in which Jonathan talks about how awesome and ordinary his name is
So, I'm glad no one was shocked by my not-so-big reveal. Now that that's out of the way, can we talk about names???
I've spent a long time thinking about names. Signing names, looking in the mirror and thinking names, looking out into the world and seeing names attached to faces. I didn't want to look deep within my soul and find a name; I wanted to look out into the world.
When choosing a name, I think it's easy to want to idealize yourself, to name yourself as you would a D&D character or a fanfic author insert (obligatory disclaimer). I very much wanted to avoid this; I wanted a name with which I could take myself seriously. And so, I tried to choose a name that reflected who I was in the context of the world I live in.
The name I chose, Jonathan, is fairly ordinary. It had a burst of popularity in the U.S. during the 1980's (thus it reflects when and where I come from), but the name has been around for centuries. It's a name for nerds, goofs, normal guys, witty intellectuals, unbearable intellectuals, writers, and surely a handful of postal workers. Its rhythm is somewhat cheerful, and it shares its sounds with my birth name. (I've always disliked my birth name, but I can't deny I associate the "J" and the "n" with me-ness.) In short, Jonathan is a name with possibilities, but it undeniably is what it is.
After I decided to adopt "Jonathan," I came across this brilliant and bizarre list article on The Toast: Things I Believe To Be True About Men Named Jonathan. Lovecraftian horrors aside, I really think there's something to be said about Mallory Ortberg having chosen the name "Jonathan" for this piece, and to be honest, I still can't stop laughing. Here are some highlights:
In other news, I'd forgotten I'd set up a Pottermore profile with this name, and when I logged in to retake the Patronus quiz, I felt an unexpected burst of pride. That is, I felt validation from fucking Pottermore. But hey, you take what you can get.
It just so happens that I got my awesome rat Patronus on this account. It's the one account with all of the things that fit me best. (I had to retake the wand test and admit that my height is "short" now. One nice thing about considering myself a lady was that I could call myself average height. RIP my stature.) Here, have a look:
Fuckin' Pukwudgie, though.
Anyway, please feel free to comment if you have any thoughts on names/name choosing in general. I love talking about this shit, even if the discussion doesn't relate directly to MY name.
I've spent a long time thinking about names. Signing names, looking in the mirror and thinking names, looking out into the world and seeing names attached to faces. I didn't want to look deep within my soul and find a name; I wanted to look out into the world.
When choosing a name, I think it's easy to want to idealize yourself, to name yourself as you would a D&D character or a fanfic author insert (obligatory disclaimer). I very much wanted to avoid this; I wanted a name with which I could take myself seriously. And so, I tried to choose a name that reflected who I was in the context of the world I live in.
The name I chose, Jonathan, is fairly ordinary. It had a burst of popularity in the U.S. during the 1980's (thus it reflects when and where I come from), but the name has been around for centuries. It's a name for nerds, goofs, normal guys, witty intellectuals, unbearable intellectuals, writers, and surely a handful of postal workers. Its rhythm is somewhat cheerful, and it shares its sounds with my birth name. (I've always disliked my birth name, but I can't deny I associate the "J" and the "n" with me-ness.) In short, Jonathan is a name with possibilities, but it undeniably is what it is.
After I decided to adopt "Jonathan," I came across this brilliant and bizarre list article on The Toast: Things I Believe To Be True About Men Named Jonathan. Lovecraftian horrors aside, I really think there's something to be said about Mallory Ortberg having chosen the name "Jonathan" for this piece, and to be honest, I still can't stop laughing. Here are some highlights:
- Jason Schwartzman is not named Jonathan, but he is a Jonathan; you know this to be true
- No man named Jonathan can hold a nickel in his hand. It always rolls away. This is the test of a true Jonathan.
- All Jonathans have taken no fewer than four and no more than eleven karate classes
- No one named Jonathan has ever died; each individual Jonathan, at the end of its particular experience, is repurposed by the remaining Jonathans. The number of Jonathans in the world at any given time never varies by more than five.
In other news, I'd forgotten I'd set up a Pottermore profile with this name, and when I logged in to retake the Patronus quiz, I felt an unexpected burst of pride. That is, I felt validation from fucking Pottermore. But hey, you take what you can get.
It just so happens that I got my awesome rat Patronus on this account. It's the one account with all of the things that fit me best. (I had to retake the wand test and admit that my height is "short" now. One nice thing about considering myself a lady was that I could call myself average height. RIP my stature.) Here, have a look:
Fuckin' Pukwudgie, though.
Anyway, please feel free to comment if you have any thoughts on names/name choosing in general. I love talking about this shit, even if the discussion doesn't relate directly to MY name.