would rub locals the wrong way!), so I took the name for myself.

edit: My middle name is "Francis". :boring:

[SallyMander]

62. Oh, gotcha!

That's neat. And good to know i'll be overcharged if i ever visit your lovely state. :P

:hi:

[KamaAina]

72. Not if you go around with me

And good to know i'll be overcharged if i ever visit your lovely state.

I've got the coveted Hawai'i ID. :P

[SallyMander]

75. Sweet!

It dropped back down to 50 degrees in Ohio today... Hawai'i sounds really nice! :D

[DarkTirade]

14. I've got a weird name anyway, so as long as there's something for me to respond to, I'm good. :)

Ever since I've been online (mid 90s or so) I've used variations of either the name Tirade or Stickman. So I respond to either fairly quickly. I also got into a text-based RPG with my main character being an insane grasshopper named Locus, so I'll respond to that one too. :) (It was based on Pixar's A Bug's Life. I thought it would be interesting if I made an insane criminal type a la The Joker. So I played a grasshopper criminal who'd fallen into a can of bright blue paint, and had come out bright blue and full of weird chemicals.)

[SallyMander]

29. Locus no t?

Sounds like a funny character! Just from your brief description i have a funny mental image :D

[DarkTirade]

39. Just picture a bright blue grasshopper (albiet a bit flaky on the outside. Paint starting to peel.)

with criminal tendancies, and just about every single possible chemically induced mental illness waiting in the wings, ready to be deployed at a moments' notice. :)

Also, he usually carried a cane made of a twig with a pin hidden in there, as a kind of bug-sized sword cane. Just in case. :P

And yes, no T. Just Locus. :)

[SallyMander]

51. I picture him as if he had put on "The Mask"

from that Jim Carey movie... insane yet somewhat endearing. Maybe that's just cuz i like bugs. :D

[DarkTirade]

71. Endearing... yet criminally insane. :P

In his case, if he's being nice, you KNOW it's either an alternate personality or some other form of chemical imbalance causing it. :P

That, or he's got an evil plan that requires him to be nice to someone to get close to them.

[kentauros]

177. The one thing that comes to mind first for a crazy grasshopper is of an old stop-motion animation

called The Cameraman's Revenge by Ladislaw Starewicz

:P

[DarkTirade]

206. Wow... for the time period, that's downright lewd. :)

I like it. :P

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

16. VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY MUCH

I have been waiting SO long for this to be done - haven't we all??

[SallyMander]

30. Word!

:thumbsup:

Will you change it after the next election if you have the chance? (I wouldn't, i was just wondering!)

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

76. Depends

If McCain manages to live long enough to steal the election, I suppose I could change it to "DeposeGrandpaMcInsane."

[SallyMander]

78. OMG!

:spray:

:rofl:


I don't know why it is, but all the "McWhatever" nicknames for McCain absolutely crack me up... and that one is an A+ :rofl:

[sammythecat]

24. I do.

I've been sammythecat everywhere I go, all the time, since I first got on the internet 9 years ago.

[SallyMander]

31. Do you have a cat named Sammy?

Or did you just like the sound of it?

[sammythecat]

45. There actually was a cat named sammy

and he died right around the time I got a modem. I often referred to him as sammythecat.

I remember some time ago you mentioned your study of, and fondness for, salamanders. Kind of unusual and easy to remember. Not many people heavily involved with salamanders.

[SallyMander]

85. Yup, i'm one of the odd few

:D

Mostly when i go out in the field it's a big group of guys... and me. But i've always loved the slimy and scaly critters! :shrug:

:hi:

[Guava Jelly]

26. I don't like republicans

So I guess I identify with it. :hi:

[SallyMander]

32. Really? Who knew???

:P

:hi:

[Richard Steele]

33. Well, it's my real name, so I guess...

...I'm not really in a position to answer
the question you're asking.

[SallyMander]

40. Really???

Wow, that's definitely a superhero name :D

[Richard Steele]

100. Yup, it's "Richard Steele", and my friends call me Dick.

(To be perfectly honest, it's not always just my friends! ;):evilgrin:)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

35. My dear SallyMander!

Well, sweetie...

Since my real name is Peggy!

I identify with it a whole lot, lol!

:woohoo:

[SallyMander]

42. And you're from North Dakota, right?

:P

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

46. Now that's a funny question...

I'm not from North Dakota...

I'm confused! :crazy:

[SallyMander]

48. Just making a (bad) joke

about the first part of your DU nickname! :D

[JTG of the PRB]

44. I identify pretty closely with it,

"jtg" are my initials, and 33 is my favorite number so... There you go!

[SallyMander]

56. Why is 33 your favorite number?

Is there a story there, or do you just like the way it looks? (Larry Bird fan? :D )

[JTG of the PRB]

66. I do indeed like the way it looks...

...plus it was the number of not one by TWO of my favorite sports players back in the 90's when I was growing up - Larry Walker of the Rockies, and Patrick Roy of the Avalanche. They both wore 33, I loved them both, so that certainly played a big part in it!

[SallyMander]

69. Aha!

After i posted, i thought maybe you might really like Rolling Rock! :D

BTW, i love your sigline! :thumbsup:

[JTG of the PRB]

89. Thanks!

The instant I heard it, I ran and grabbed a pen and some paper to write it down before I forgot it. It's one of my favorite quotes ever.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

47. Only when I have a Guinness

:D

...or when I see an ad for Goddess bras :rofl:

[SallyMander]

58. Heheh

Brilliant! :D

[Inchworm]

52. Umm.. er.. ahhh... -nt-

:yoiks:

[SallyMander]

59. ...

:spray:

[BeachBaby]

53. Mine is self-explanatory.

I'm from Jersey.
I'm a girl.
I'm a Democrat.

And I think your name ROCKS! Very creative! :thumbsup:

[SallyMander]

61. Hey, thanks!

I actually wanted "Salamander," but it was already taken (member since 2002, 0 posts, nonetheless!). And now i'm sort of attached to SallyMander :D

:hi:

[BeachBaby]

91. Screen name hogs.

They take up the cool names and then disappear. The worst kind of troll. :P

That's okay - your name is cooler. And cuter.

:hi: right back atcha!

[Cant trust em]

54. Some people have their names after political events that happened in the last month

Don't they know that two years from now the 2008 primary is going to be a distant memory? Imagine someone today having a nickname like "McGovern72". Perhaps something timeless like lack of transparency with government.

[SallyMander]

63. McGovern72, LOL!

That might indicate some sort of crack in the space-time continuum, though... :yoiks:

[LeftyFingerPop]

60. Completely. Philboy is my real name...

:o :hi:

[SallyMander]

64. Heehee

:hi:

[lost-in-nj]

65. sometimes

I am lost......


others

well I just find my way (barely).....

but
thats just right now.....


I hope to not have to
identify ...

ever, ever again


:hug:


lost

[SallyMander]

67. Aww, sweetie

I think you will be found before you know it... we will all chip in for your new Lounge GPS :D :hug: :hug: :hug:

[Danger Mouse]

68. kinda...i usually get called elrond. which is an odd feeling.

i don't even like my real name, really, but whatever.

[SallyMander]

73. We could start calling you "Hubbie"!

:D

[Danger Mouse]

80. hubbie? that's just wrong

:P

[SallyMander]

86. OK, how 'bout Ronda?

:evilgrin:

[Danger Mouse]

87. ronda, eh? that sounds kind of glamorous.

[SallyMander]

88. Yup... definitely feather boa and sequins potential

:D

[Danger Mouse]

90. why, i could be pretty, then!

[khashka]

70. Very much so

In fact I usually go by it. Even people who know me and my real name call me Khash or Khashka.

Khash.

[SallyMander]

74. What does your name mean?

I think it sounds lovely :hi:

[khashka]

81. It's from a song by KaTe Bush

about a woman watching two gay men in love and wishing she could be part of that love. Kinda sad, but kinda cool too.

Khash.

[SallyMander]

84. I just looked it up

You're absolutely right -- sad, but cool. Haunting.

[Deja Q]

77. .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQN3latiMLc

[SallyMander]

79. I am a fan of amphibians with mysterious powers

:D

[redwitch]

82. I get confused with Redqueen quite often.

I don't really identify very strongly, would probably change my DU name if I could. Sigh. Lots of things I would change if I could. Sigh.

[SallyMander]

83. What would you change it to?

Maybe you'll get a chance post-election like they did in '04

I don't think you should change a thing, otherwise! :hug: :loveya:

[redwitch]

92. Thanks honey!

I don't know what I would change it to, what I am feeling these days is so complex, hard to find a perfect fit in a few syllables.
Maybe "She who is really fed up and yet still hopeful in spite of the current world situation". Oh well, redwitch will have to do. :P

[SallyMander]

93. LOL! That one might be too long

for the little "Author" column... however, a word for that phrase would be a seriously useful thing! :D

[redwitch]

98. Well, if you promised not to take it personally, I could abbreviate it to:

FU ( for fed up) :P That would fit!

[SallyMander]

99. LOL!

No offense taken here! :rofl:

:hug:

[hippywife]

94. Very much!

When I first met my soon to be husband in an online chat, his user name was hippybill. So when we got married, I became hippywife. :hi:

[SallyMander]

96. Aww, that's cute!

Cheers to the hippycouple! :toast:

:hug:

[flvegan]

95. My alterego fivegan gets all the attention.

Not FLvegan, but FIvegan.

It's like having a sockpuppet, only without breaking the rules.

[SallyMander]

97. Which raises the important question

What is a gan? And would we want five of them?

:D

:hi:

[FlyingSquirrel]

101. I've always been a bit squirrelly.

[SallyMander]

130. LOL

Flying squirrels are totally adorable though! :D

[femmocrat]

102. Not really. It seemed like a good name when I picked it, but...

I would probably change it if I could. I don't have another one picked out, though!

[SallyMander]

131. I like your nick!

Just my 2 cents :D

[Xipe Totec]

103. I wear mine like a second skin...

:evilgrin:

[SallyMander]

132. What does it mean?

I get the feeling i'm missing a good joke... :dunce:

[Xipe Totec]

196. Xipe Totec - Our Lord the Flayed One

Annually, slaves were selected as sacrifices to Xipe Totec. These slaves were carefully flayed to produce a nearly whole skin which was then worn by the priests during the fertility rituals that followed the sacrifice.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xipe_Totec

[crimsonblue]

104. Mine suits me perfectly.

First of all, because it is the colors of my team, The NCAA Champion University of Kansas Jayhawks (or fighting Manginos, depending on the time of year). Secondly, because it is a take off of my first real email address. Thirdly, because I like to think I got a little bit of everything with my political views.

[SallyMander]

133. Cool!

I love hearing the stories behind peoples' nicknames!

[ScreamingMeemie]

105. I never used to... it was based on a Spoonerism...

that, prophetically, became truth.

[SallyMander]

134. Aww, MrsG, you've never struck me as grumpy

And even if you were, no one could fault you! :hug:

[LeftyMom]

106. Not to any significant degree.

Most everybody who knows me well at all knows my given name, if not my patronymic.

[SallyMander]

135. I tend to sign my given name if people PM me

It just seems a little odd to sign Sally on what amounts to an email... :shrug:

[stuntcat]

107. you ARE Sally!!!

Actually I get the whole salamander vibe when I see you. I have a salamander pin that will never not remind me of you now!

Stuntcat is my name everywhere. It's a nickname my husband gave our black cat and I thought it sounded cute. Someone else out there has used the name too but I don't know her and I consider it MINE since Ben thought of it.

My name online for years used to be Snowy and I was so used to it, if someone called me Snowy now I'd still answer like it was my first name.. even though I had a personality shift to Stuntcat :headbang:

[SallyMander]

136. I love the image that "stuntcat" brings to mind

Zipping around, banking off walls, doing backflips, etc. Definitely superhero-esque. :D


Salamanders are the best and i am proud to be their DU representative! :patriot: :rofl:

[hyphenate]

108. Back in 1991

when I first came online, this kid and I both worked at a studio, and we wanted to come-up with show-biz type screen names that weren't too ordinary. He chose "backlot" and I chose "hyphenate" because it's a show-biz term for the higher echelon people on productions (writer-director, or writer-producer-director). Back then, there weren't as many women online (a lot of us techies, though), so it protected me as well because it was ambiguous. So I've had the nickname for a very long time, and I do identify with it.

It still protects me--my spam is filled for Cialis and Viagra junk mail, so methinks a lot of people still think of me as male. :)

The only problem I've found, is that some of the nasties I've known online have come up with rather imaginative slurs on it. Although I guess my real name, Mary, could carry quite a few insults as well (Bloody Mary, Typhoid Mary, etc.).

[SallyMander]

137. Oh, that's a cool story!

And hey, nasties will always come up with stupid slurs (even if they have to streeeeeetch) so don't even worry about it!

:hi:

[Broken_Hero]

109. Quite a lot actually, nt

[SallyMander]

139. Is Peter your real name?

:hi:

[Broken_Hero]

197. nope, but close....:)

:hi:

[SallyMander]

224. D*** Peterson!

Maybe? :D

[Broken_Hero]

225. Maybe....

maybe not...my ties with the KGB will not be proud if my cover gets blown. :D

[Dr. Strange]

110. Not that much.

It's sort of ironic. I use "Strange" in my name, yet I'm exceedingly normal. It's unusual that I would use something so diametrically opposite. In fact, it's almost, strange.

Oh wait, never mind. I guess I do identify with my nickname.

[quip]

124. What a strange person!

[Dr. Strange]

129. My stove top was dirty...hence the name...

dust range.

[SallyMander]

138. LOL!

Really??? Or is the Du part for DU?

[Dr. Strange]

174. I wanted to be Doctor Strange.

I put DuStrange in for my name and Doctor Strange in for my username. Except it turned up vice versa. So the Du was for DU.

And then along comes temeah calling me dust range.

[TZ]

175. Interesting!

I kind of like the sound of this..DrStrangedustrange..has a nice flow to it...:)

[Dr. Strange]

203. No way am I typing that in every time I want to log on!

The flow is irrelevant.

[TZ]

208. Well you could also be

DrStrangeGlove...:D
Is that punny enough for you?

[SallyMander]

184. Aha!

I should have known it was somehow temeah's fault! :D

[TZ]

166. If Skinner allows a nick change after the election

We should hold a contest for you, since I know you want a new one...

[quip]

200. Do you like Barbie or Ken more?

Barbie is more fun:

[TZ]

201. Locking!

No doll porn threads! (that is a damned funny picture, though)
Ken more...groan....

[quip]

202. Unlocking.

The rule states "no sock puppets," not "sex puppets." :P

[Dr. Strange]

204. Barbie likes...

[Benfea]

112. Very much

I came up with this name when I was making an elf character for a fantasy MMORPG. I decided that for once I would have a name that was appropriate for the genre, so I went to one of those Tolkien elf "dictionary" sites and tried to build a name out of that.

My goal was to make a name that meant "atheist" or something close to it, but given the limited size of the dictionary, the closest I was able to come was "without spirit."

It fits.

Technically, the second "e" is supposed to have umlauts over it so that it gets pronounced "ben fey ah", but I find that putting funny accents in a name in an online game just makes it harder for people to communicate with you.

[SallyMander]

140. Umlauts are cool

But i actually pronounced your name "ben fey ah" in my head without them. It's a really cool sounding name!

[Benfea]

233. Thanks, and I'm impressed

Even knowing how it's supposed to be pronounced, I often pronounce it wrong. ^.^

[Chan790]

113. Very much so...

it's my fake middle name, about 50% of my IRL friends know me by that name, and it got me over a rough patch. It's central to my identity.

[SallyMander]

141. What about the 790?

Is there a story there?

[Chan790]

158. Oddly no.

It was an assigned number on another website on account of the other 789 Chans. Now if I can't get the s/n Chan790, I'll sub other words. ActivistBoy790, for example. No meaning, yet important for some reason.

[SallyMander]

161. Gotcha! That's how my university does email addresses

I think the Smiths are up in the 5000s, yikes! My advisor likes to play a game where he'll try to guess your number based on how common he thinks your last name is. :D

[fortyfeetunder]

114. Let's say enough

that I don't go out at 7AM swimming or doing scuba in ocean waters (I have a helluva seal profile) :evilgrin:

[SallyMander]

142. LOL

Do you scuba elsewhere? I used to but i had a scary experience and i've yet to go again!

[fortyfeetunder]

210. I don't scuba with seals.

Nothing that mistakes me for them!

[Longhorn]

115. When I read something about the Longhorns in the paper

my first thought is that they're talking about me! :)

[SallyMander]

143. LOL -- they should be!

You're the important Longhorn! :D :hug:

[sammythecat]

116. I remember when MSN had chat rooms.

You could, and I did, change your name anytime you wanted. I liked that because I could customize my name to fit my mood. That was back in 2000. I miss that. It was fun and I haven't seen anything like it since.

[SallyMander]

144. That's kinda neat

Was there any way to know if you were talking to the same person from one day to the next?

[sammythecat]

193. No, but I don't think many did that very often.

and if they did, they'd identify themselves. That was handy for troublemakers though.

It was chat rather than a message board. Anybody could make their own chat room and it only existed until that person logged off. Most off them would be a cooperative effort and were always there. The only moderators were the chat room owners themselves, and it really makes me appreciate the mods we have here. You could tell when the mods weren't around because things would always devolve in a hurry. Just a couple immature people can ruin things. It was eventually shut down after it became apparent a lot of pedophiles were using it and MSN understandably didn't want any association with that. A lot of people like yahoo I guess. I've checked it out a few times and just didn't like it. I think I'm more the message board type than the chat room type. As you can imagine, with little time to consider, chat room conversations tend to be pretty sloppy much of the time.

I'm signed up at a science and a sports message board, but this one is much more active, and more interesting and fun than the others. MSN was fun, but if I had to choose between that and DU I'd definitely pick DU. There's a lot of good people here and it's moderated well.

on edit: please don't respond. I see you're one of those generous souls that tries to respond to every comment. I try to do that as well, and sometimes it can get a little overwhelming and time-consuming. You've been pretty busy with this thread.

[Bullwinkle925]

117. pretty much . . .

it's a job removing the antlers every night.

[SallyMander]

145. LOL

That's quite a rack you've got! :evilgrin: :rofl:

[Withywindle]

118. A fair amount.

I always stand up for the underdog, so I'm willing to go on record saying that Tom Bombadil is one of my favorite Lord of the Rings characters....

...but his river-nymph wife, and the river she comes from...I relate to even more. Hence my username. Swampy, willowy, creepy, ancient, and wild.

[SallyMander]

147. Ooh, i love your description

Very intriguing!

[kentauros]

119. I use mine on other boards (and have online for about a decade.)

So I would say that I do strongly identify with it :)

To get into its meaning would require going into deeper detail and research. I would consider it closer to a totem with regards to its connection to Kheiron (Chiron), the healer and teacher. Yet, I am not a doctor (maybe a healer, tho) nor a teacher, other than what little I can offer of what I do know or have archived over the years ;)

And in case any don't know or haven't made the connection, "kentauros" is the Greek root word for "centaur".

Have a bier! :D

[SallyMander]

148. One can be a healer and teacher without doing it professionally

I like your centaur gif! :D

[kentauros]

169. Thanks :)

I know about teaching and healing without doing it professionally. I have never studied herbal medicine, but I do use it and advise on it often. Just bought a book on homeopathic ways of using sound and color; it looks pretty interesting :)

At the very least, I use this knowledge within my writing, so that could be seen as a form of indirect teaching. Now I just have to finish some of these writing projects and see what's worthy of being published ;)

This is a cool thread; it's great to read all the other nickname origins.

[Zavulon]

120. Not at all.

It's just the name of the main bad guy in a movie I love. I look nothing like him and I'm not a bad guy myself, I just like my movies to have good villains.

[SallyMander]

149. What movie is it?

I like the sound of the name, even though it's a bad guy :)

[Zavulon]

205. Night Watch.

It's a Russian action / horror movie with Hollywood-style special effects / budget: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/.

The quote in my sig line can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/quotes

There's a sequel called Day Watch available with the same villain (same cast). This movie has one of the most awesome (I don't use that word often, believe me) special effects I've ever seen in it: a woman in a hurry, driving a red sports car, uses some powers she has to a shortcut by driving it up and along a building: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409904/.

If you ever choose to watch these, a.) watch them in the above order, and b.) bookmark my name so that you can later ask me "Okay, there was a scene in the original version that was omitted from the subtitled international version. Please tell me about that scene."

[SallyMander]

223. Thanks for the rec!

I can put it on the Blockbuster queue... but knowing i'm a total wuss about horror movies, is this going to freak me out? :P

[Zavulon]

232. There are a couple of scenes which

might make you wish you'd have eaten light before you had seen them, but if you can stand anything like the Elm Street movies, all of which are much more gory, you'll be able to handle these without a problem.

These are as much action as they are horror - in fact, more so. Truth be told, a typical episode of CSI can be more gory than either of these movies.

[MrSlayer]

121. People call me "Slayer" in real life.

Not enough people here address me directly for me to feel as you do. I feel that way on my Slayer board.

[SallyMander]

150. But if it's a Slayer board

Isn't everyone called some variant of Slayer? :D

[MrSlayer]

207. Heh, No.

It's a Slayer discussion board, everyone has different nicks.

[BarenakedLady]

122. BNL is me.

It's odd.

[SallyMander]

151. I know what you mean!

I assume you loved the band to begin with, right? So that's already a strong connection. Just how i already loved salamanders and then came here and became one. :D

[CBGLuthier]

125. hahahahahaha

more every day. I just pray I can lose it next year.

[SallyMander]

152. Unless (please no please no) McCain somehow pulls it out

But that's just too scary of a though... Hopefully we'll have a D in the oval office and you'll be able to shed the name! :)

[NewJeffCT]

126. well, I'm not too "New" here anymore

but, my name is Jeff and I live in CT

[SallyMander]

153. How logical!

:D

:hi:

[NewJeffCT]

170. it's my background

as an accounting major in college.

but, I'm also NewJeffCT on other forums as well - DailyKos, gaming forums, etc. I used to be JeffCT1966 on a lot of forums, including one that was work-related. However, when I changed jobs, I forgot my password and they couldn't retrieve it (they had to send it to my old email address) - so I changed all my usernames to NewJeffCT in case people knew me before.

[av8rdave]

127. I pretty much do

My real name is in there. In this day and age, maybe that's not smart.

[SallyMander]

154. I don't think it's a problem

especially since it's just your first name... i've often thought that if people did some digging they could easily find out who i am IRL, just from things i've said on here. :shrug:

[Rob H.]

128. Uh...

My nickname here is my real-life name. I figured it might make it a little less likely for me to pick fights on the internets if I were to use my own name. Pretty boring reason to choose a nickname, I know. :(

[SallyMander]

155. That's not boring!

I think it's funny that you did that to keep yourself in check... has it worked? :D

[Rob H.]

189. It's working pretty well

I'm already a pretty easygoing person, anyway, though--at least, I like to think I am. :P

[Ava]

146. well my name is Ava

so i guess i identify with it a lot ;)

[SallyMander]

156. I think that's such a pretty name

My first name is really common, so i've always wished i had a more unusual name!

[Ava]

157. thanks

i do like having a unique name.. for example when i was in school there was megan h. and megan c. and i was just ava, so i liked that.

[joneschick]

159. just an easy handle

yet it remains fairly anonymous. Lots of girl Jones folks out there. :hi:

[SallyMander]

162. I like it!

:hi:

[bertha katzenengel]

160. Bertha is my alter ego. Katzenengel = roughly German for

"cat's angel" - although I haven't been doing TNR or anything else but feeding strays for about a year now. :(

After the election, I'm going back to Bertha Venation. Venation is actually my alter ego's last name.

[SallyMander]

164. What's TNR?

Just curious -- sounds like you've done a lot for the kitties though! :hug:

Do you know for sure if we'll be able to change names?

[bertha katzenengel]

176. A program to reduce the killing of wild domestic cats

TRAP the feral cat (humanely)

NEUTER/spay the cat

RETURN the cat to where you trapped it.

Names: I think so. I asked Skinner a few months ago and asked if I could change my name back, and he said there will be amnesty after the election.

[SallyMander]

183. That's great

What a wonderful thing to be involved with!

[bertha katzenengel]

185. It's very rewarding - and very exhausting.

And I learned the hard way. One of my first trapped was a girl we called Ringtail, and I let her go because she wasn't the one I was after, fer cryin' out loud. She subsequently had three more litters. I never did catch her, and we haven't seen her for months. I hope she's happy on the Rainbow Bridge.

[PassingFair]

163. Mine is an adjective...a medieval descriptor.

Suited me more when I was 15 years younger.....

[SallyMander]

165. Like a fair maiden?

:hi:

[PassingFair]

167. Yep. After "slew" it is the most used word in "Le Morte de Arthur"

It means beyond beautiful, kind of ....

[bikebloke]

171. My car is a bicycle

And I'm a bloke.

[SallyMander]

179. I live with a bicycle maniac

I think between us there are at least 10 in the house... and we don't have a big house! :rofl:

:hi:

[bikebloke]

187. I wish I had room for a spare bike.

So instead, I've got parts stashed here and there.

[Haole Girl]

172. I don't, really

In fact, I hate it when people call me "KC"....mostly because of some history, here, on DU.

I don't know if you know the story behind it, but here it goes: I saw news footage (CNN, I think) of a woman fighter pilot, in Iraq, who used "KC" as her call sign. It was short for "killer chick"! lol I just thought she was amazing & wanted to used it as a user name. By the time I joined DU, though, "KC" was taken... so I picked "KC2". That's the story.

[SallyMander]

180. I didn't know the story!

I always assumed it was your initials, actually.

Maybe you can change it after the election, if you really don't like it!

[Haole Girl]

188. I like KC2.... I just can't stand being called "KC"

but, such is life... it's a reminder of someone I really can't stand.

[auntAgonist]

173. I am totally the opposite of an 'antagonist'

:shrug:

aA

[SallyMander]

181. I've always thought your name was very interesting

It's a fun plan on words, even if you aren't an antagonist! :hi:

[applegrove]

178. My screename is a homage to my ancestors who all seemed to have

appletrees or groves in their backyards. Or their houses were built on former orchards. So I feel a connection to all those characters when I am called applegrove.

[SallyMander]

182. That's neat

What part of the world were they in? I'm a New England girl and i used to love going apple-picking back home... :hi:



Edit for posting too soon :crazy:

[applegrove]

186. Nova Scotia and Ontario. Lots of apple trees.

[kineneb]

190. my name is my name

kinene b... My first name is just odd enough that I don't mind using it. Rather like being born with a stage name.

I figure that given my family, I could not be truly anonymous anywhere, so I just don't worry. It might be something about that Iranian passport I used to have...

[SallyMander]

212. What a great name

How do you pronounce it?

[kineneb]

229. like this

kin-eene

[LynzM]

191. Very much...

Lynz is a shortening of my given name (Lindsay) that I've been using for... oh, 15 years now. I pronounce it like "Lynn's" but I know a lot of other people don't. M is for my last name. Not too exciting, but it's me! :)

[SallyMander]

213. I always imagined it pronounced like Linday

Maybe because my aunt has an email address with "betsz" and her name is Betsy. :D

[BarbaRosa]

192. Somewhat

First I really like the movie. Second, I somehow ended up bearing a resemblance to Willie Nelson. Just last weekend I went to snappy-mart to get some beer and got "Willie Nelsoned" again. I get it everywhere, but as I was saying to MamaRosa it's better that looking like oh, say, dick cheney, chimpy, or the like. People are generally smiling when they "Wilie Nelson" me. I guess I owe Willie two thanks, one for the great music and one for the smiling faces when I get "Willied".

Makes me realize what a great soul Willie Nelson is.

on edit: Oh yeah, back in the day my beard was red, then pink, and now white.

[SallyMander]

215. Wow, you look like Willie

I just adore him... i've always thought if i met him i'd just want to give him a hug... so if you're ever in Ohio and get hug-tackled, don't worry, it's just me :D

[IronLionZion]

194. I really am Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia

and many DUers falsely accuse me of being Jewish or Rastafarian. (I'm Catholic) I just liked the Bob Marley song Iron Lion Zion: I wanna be iron, like a lion, in Zion!

Maybe it fits my personality as the lion of Judah

[SallyMander]

216. We have that album on vinyl

Love Bob Marley! :D

[WilliamPitt]

195. A bit

:P

[SallyMander]

217. LOL

I don't understand why...? :P

[Sentath]

198. This is my online ID

Everywhere I can secure it.

If you see a sentath, its probably me.

Thats why I never ever respond to the 'post your (insert personal info here)' threads. I wouldn't mind you knowing it, but who knows how it would be received on World of Warcraft or Yahoo or ...

[SallyMander]

218. What does it mean?

It sounds like the name of some mythical creature...

[Shine]

199. A lot.

it's my "special name" in other areas of my life, too. :D

[SallyMander]

219. Heheh

That sounds like a story... i've seen your pic though, and Shine fits perfectly -- you're lovely! :hi:

[mokawanis]

209. mine is of a special memory

Years ago I took my then 14 yr. old son backpacking in Glacier Park for 6 days and we camped for one night at a beautiful site on Lake Mokawanis.

[SallyMander]

220. Aww, neat!

I would love to go to Glacier -- looks like such a gorgeous spot!

What a great memory for you and your son :D

[Adams Wulff]

211. Pretty well...

Last name is Adams, and I fly fish, so yeah, pretty well!

[SallyMander]

221. Makes sense!

Is the pooch in your sigline yours? What a cutie!

[Adams Wulff]

234. That's Emma!

Trusted and loyal companion for 8 years!

[tammywammy]

214. It's totally me

I'm Tammy and I'm totally Wammy.

Plus I have lime kitty as an avatar. Who doesn't love lime kitty? Fascists that's who.

[SallyMander]

222. OMG... perhaps best response ever

:rofl:


Your name, avatar and sigline all make me think that i'd like to have a beer with you! :D

[tammywammy]

226. Yep

:)

And it wouldn't be one beer, we'd be at the bar till it closed. And shots would be involved.

[vixengrl]

227. I respond to "Vixen"--if someone yelled--"Hey, Vix"--I'd turn around.

I've been "vixen" in some form or other on-line for over a decade. I guess it might be because my regular name is so common and boring (think--top female name for babies for many years running--'70's and '80's.) I've had a few different last names in the past decade--but my on-line nick stays the same. It's part goof (I've gone under vixen69) and part description (my looks IRL are...distinctive--I can't provide a picture on demand, but, well, a little vixen-y) and the name kind of suggests mischief--which is what my sense of humor is about. I tend to feel like my real name is my "secret identity"--my nom de net is a little more me.

(I guess I'm a little influenced by the idea from Norman Spinrad's Child of Fortune where people go on wanderjahr and once they have "found themselves", figure out what their real name is. I don't think he anticipated the Wanderjahr as being "lots of surfing". Or the name being a self-referential, in-jokey
handle. But still.)

(Edit: sorry, forgot brackets were html here--my bad.)

[mike_c]

228. it's my real name...

...so I generally identify with it pretty strongly. :rofl:

[Dinger]

230. I Got The Nickname "Dinger" Because, Here In Northern Wisconsin,

we say I'm going "bumming" (run around, errands, etc.) around, or "dinging" around. I am pretty hard to reach at imes, so I was given the nickname "Dinger." I had the nickname "Professor" once. Not sure why that was.

[AggieGal]

231. A lot

Grew up in Aggieland and will always be an Aggie. And I am a gal also.