What'd you call me?
1. Are you named after anyone?
Kinda. My middle name is the same as my mom's, my maternal grandmother, and my maternal great-grandmother. We've all been Maries.
Although there was a friend of the family that swore for years that I was named after her. She'd tell this lovely story about how when my mom and dad were considering names she ran into them in the store and my mom said, "JANE! That's the perfect name!" Of course, both my mom and dad firmly deny this story.
There is however a child named after me. Somewhere out there, a poor little girlchild was named Jane Marie because her daddy and I dated in high school and he loved my name. I was deeply flattered and little creeped out when I met her and her mother in a Walmart in my home town quite a few years ago.
2. Do you have your children's names picked out already? If so, is there any significance?
I'm a firm believer in the power of a good name. And despite my long lived lack of desire to have children, I have periodically entertained names. Morgan, Quinn, or Joan for girls. Of course, their middle names would have to be Marie. Sadly the tradition requires a J first name and I just don't like many of the J first names. Although if I named a girl Joan Marie, it would odd cause that's my mom's name. For boys, I would love to name a child Sam. First because it's my dad's name, and second because of the Great Sam Vimes. Would never happen though because my father hates his name and often says, "Only mules and dogs should be named Sam."
3. If you were born a member of the opposite sex what would your name have been?
My folks had a deal. If it's a boychild, Mom would name. If a girlchild, Dad picks the name. For the entirity of my life I have often felt that girls get the shaft in many ways, and while I sometimes fancy the idea of being male, I remember what my name would have been and thank God and my father for that X instead of a Y. Cause living my life as Samuel Jefferson Davis would have been an absolute hell. Either that or I would have had to give up and join the Klan.
4. If you could re-name yourself what name would you pick and why?
I always hated my name as a kid. It was boring and dull. It was an old lady name. The Tarzan jokes, and the "See Jane Run" jokes were only funny the first one hundred times. But I was also the only Jane in my school, the only Jane anyone ever knew. I went through a phase in high school of wanting to be Samantha, but it passed. Jane sticks to me like glue. Even when I have a nickname/alternate name, like online or the SCA, Jane surfaces and most people end up calling me that regardless.
5. Are there any mispronunciations/typos that people do with your name constantly?
Feh. You'd think with a name like Jane no one would fuck it up. You'd be wrong. I get Jayne, Janet, Jen, Janine, Jaye, and most disgustingly Janie.
It simplified matters a great deal when I gave up the fight and just started introducing myself as "Jane, like Tarzan's girlfriend." Clears up any misunderstanding and gets the stupidass joke out of the way at the front.
6. Any nicknames you are fond of?
Sadly, in school the only nicknames that ever stuck were the ones I didn't like. Jane the Pain. Janie. And so forth. The number of small boys that I beat up or pummelled due to be called Janie in grade school is pretty high. I remember in 3rd grade a new boy started making fun of my name, calling me Janie-baney and so forth. It was like the Red Sea parted around him. All the other boys backed away from him like he was radioactive, mumbling to themselves. Later they all told him got lucky, that a kick to the shins was nothing. From then on, all new kids were instructed to not call me Janie within earshot.
Even though in the SCA I constantly introduce myself as Teleri, most people call me Jane. Although there is one very sweet gentleman from North Alabama that calls me "Spiffy Jane". I adore that. But I love it when people call me Tel or Teleri as well.
Then there's my father's nicknames for me, Blondie, Hippie, JM, Marie, Monkey, Squeaker, and Fizzbomb. I'm rather fond of all of them, cause well, Daddy gave them to me. I do find it amusing that he still calls me Blondie even though I haven't been blonde since I was fifteen.
Oh, and I forgot, once I started dating Brack our friends started refering to us as Jack and Brain. I know which one I am. Heh.
Wow, I had more nicknames than I thought I did.
In other notes, after my rant about not working in a "backwater" school earlier, I spent two hours helping move books on the first floor because of flooding. Flooding. There's a river running through circulation, and an inch or so of water in periodicals. So fun. I'm telling ya, that damn chicken was the harbringer of doom.