Mine is easy. For five years I went by "Tor" on another site so when I came here I tried to use Tor, but I couldn't use it for some reason. So I just added to it a bit and made "Tor" Torman.

Tor - But then there is the obvious follow-up question... Why "Tor"?

Because my wife said if I used the original "Married To A Crazy Amazon Redhead" that I would never be able to type again. Actually from a picture I have hanging on my wall of 2 old guys sitting on the porch of the general store doing nothing. older/exasperated

Funny you should ask this. I had already planned my next post to be about the name that I started here with "lifehalflived", how I felt at the time and where I am now.
I think this is a very good question and am looking forward to the answers.

monkey is a term of affection in this house. I deny it and accuse my husband of being one, what with his monkey like fingers and toes. I point to my muscular (stubby) working hands and tell him I am no monkey but then he tells me I have a big butt. and on it goes.

this is one of the few places where I own up to my monkeyness.

btw, this name thing is a mystery I've pondered myself particularly nanatehay. it sounds native american, so that's the assumption I've made. with these screennames I've made many assumptions. if people respond this should be a particularly interesting thread.

Happy New Year!

Okay...you asked for it...LOL!

Let's jump in the Wayback machine with Prof. Peabody and Sherman and head all the way back to 1999, the year I first went online.
I had absolutely no idea what the hell I was doing or even if I really wanted to be there, but my youngest son kept badgering me so I had to try it.
So I had the computer, I paid for the Internet and there I was...sitting in front of the screen trying to fill in the blanks and get started.
It asked me for my "username". I started to merely type in my name and my youngest son let out a howl of protest.

"WHAT'?
"Dad, you gotta come up with a cool name, like back in the stone age when people use to have "handles" when they used the CB radio."

"Ohhhhhhhh!"

So I started trying to come up with a good handle. I sat, and sat, and sat.....an hour later I was still blank. Finally, in desperation, my eyes finally locked onto a book that I was reading at the time. Prominently displayed on the book cover was the name of the Publishing company which had published the book: Tor Publishing.

Eureka! Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner!

From that moment on, I became Tor.

Remember, you asked for it.

Hey OM! Nice to hear about how your name came into being. If you want to know all about Skeleton Woman and where that name came from here's a link:

http://open.salon.com/blog/skeletnwmn/2009/10/28/skeleton_woman_--_and_why_i_love_her

o/e - Hmmmmm.....she does sound crazy. ;) I love that you got this from a picture. Very cool!

Sharon - Yes, yours is so interesting to me. I remember when I fiiiiiiiiirst started, I saw that name. I didn't realize you were the same person once you became LifeIsGood until someone mentioned it recently. Let me know when you post your full thoughts.

Monkey - I call my girls "monkey" all the time - it's just so cute! (I also call them "muffin" which confused them when they were little.) As for nanatehay, I can't get past "Nana" which I believe is the dog's name in Peter Pan...

Nice, OM, very nice. Glad you're back inside yourself now.

I explained mine in my first post: Like Thoreau, I was looking for answers in nature and trying to live more simply. Annie Dillard pilgrim'd at Tinker Creek. I'm lazy and cheap, so I do it at home. (Can't afford the Bahamas or Jamaica.)

I'm with frilly monkey on nanatehay--it's always sounded Navajo to me. yekdeli explains hers in her bio, BTW (or at least used to).

TOR - That is a fantastic story! See? That is the sort of thing I wonder about!! I DID ask and I'm so glad I DID!

skeletnwmn - I will check that out! Thanks!

Wow, I've got such a lame story. Bobbot was the moniker I used to post on a Futurama fan site. When I came here I wasn't entirely sure that I'd be staying so When it wanted a name, I picked the one I was sure that I'd remember. Later I tried to revert t0 my real name and my readership disappeared. I went back to Bobbot selected initially because of an insane robot named Roberto.

I adopted a dog in hopes of having him save the life of my very sick puppy. He couldn't save her life but he certainly saved mine. Less than two years later, he died a too early death and I chose to honor and remember him by using his name here. Great post and Happy New Year!

My name came to me in a dream, from God or something.

Teeheehee!!

No, not really, a long time ago in a Galaxy far, far away, I was sitting at a chatroom login box, it said ----

WHATSA U NAME?

And I was like,

TINKERER

and the Tink69 came years later!! TEEHEEHEE!!

Then I discovered not too long ago, Tinkerer was a Spiderman character/criminal, so I could lie and say that!! ;)

Pilgrim - That's a wonderful way to choose - strip it all down to what's needed.

WSFTC - Genius woulda worked. :-) But I do prefer the name you settled on!

Bobbot - "an insane robot named Roberto" - That is SO not lame. That's precisely the kind of thing that cracks me up!

cartouche - What a lovely and thoughtful way to honor such a special friend.

Tink - Were you in a Mafia chat room? So demanding! And with an accent! And wow - a Spiderman criminal? You're famous on many fronts, Tink...

My real name is Mary Colangelo - Colangelo means "with the angel" in Italian. Since my first name is Mary and I like it when people call me Mare and I love the ocean and anything seas and water and waves and swimming...and I'm of Italian descent, I chose Leonde Delmare. When broken properly into "le onde del mare" one ends with the Italian phrase translated to "the waves of the sea"...thus my ocean in my pic...which is the York coast of Maine..."scritto" is "write" in Italian...thought some linguists may have figured my pseudonym by now but others might assume it was just a ridiculous pen name for a tacky romance novelist...

Outside Myself, a very Happy New Year to you and yours!!

It's so great of you to pose this question in your post. In my case, the name came from 2006 when a friend wanted me to set up an account so we could instant message. I am always reading stories on The New York Times web site and their "Opinionator Blog" was a name that I liked. Since I am in design I made my IM "handle" the same as what you see here on Open Salon.

Back in the days of OS beta when I joined in here, not many members were using their real names so I went with designanator automatically. It is sometimes misspelled as designator, but you spelled it precisely with the extra "na" in the name. Thanks very much for asking and it is fascinating to see the reasons for the other names here, including yours!

Been using this handle since at least 2003, originally on TableTalk over at Big Salon. Used to be an editor. So I fixed things wrong with writing. Remedy. Also have a soft spot for wordplay. Verbal rhymes with herbal...ipso facto, Verbal Remedy.

Well, alright, it made sense to ME at the time.

I once had to choose my "working name" when entering into a certain profession. The process came about here, in Part 5 of he Loss of Innocence series: http://open.salon.com/post_content.php?cid=157490

I added the W to the end because it was the initial of the last name I wrote down on the voter form...my real last name at the time.

Well...I have another account on OS using my real name...and originally this account was to detail my lascivious adventures in the underbelly of the internet, hence 'dark side'.

However, once the crap came down with my soon-to-be-ex, I decided to use this account to chronicle the debacle in an anonymous context.

Someday I'll probably go back to my other account... :)

Great post doll!

"Smithy" and "smithery" are pretty much interchangable terms; I just liked Smithery better. Basically they mean the shop or work of a blacksmith. I had taken smithing up as a hobby not long before discovering OS decided to go with it since I like playing with fire.

But I don't think "smither" is a word ;)

DeliaBlack--I wrote for a little ezine under this name in '05 or thereabouts. I don't know exactly why I picked it, as I was not familiar with the Johnny Cash song, "Delia, ooooohhh, Delia" at the time. My real name, first and last, is one of the most common in the U.S. I don't know why I chose to not separate the first and last names. Basically, it came out of my head because I liked the sound of it. 'Black' is dark, and while I am not usually mean, I appreciate dark humor and dark topics. My mom's family doesn't know I write under this name, and I heard my aunt say, "What was that name that old black women used to have?[in the South] Delia...I never liked that name."

Smithery ~ Good morning, sweetheart! Yeah, "smithy" sounds too much like "pithy" so I agree that "Smithery" is better! And "hobby"? You're far too talented to call it a hobby, although I know you only do it occasionally.

Oh, and what a bummer that "smither" isn't a word. :-O

"Thanks for playing" hun!

I was registering for a message board for foreigners living in Korea back in 2002, and was slightly homesick at the time. I took the name of a candy made at a factory down the street from my parent's house- peppermint_ knob. Of course, the filthy minded kiwis who became my friends had a field day with the name and I lost the knob somewhere along the way, but I've been peppermint online ever since

Leonde (Mary) - What a lovely explanation. I love the water - oceans, rivers, you name it, so this is a wonderful choice!

designanator - I kinda thought you might be in design (I'm bright like that), but I didn't know if the other side was because you're political or have huge muscles, or...? I'm glad you came to explain!

Verbal - Makes total sense still. I need a verbal remedy some days...OK, most days...

Buffy - Thanks for the link; I would love to check it out. I think choosing names for certain professions is quite interesting. I'm pretty sure that some of the names I hear on customer service lines are fabricated...

ds - "lascivious adventures" - oooooooooh, I like that! I'm glad you have somewhere to get those out and the anonymity to do it. (PS, I commented on your happy post!)

Delia - I actually love the name Delia. It's very feminine and DeliaBlack adds a touch of mystery. Nice one.

Peppermint - Welcome! And I am cracking up.....that is a hilarious story! I like "peppermint" - it's just pleasant!

My names comes at me from two different directions.

I used to play pro level poker for a living and one night Jennifer Harmon started calling me "Safe Bet" because of my conservative playing style (especially after I whoop her ass!). To this day if you say "Safe Bet" in Bobby's Room the dealers will laugh about me.

The second reason is that Amy, my spouse, has a favorite saying: "It's a SAFE BET that every day the sun will rise, the sun will set and you will say something really weird!"

My first blogging name was Idahospud44-I killed that entity off when I got my hours cut and moved from Idaho to a bordering town. Dr. Spudman44 came up when one called me a good doctor when I did a post posing as Dr. Phil. Idaho guy-spud-seemed funny to me. The 44 was my baseball number and is Hank Aaron's number.

Gosh, people here come up with such ingenious topics to engage others in conversation! I should've called myself the "March Hare"-'cause I'm always behind the eight ball, like they say? Okay, here goes my story. When I wanted to respond -back in October- I had to sign up and pick a name. Duh, I used my first name with my last name's initial. Thus was born "FusunA". But in Turkish, "a" is a suffix meaning "to", thus, the double entendre of "toFusun". I guess back then my split personality was adressing the other. Now that we have settled into one, we use it as our first name and last initial. And that's our story- I mean mine.
~R

I have blogged before. On other sites, I was simply known as Lorraine, and when I had my own site, Stregoneria, people knew me as Lorraine or Strega (Italian for witch). When I came here, Lorraine was already taken (I suspect by me, who may have earlier registered for something and then forgotten.) Anyway, I love to hike, and I wanted something that would identify the part of the country I live in. I figured most people were familiar with the Finger Lakes (they're the lakes that look like a hand in the middle of New York State) and I'm a wanderer. So I put it all together. It's really too much, but luckily, people have mostly taken to calling me FLW, which is how I tend to think of myself these days when I 'm blogging. FLW or Lorraine. Thanks for asking!

This explanation is so boring, I'm sad to say. I liked the name 'Odette' for years. But when I considered naming my child this, the outcry against this fate was quite strong. Instead, she has a calm, regular name, one that rhymes with 'goosey.' ;)

So, when I wanted a screenname, I thought, "What the heck! I can use 'odette'!" But then, that didn't seem to be enough, and odetteroulette was born, mainly because it is, as Zyksandar says, so euphonious. And it appealed to me when written. All those interesting 't' sounds and looks.

Ha! I just changed to my real name today! aim =my initials=Alison Isobel Murchie. Simple. I liked that it is gender neutral and is a word. I didn't have an avatar for months, so I was a very sinister presence on OS. :)

Spanking? Now why didn't I think of that? Darn it.

I am fascinated with light. As a student of all the earth's religions, especially the mystical aspects which I believe were meant to be the primary teachings, I wanted to honor the core (our inner light: God) of what each has attempted to point us to. Man has truly trampled over the beauty of the principles of all religions, and after years of study, I try to sprinkle that in my blog when I feel moved.

So, mine is literal and metaphorical. I believe I am from the light and of the light, and in trying to share the oneness in that truth, I write pieces which hopefully highlight love, light and truth in a small way.

Placebo is my favorite rock band, and a nice pun with my disability

Studman...well, wishful thinking I guess LOL People will have to make that decision for themselves

I use my real name. That's the one that was given to me...all I can say. But I love this post. Thanks.

"Studman...well, wishful thinking I guess LOL People will have to make that decision for themselves"

*Snerk* We did, dude. Right after you said that you liked chick flicks! ;)

Safe_Bet - I gotta say, the wife one wins. I snorted. (It doesn't happen often, which is a good thing...it's not very attractive...)

Spud - WOW. A LOT of thought went into that name of yours! And yes indeedy, 44 is Hank's!

Fusun - I've never heard that name before; I'd love to know how to pronounce it (forgive me if it's easy...it's usually not the very moment I think something IS). And funny stuff about the split personality. :-)

FLW - I thought about doing something with a regional touch, but nothing jumped out at me, except "house after house" so... ;)

odette - I love the name that rhymes with "goosey"! And YOUR name (odetteroulette) is one of those I repeat in my head!!

aim, um, Alison - I saw that you have your real name out there now. Cool beans. And I actually LOVE your avatar. Is that you??

Sparking - Good for you. We need more light in the world; thanks for bringing good thoughts to all of us here.

Torman - my grandfather was a TOR - it's a great name!

OM - Happy New Year! - As to my handle - it really just came to me. Having lost my physical home, I am in one sense homeless. But in others, I feel like I'm finding my bearings, on a journey to where I'm meant to be - thus, "cominghome".


Placebostudman - For some reason, I read your name as "Place" , "Bos(ton) "., "Stud" and of course "Man". I feel very silly.

Safe_Bet- LOL so sue me, I like a story that is...well, a story. I loathe and detest stories that depend on sensory experience more than oration...LOL And "chick flicks" generally do tell good stories :-)

Placebo - I don't know that band...I don't think. But I love new music so I will have to check them out. As far as Studman - you just say it like you mean it and no one will know! :-)

Jill - If I'm being perfectly serious (and I am), I like your name. Good on ya.

cominghome - Welcome! "on a journey to where I'm meant to be" - That is fantastic. I love that. And as far as Place Bos(ton), etc...that is pretty much how I mess things up all the time! Thus, this post!

'Riordan' from the Irish ríogh + bárd, royal bard, or royal poet. 'Kathy' because it was a precious gift from my parents. 'Riordan' my husband agreed to graciously share.

Indiana is where I am. Frank is what I'm trying to be.

Angela, this is so much fun! I've been wondering about some of the names here, too, and decided early on that mine wasn't nearly as cool as others'. But I chose it one night late because, like many here, I'd been lurking for months and decided to sign up because I wanted to comment. I sat here and thought--and thought--and couldn't come up with a single thing I wanted to use. But since I knit ALL the time, I decided to go with a knitting term. A yarnover in knitting is a technique used to make a hole in your work, usually either decorative or to run a drawstring through--it's also something a new and inexperienced knitter will do as a mistake. And a story is sometimes called a yarn. And "yarn" is a country-ism pronunciation for yearn, to want something really badly. So it works (for me, anyway) on all those levels.

I'm not a writer, though I love trying to. But I love being here to read the fabulous work of others. I especially love the "yarns" spun on Fiction Friday--and at other times. So there you have it. Convoluted--but it made sense at the time. ;>)

This is really a great way to start off the New Year, OM! Thanks! D

So, here is my story for "Spanking", because I feel entirely too serious in these parts at times.

I picked spanking because I was hoping I would attract a following of S&M types to be my loyal servants, and when it came time for OS Meetups, we could really show y'all what partying is meant to look like. ;)

For several years I had a blogger blog, Matriarch, which concentrated on feminist, family issues. I had only a few regular readers. In January 2008 I started to play in the blog big leagues, regularly commenting on political sites and wanted a new pseudonym. In my 20s I belonged to the New York City radical feminist group, Redstockings. I had become a grandma in May 2007 and had found it a transformation almost as drastic as becoming a mother. Being a grandma was a vital part of my identity. Thus Redstocking Grandma.

nothing special about me, but I loved reading all the backstories. Thanks so much for this, it's great to learn more about the people I love.

I'm named for a Brough Superior motorcycle.

I'll play...

In spite of 1_Mom's need to call me by my porn name, "Josephine" - Jodi Kasten is my real, honest to Goddess name. My maiden name was Murray (like a little accountant with a pot belly) and the name my 'rents had picked out for me was "Mariah" - Mariah Murray. ::shudder::

Mariah came from a song in Paint Your Wagon called They Call the Wind Mariah. But, my dad, who picked out that horrible name, took one look at newborn me and said, "She not the wind - she's the fire. We'll call her 'Jo'." (Which was also in the song.)

Mom said, "How about 'Jodi'?" and there I was... "Jodi Ann Murray."

After a practice husband, I married The Man and got 'Kasten' - and there you have it!

I love this thread and I really hope lots of people participate if they aren't too hung over!

(thumbified because I love stuff like this)

cuz it "just" is "cathy." And a relative warned me not to use my real full name. Whatever! Too late! And it's all over Facebook, so again I say, what...everrr! Would rather have an avatar name after something cool or mystical or a song, like you, but now it's too late. I'm simply, "just cathy." So be it.

I stand behind what I write and want to be judged by it - good or bad. Writing under a pseudonym would be fruitless. (Although I do have a alter-avatar for when I want to mix it up anonymously ... can you guess?)

I never thought to be someone else. The only thing we ever really own is our name, and since I try always to do mine proud, speak the truth as I see it and stand by my beliefs -- well, I do it in my own name.

Mine is easy - it's one of my job descriptions!

I'm stuck on my iPhone for right now but I AM reading and LOVE THESE!

What a great post and idea for the first day of the new year! I have loved reading the responses and it's really been wonderful to see where we all chose our pseudonyms from (and to confirm those who courageously use their birth names).

Not that anyone cares, because I'm not one of the uber posters here but my screen name A~Muse comes from a childhood love of one of the tackiest films ever. It comes from a guilty pleasure of Xanadu, where dreams come true on roller skates in pastel 80s attire. I always wanted to be a muse, and at times I am, but much like the movie, I fall short of fabulousness and have been known to be annoyingly sweet and a tad on the tacky side.

Again, great post...thanks for getting things started!

I am the challenged baby of Sarah Palin. Or is Bristol my Mommy? It's soooo confusing OM!

@Outside Myself: my name is pronounced "few-soon". Like the "number" of posts I left, and the precious friends I gained in the "brief period of time" I've been here.

Um, seriously, I don't have a good reason. It is quite dull, I admit.

I wanted to keep another real life online self separate from this fun online life.

Wondering what I could also be known as I realized I had already come up with the answer. Sort of a koan. The question became the answer.

Which is closer to real life than it isn't, isn't it?

Happy New Year

Have you seen/heard of the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" ? Well, after a devastating break-up, I wished there were a way to erase memories. Sadly, there is not, so I will always be Spotted Mind.

Cool post--very funny your thoughts on peoples names!
:-)

Ummm... I think I'm kinda obvious.

My best friend in the world, my dog scanner, who died recently. Damn, now I'm tearing up. It's nice to remember people and pets you love every now and again. Thank You~~

Kathy - Wow. "Royal Poet" is just fantastic! And I like that you say your husband agreed to graciously share. Sweet. :)

Frank - So there ya have it. I guess I should be Silly California.

Yarn - OMGosh, I would totally be a yarnover. As it, messing up the knitting! But I love that there are different meanings to it and that they all apply to you. Great explanation, hun!

Sparking - There you go...and I'm pretty sure you'll have a whole new following now... :-)

Redstocking - That is a very cool story. I love that your past has come back to live with you as this identity. Does it make you feel young?

bbd - From what I can tell, you're very special.

Boanerges1 - Yeaaaaahhhhh, now that is cool. I still don't know how to pronounce it tho. And I will read the post you sent to me; I do want to know...

Jodi - They Call the Wind Mariah! Yes! And I love the bargaining in the hospital...but they still got you musically, in a way, with Ann(e) Murray, huh? For the record, I like the last name Kasten and Jodi works very well with it. Thanks for playing!

Cathy - I'll say it again...there is NOTHING "just" about you. You are sunshine!

Jeff - Writing under a pseudonym would be fruitless if you wanted the world to read you and know your work as an individual, I completely agree.

Donna - As I started to say with Jeff, I think writing under one's own name has a purpose. In fact, I DID start at OS in March under my real name, and before I realized what OS could be to me. Once I realized I could anonymously purge some of my pain, I decided to start OM. I just don't tell my friends and family about my unhappinesses in life (I am rather the one everyone thinks is happy all the time), and so I needed this. Luckily, I'm MUCH happier now, but OM it is...

scribblenerd - Welcome!! LOVE the name and how lucky that it's a job description, too. Jealousing!

Just my ordinary real name. Running it together and using lowercase letters was as edgy and creative as I thought to get with it. God, I'm boring.

I write under my dog's name Mission. I often call her re Mission when I hurt from lupus.

A~Muse - First off, this is not directed at any one group, but EVERYONE! I really do love people and especially names, so these on OS are particularly interesting to me, real or fictitious. That said, WELCOME! And THAT said......Xanadu is one of my favorite movies from my youth! I even have songs from it on my iPod, no joke. I think your name is wonderful!

Trig - I was afraid that was you........

Fusun - Now I know - thanks a ton!

WAH - I like that you've directed your life to see it as a choice. And I'm VERY happy to see the HAPPY back in your name. Wishing you clarity and hope for '10.

Joan H. - Actually, that made me smile. :-) (see?)

aka - If only all of life's deep, important questions could arrive with their own answers, eh?

S_M - You know, every day, I just want to hug you. I have not seen the movie, but I understand what you're saying. Completely. And I wish you could erase the memories, too, but ... Hugs.

surly - The minute you walk in...yup!

scanner - You sweetheart. I'm sorry about your dog...this is just like cartouche, you know. And now we all get a little piece of these special friends. Thanks for sharing this memory.

susan - The good news is, you gave my brain a break. Whew!

Mission - Lupus, serious stuff. I'm quite familiar with the symptoms and I am heretofore wishing you pain-free days! And reMission. HUGE (gentle) hugs!!!

I use my real name. I was going to use Stephen instead of Steve, but it was too avant-garde.

Steve - A cool cat by an other name......is still Steve Blevins! Avant-garde - blah! :-)

There are two reasons that I am "Mrs. Raptor"

First: Hubby's last name is a type of raptor so it was a rather obvious choice for me.

Second: There are only about a dozen people who can pronounce my actual name... Hanyewi Sunkmanitu tanka

Jlynne - Can you say BORING??? I didn't use one bit of creativity to come up with this. I have all kinds of good ideas now. But if I were to change, I'd lose all my readership. Hahahahahahahahaha!! Phew, that's a good one....JLynne is simply my first initial and middle name, a weak attempt at anonymity.

I got my name from a soap opera my mother was watching after she decided she hated that I had my father's name. Hence my insanity!

I wrote this in response to a similar question, and I may post on it sometime, because it began as a mystery to me, a mystery that seems to be unfolding before me more and more.

It started as "that just feels right, and I like the pun in it." I've had a couple of almost magical encounters with owls, and am intrigued with the fact that they are more eyes and ears than brain.

But then, identity has always been a curious question to me . . . who is who and why? Who am I and who are you? Who do I/you want to be? It's a fundamental question, as people talk about finding themselves - including me.

I don't write under my own name - yet. I want/need the freedom to write about whatever I want/need to write about without feeling constrained . . . and I'm not interesting in dealing with the backlash that would inevitably result from some of the subjects I may address at some point.

A very few trusted people know about my blog. I'm already regretting some who do. But I'm growing more fearless in what and how I write, and that feels good. Anything I've written, I can stand by. I intend for that always to be the case - good, bad, or indifferent. I'm kind of curious to see where it goes from here, frankly

I'm using my maiden name in the hopes to re-connect with some people from my past. Has it worked? Not one bit! Oh well!

I didn't know about you and Smithery! Congratualtions!

Steve Blevins uses his real name.
I used names like brotherbruz,
bebop, bebop-o, GoodCelery!,
clownsense, Arthur, and Art.
`
My name is from vintage brew,
linwood trees sap flows -mead,
and I'm a 'third' so you no tease?

Arthur Vinton Linwood James 3rd.
In high school my nickname was`Otts.
When the student body found out `Oops.
I was teased and ridiculed with Yiddish,` Oy.
Interesting question. Please try to ask`Obama.

Hourglass Figure: Three reasons for this handle.

One because it ties in with my *old* online handle.

Two because I *have* an hourglass figure

Three because I love old films and all the women have hourglass figures... I like the look, so I usually have a pic as my avatar.

Blame MrsRaptor for the Webbigail McDuck. She's a Raptor, and I think she was feeling hungry when she suggested the Webbigail name ;)

The origins of my name are quite simple really. I've always loved history, and Native Americans, so I decided to go with something in that vein. Nanatehay is from the Navajo/Dineh family of languasges, and it means "he who lost his credit cards but don't give a fuck."

Robin Sneed is my name...the name my biological mother gave me when I was born. My adoptive mother tried to rename me, but I took my given name back , legally, years ago. Great question! xox

And I love that I use my real name here...my name is attached to everything I do...the name my mother gave me...so good bad or indifferent...there it is. There is a lot in a name....xox

Oh, and pronunciation is simple. It's "nah-NAH-tuh-hey" the accent being on the second simple.

Rosycheeks was the name of an antique/junk store in Brooklyn in the eighties. It was run by a gorgeous middle aged woman who looked like no one else and although she wore little makeup she did wear a big rosy spot of blush on each of her cheeks and oddly enough made it look terrific. Her look and name have stayed with me since, ergo.......happy new year and thanks for the interesting question.

second SYLLABLE I mean

This is gonna be BORING! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!!!

Well, it all started in 1952 when I was born in Sandy Eggo California. My mother and father met while the sadist, er uhm father was in the Navy. You don’t want to go back that far, you say? OK.

Well I grew up in Shawnee Oklahoma as Bobby Conner, the demon seed from Pottawattamie County. Still too far back? OK

Remember Confessions of California Trucker Dude? Well, trucker dude’s friends all called him Boomer because he was from Oklahoma – Boomer Sooner. I’ve had the nickname since 1974.

I started out at OS as simply Bob Conner, but because I e-mailed the link to a story, now posted on my Boomer Bob site “Diane, Oh Voluptuous Diane” to some “friends” at work during a two week stay in the hospital, I found myself unemployed. I dumped all my posts from my old site, now called Pissnu Olivu (really, look who left this for you) http://open.salon.com/blog/bob_conner
and became known by the alias Boomer Bob.

I’ve often been called “Boomer You Fucking Jackass” by my life’s queen, Mrs. Boomer, for some reason, truly unbeknownst by me and she often misspells Boomer as SOB. I guess she didn’t do well in spelling, but that’s my ssstory and I’m sssticking to it.

BTW - you and Barry have a great new year, my lovely friends

i'm a strong woman (or a woman trying to be strong anyway) and originally wanted it to be in spanish, seeing as i live here in the south o' west. but "mujer fuerte" sounded to my ear like the name of a mexican trucking company, so i reverted to a language i actually used to speak, et voila, "femme forte."

(for those of you who don't speak french, you pronounce that 't' in forte when there's an 'e' (the feminine form of the adjective) on the end. if it were masculine (fort), it's pronounced like "for" in english. femme is phonetically fem (short 'e'), but trig palin often calls me "femmy," which i find adorable, so i let him.

Fun idea for a post! I'm enjoying reading all these and learning a lot. (including that I misread some names like "designanator" all this time!)

Silkstone was the name I posted comments under at big Salon and so when I went to sign up here, the easiest thing to do was to carry that registration over. Why/how I came up with Silkstone in the first place: I wanted a pseud that combined qualities of hardness and softness and so played with combinations of words. It was only after I came up with it myself that I found out there really is silkstone, both a rock and a place (as well as a Barbie, I'm sad to say).

When I started blogging here, I vacillated on whether to use my real name. But I've been online in groups like this for 15 years and have had some bad experiences, including getting stalked and harassed early on, when I used my real name. Which is particularly scary as no one else shares my name, so I can't blend into a crowd.

I started using pseudonyms online after those experiences and the way I've always put it is this: I'd rather lie about one thing (my name) and tell the truth about everything else rather than use my real name and have to change or omit facts to protect myself and others. So that's what I do here. And the first post I wrote here (on "borderline rape") was very self-disclosing so it felt safer to go with a pseud. until I knew what this place was like, how many people read here and all that. I had no idea what would come of posting here and of course it's grown a lot since then.

oh, and OM, i'm so glad you posted this. i absolutely love reading all these stories. xo

It's a (Greek) phonetically spelled Aramaic word, but basically it's like this: bo-uh-NER-dzheez. The "1" at the end is there because OS wouldn't have it any other way. Don't ask me why.

Joy Mars is my very first email handle ever—from way back in 1990. I feel I kind of own it now. It's short for my non-digital world handle, but I'm liking it better these days. It's a combination of opposites: Joy is feminine, fun and loving; Mars is masculine, dynamic and likes a good fight. It also happens to be a planet, the one synonymous with odd aliens and weird places.
In Astrology Mars always wants to come first, but with me it's second. So many connotations here! I've been flirting with the idea of making it my real life name, but I'd consult with a numerologist first.
Cool open call for the beginning of the new decade.
Cheers! –from my Joy persona

I write with a pseudonym because it helps me write what I wanna. C.K. Dexter Haven is a character from The Philadelphia Story, one of my favorite movies. This post inspired more of an explanation on my blog, and if I were less of a luddite I could link your post to mine and vice versa.

Had I known how much time I would spend here, and that I would actually make invisible friends, I might have put more thought into my OS name. But I didn't -- it's my initials, (which was a nickname for awhile when I was in college) followed in inmn for "in Minnesota". Not terribly original, I'm afraid.
Happy New Year, Angela! (posted per your encouragement :-)

Well it's a combo really. While going on walks this past fall I just noticed how beautiful the Sumac trees along the bank of the lake were. There were a beautiful red and I said my new name out loud.

Then I went to the library wanting to dive into some Amr. fiction Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter jumped out from the shelf . The style of writing is not especially for me but the heroine of that story seems very significant. So there you have it a double-whammy of Scarlett...

Tam O'Tellico is a play on Tam O'Shanter, who was not well-received for speaking the truth. My blog title I Will Not Go Quietly is adapted from a Dylan Thomas poem.

well it should be obvious to ye of littler intellect!

My onscreen name is inspired by a series of fantasy novels I've enjoyed for many years. In the universe of these books, this magical race knows of these amber-colored crystals which are a natural substance in their world. These people call these crystals Shiral, and use them as a focal concentration point when meditating, and can make them glow with golden light. I've always liked the imagery. And hence, I've adopted Shiral as my screen name in various online communities that I frequent.

Happy New Year, and I'm glad you're happier now, Outside Myself!

Damn--I wish I had an inventive or wacky answer to this. (Somebody already took Nelson Algren? )But I just have a simple answer. The place is more interesting than me!

An excellent question though. Happy New Year!

Oh, I just saw the some people are also explaining their blog titles...! Mine is Send, a butch soul's guide to the universe...I chose Send because I've been on the net since the usenet days, and we used to call a post, a send. As for the subtitle of my blog...well...that's obvious...xox

This is my real name (well, I married it, who would name a defenseless baby Sally Swift?), yet it sounds so made-up --comic book character, cartoon heroine or um, hooker?-- it's a win-win.

Plus, I've been working online with it since before Noah (ahem, Steve Blevins) so why change now.

I have nothing to hide. Nothing. Nope, my life's an open book. Oh yeah, for sure. What you see/read is what you get. Seriously.

Great post! And Mazel Tov, dollink!

When I first started dating five years ago after my divorce, a date admired my small (size 4 and a half) little feet, of which I am very proud. I also like shoes. A lot. I like alliteration and rhyme, so I came up with sweetfeet for use in my online pursuits, including online dating. It's easy for me and others to remember. I haven't used my real name because I'm just too chicken, and sweetfeet is cute. :)

Nana, you crack me up.

Outstanding post, I love it!

feeling pretty boring, here

OK, I'll play.
I turned 50 this year and discovered that despite hitting that milestone, I'm always the same age in my head. I hope to remain the same lively dame I was in my 30s.
Happy New Year and thanks for a great post!

Hey, OM--I love finding out why people chose their names also and posted about it a while back. (I won't blogpimp--but it's entitled "what's in a name?")

Here's what I wrote then:
My nom de plume reflects several things: where I am in life--musing, wondering, working on changing core aspects of me; what I do professionally--I am a psychologist and I am honored to work with the psyches who bare their souls to me. It also is partly a way for me to write and not feel constrained by my profession. I do not want a client to read my strongly worded opinion on something and then withhold her/his feelings about that topic.

I am not a hugely known person, but I am known in my profession and in my town. My son’s accident was reported on widely. Still, it is important for my development and growth to be able to traverse worlds and use my words to figure out what I am feeling. I am not yet ready to write under my own name. But sometimes I think about it and it gives me a little thrill. It beckons like freedom.

Several months after this, I began using my first name, Drema, in PMs. In the last few weeks, I have used my name in several postings. There is something liberating and a little anxiety provoking about this- I still like my anonymity!

OK, I'll play.
I turned 50 this year and discovered that despite hitting that milestone, I'm always the same age in my head. I hope to remain the same lively dame I was in my 30s.
Happy New Year and thanks for a great post!

Mrs. Raptor - First: I can see that. Second: Really? I love ethnic names...what ethnicity is that? (And if you're foolin' me, I'm gonna feel like a...a...Trig.)

JLynne - Nothing boring about you, either, darlin'! Maybe you could put your fabulous ideas as your blog title? I might do that...

Chuck! Woa - Insanity indeed! But I love the soap opera thought. It's a (very) little-known fact thatif I was a boy, my dad wanted to name me d'Artagnan, after one of the Three Musketeers. But then again, maybe my sisters were just trying to make me cry...

Owl - This is a tremendous answer. It took me many, many years to decide who I was; I spent many years as "The Dumb Blonde." And yes, I know I would regret it if anyone I knew found out about my blog. I just want to say what I want to say...ya know? I do hope you post about it sometime.

Deborah - I can think of some folks with whom I'd like to connect, and have actually done so on Facebook, including my youth pastor from my church. I loved him and his wife! And thanks, re: me and Smithery. :-)

Art - What a great name! And Vinton definitely sounds like a family name. Well, hence the 3rd. :-) Nice new avatar, btw.

hourglass figure - Everything about your name draws me to it. Very old-fashioned and feminine. Webbigail McDuck? Not so much, eh?

Kyle - Just like you, I had no idea what this place was when I followed a friend's writings here. I certainly never thought I'd post anything but I did. Angus McFlop read it and encouraged me. Then I started OM to get out stuff I never dreamed of. I love it that you go back and forth between your real name and just elusive letters. And cool for you on the tattoos - I have a big goose egg on tats for myself. HNY! (I always think "hiny" when I see that...!)

nana - You funny guy! Now I have to check on what it REALLY means! But I appreciate the phonetic explanation...that helps settle my brain a bit. Whew.

Robin - I find it fascinating that you reclaimed your name. You ought to post on that (although I bet you have, huh?). I also love my real name (not the one everyone knows me by, by the way); its significance, its heritage...but I just can't.

I just don't believe much that I can't see actual evidence of--I am an atheist, materialist, "show me the evidence" type, even while many of the people I love believe all kinds of things that I don't necessarily subscribe to. So I try to be polite about it, although I have a reputation with those very people for "bluntness" (which I think is the nicest way they can think to put it).

Or it could be I'm just a dubious character. I'll leave that to you to decide.

Read my post "Why every hospital should have an Old English Sheepdog." It's a great avatar.

Rosycheeks - I love the images you gave us - I decided what I thought she might look like and I appreciate your description. And what a nifty way to choose your name here. One never knows our impact on others...truly...

Pissnu (don't take that personally) - What a huge bummer that you had such a bad reaction to your joke. I guess learning who your "true friends" are can be an ugly lesson. Darn it. But I like your wife's pet name. Hahahahahahaha.......

Boomer Bob - Why, it was YOU the whole time? ;-) Same to you from us, hun.

Karin - Well, now there is a laugh I didn't see coming! And oh yes - I love kd lang. Miss Chatelaine, Wash Me Clean, Big Boned Girl, Constant Craving, etc., etc. Her voice has always been right in my range and I love to belt, but also love her lilting stuff. Oh, don't get me started.

femme - I think your name completely suits you. You certainly seem both strong and yet ladylike. A nice combination, dear. And I also appreciate the pronunciation...that can be frustrating, the not knowing. Oh, and lol on the trucking company. :-)

Silkstone - Another fantastic combination of words that express various parts of one's personality or beliefs. And stalkers are nothing to mess with, so I'm with you on that reason for anonymity!

femme - thanks, and xo back, sweetie.

Boanerges1 - THANKS! I needed to know!

Joy - You, femme, and Silkstone are making my day. I also find it interesting that you would consider making it your real name. I actually had part of my real name changed when I was ten years old. But that's for another day. :-) Thanks for adding your name here, Joy!

C.K. - I saw TPS a long time ago but I don't recall that name. I imagine if I saw it now and heard "your" name, I'd be surprised! And I'd think you were famous. And Luddite? New word for me!

mginmn - I am SO glad you took my encouragement and posted this here. Like I said, my email had AZ in it when I lived there for three years. And you know what? I never guessed that "inmn" meant "in Minnesota" so I'm happy to know it now.

Scarlett Sumac - And that's a lovely name you chose, hun. What a beautiful sight those trees were along that lake, I bet. And a double-whammy name? That's a bonus!

Tom - I love learning new things and you've provided me some more things to delve further into. I'd not heard of Tam O'Shanter. PS, I like it when you speak the truth.

noah - I suppose it should be obvious to me, ye of...what did you say??

Shiral - What a great story of how you selected your name. I have a sister who would probably enjoy the books you talk about here. Nie imagery, yes.

Chicago guy - The fact that I think of White Castle burgers when I see your name makes you instantly interesting to me! We don't have those out here in CA! ;-) And I think we can all agree that you're interesting, regardless of where you are.

Robin - A history lesson, too! And suuuuuure - if anyone wants to explain their blog title, I say go for it!

Sally - Yeah, I read that "before Noah" slam from Steve and I thought about deleting him from my favorites list in your defense...but I like him. Dang it. And toooo hilarious, the win-win. Outside Myself would be too odd of a hooker name, so I needed to find other work.

sweetfeet - Well, now we can all admire your sweet feet. You're right, it's not something that's easily forgettable. Hmmm...suits you.

Sandra - Awwwww. Not boring at all! Your name carries its own cache, darling.

I've always written under my own name. I've never considered writing under any other.

I am Italian, baptized as a baby into Catholicism. My mother chose my first name, Maria, for the Virgin Mary; my middle name, Anna, for the Virgin Mary's mother. I've not gone to church in years.

lively dame - Welcome! And wonderful name! I agree, I don't feel my almost-43, and lately, I feel like I'm 18 again! I love your name. Glad you came to play.

mypsyche - I missed your post. I can appreciate your unique desire to remain silent about your identity, and yet concur that seeing your name "out there" feels like a bit of a weight is lifted.

Bill's dubious - I went through a time where I was very blunt but just couldn't continue to let things slide that I felt needed attention. Working in public relations for a $6 billion company helped me temper that bluntness...but it creeps back sometimes...

OE - I will do just that!

Meanwhile, on the non-trivial side of reality...

American soldiers handcuffed and then killed 8 children in Afghanistan.

Oooooh! So Jacob, let me make sure I got this right... In Asshatian Jacob Freeze translates into Blog Whore? How cool is that!

It is Lakota (Sioux). Which I undeniably am. It was chosen for me almost 46 years ago now. No fooling.

LOL@Safe Bet..."Asshatian"....hahahahaha!

I've actually answered this in the past. I use to post on a political message board and tended to really tick people off, so I got banned a lot. I had to keep coming up with new names so I could log on with false accounts. As the years went by they got more and more interesting until I came up with this one, that was banned about a year ago.

I like the name and I love the cheese.

OK ... Although I went thru my first months nameless... My gramps, a Sylvester jumped off the boat @ Ellis(Ireland) changed his hated name to Patrick, whew! Both my gpa's changed their names when they hit American soil, one the first the other the last... I figured if the shoe fits... RRR

lol. Yes, O'Really?'s made a couple comments about my name's sexual connotation. "Stim" is the acronym of my blog's name, Stuff That Interests Me. The blog name came after I told Ms. Stim that I was joining OS. She asked, "What will you blog about?"

Happy New Year, OM.

Well mine is so freakin' obvious. It is what I do and I do it well, but to continue to be a lunchlady I must be quiet as to who I really am. They need to think me stupid and lesser than them, not all, not most, but some, so I will stay me so I can write what I need to write and not worry about being "read" by people with head up ass syndrome :)
Since I have been here I have grown and become more than just a lunchlady but still like being her.
I hope to write more of my job and the children with time.
Great question it is fun seeing others and why they chose to be who they are.

Way back in, oh, about 1996, the interwebs and email were all kinda new for consumers. My soon-to-be-husband moved in, and we bought a computer and signed up for internet service. We could have 5 email addresses for one account, but were limited to 7 characters for each name. So we would each have our own username, but we needed a master account for the "official" billing information, etc. that wouldn't "belong" to either of us. He's Swedish, and we both like cats. So I thought up "catnmus" - "cat" is obvious, and "mus" is Swedish for "mouse". It was perfect. It was so perfect and so lovely that I stole it for myself, and picked a different address as the master address.

Probably TMI, but anywhere you go on the interwebs, if you see "catnmus", it's probably me.

fantastic post, great idea. I started as 1 Womans Vu because that´s the name of my main blog and what did I know? Soon I noticed that a few people from my old blog migrating over to OS, then I noticed Google directing people to OS and away from my blog, then I realized that Kathy Riordin´s tag line was "one woman´s view of the world" or something. I couldn´t think of another original name and since Mr. Mustart had "come out" as Chuck Stetson, I though "I´ll go with my real name" Now I realize it represents me better than anything else I could ever come up with...

OM, this was a great idea. I loved reading about everyone's chosen names.
When I came to OS in June of 2009, I was looking for total anonymity. I had posted for quite some time on another blog site (using a pseudonym which was a combination of my name and my son's name). All of my family and friends knew that I posted on that other site and I was tired of censoring myself when I wrote.
I've always considered myself emotionally strong and I knew I was going to be writing about stuff that would have broken most people I know, so Unbreakable was a natural choice.

white&Black= biracial..

Oh yeah, I meant to say the fact that I've been using catnmus for so long, everywhere on the internet, it really feels like my real name, sometimes. On sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, I don't quite feel like "myself", since they use my real name. It's kind of odd to me.

First, I want to say I have just gone back in the archivesto catch up on your love story.....WOW.....(there's hope for me)
Trilogy: Are you ready for this? No, it's not religious, has nothing to do with a Menage e Trois (hmm maybe I should say it does, then I could have a love story too)

It's the name of the street I live on. Trilogy Parkway. Just loved the name and like others, I want to write about some things that don't embarass a family member, etc (like my Mom's Ass) so I like the psuedonym.

And i like to drink. Cheers!

"Hells bells" was the expletive my editorial assistant used whenever anything went wrong. She also used to say, "Oh, for Chrissakes," but that was so much less . . . musical, you know.

Thanks for the fun post. Enjoying the replies! HB

Jimmymac is an unavoidable nickname, considering my real name. I rather like it, especially after Jim McMahon quarterbacked the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl victory. I bragged that I allowed him to borrow it. Jimmymac had always been taken at the other sites I've been on, so in order to use it I had to follow it with numbers. Turns out there are no other Jimmymacs here, so I didn't need it, but I like being reminded of my wedding aniversary, 10/25. Truth is, I thought I was using it as a password to enter the site and had no idea I was entering it as a screen name. Once I saw it up there I liked it. All that remained was to go to all the accounts where I had it as a password and change them.

Easy, I was raised on an island, I live here now too. I spent eight years living on the continental U.S. before coming back, and I do understand how different a perspective can be according to where you live. So, whatever view I have is, therefore, influenced by my location. And location can be metaphorical, of course, and can mean many, many things.
I also have a lovely view too. Hehe.
BTW kd lang, one of my favorites. The recurring song I have in my brain is Constant Craving.
Thanks, this has been fun.

I really was in a 'mad hurry' to get out of my life/head and into a new one. I was on a pilgrimage to India to escort a friend to live in an ashram there and the Guru there gave me the name. I've since learned that madhur is honey in sanskrit and that madhura bhava is a devotional attitude toward G/d. The attitude of a lover to the Beloved. I'm not in a hurry any more. I've learned to smell the roses! ha! Thanks for asking.
Happy New Year!

LOL :) this is cute! "Miko" is one of my pet names from hubby so I thought I would use it here. :)

OM: "Thanks for adding your name here, Joy!"

Thanks for the email invite, OM. I'm honored since I'm a relative newbie.

Firstly I love the handle you chose for yourself and the reasons behind it and what followed are inspirational to us all.

Secondly I am highly amused and oftem baffled by some of the very clever and frequently weird names I witness.

Third is a confession. I joined OS late one night after a few vinos. I probably didn't fill in all the fields correctly, but after I'd made my final mouse click it seemed I had no choice but to use the silly sign in name I picked to avoid duplication or my real name. So my real name it is.

I'd prefer it not to be, I'm known as Scarlett to most and would prefer that, but can find no way to alter it other than a second account which I don't want. If I can find a way to become Scarlett, then I may share the story of how that originated. Or not...

Eva Tanguay ("the girl who made vaudeville famous") was one of America's first super-stars. She was the biggest sensation in Vaudeville. I am a performing artist who wishes I'd been born early enough for vaudeville (and have been accused of trying to revive it.) The picture of Eva Tanguay I use for my avatar looks a little bit like the real me (though my hair is straighter and I don't dress in funky gowns, most of the time.) If you want to know more, read my post: "Check Out My Muse: The Real Eva Tanguay."

This is funny. I am addicted to the computer game "Zuma", which is messed up and won't even play on my computer anymore.

I wouldn't even continue a game if it was not going to go over a million points, or if I lost even one life...Addict!

Now I only have one pitiful word game (Bookworm) where a million points is also necessary. Do you feel my pain?

And I was just going to change my name to "Don't make me have to come after you..." but can't find the way to new name nirvana.

I just wanted something short (for texting purposes), with some reference to writing, and a little goofy -- like me.

Zowie! I go to see "The Princess and the Frog" and look at what I come home to!! Woo-hoo!!


Maria - I'm happy you can post under your own name. And I love that you gave us the explanation for your given name, although I'm sure there's a post there somewhere as to why you've not been to church in years (I'm rather in the same boat, except for when I can't get out of it).

Beckster - I've seen your name around and it always makes me smile. :-) Open stage for what? I'm quite curious! I've spent a little time on stages.

Safe_Bet - Thanks. I wasn't sure about that whole thing...

MrsRaptor - That's magnificent! I'm so pleased you shared that with us!

S_M - I love your laugh.

ocularnervosa - Yours was one of the names that rumbles through my head. You aren't banned from my blog...that's a good start!

Brie - Me too, and Oh yeaaaaaahhhhh, me too!!

Patrick - I'm partial to that name, as my mother, Patricia, was named after St. Patrick since her birthday fell on St. Patrick's Day.

I actually am a little bit of a pedant, but still in denial ;)

Just for you, OM.

I picked that name from the ancient Egyptian literature/theology (the most civilized people ever lived); Thoth, Thot or Djhuti. Thoth is the word God, everything was created by the utterance of his name; He is the intellectual manifestation of Ra/AmenRa/Old Horus/the Lord to the Limit; He invented writing and science; He maintains order in the universe; He is the Navigator of the Sun Boat.

Other titles are: The Lord of Truth, the Judge of Truth, the White Disk, the Governor of Time, the Lord of Magic.

Happy New Year, OM.
Rated.

Obviously, I Googled "Best looking, smartest man in the world," found out it was someone named John Blumenthal and named my OS name after him.
Fun idea.

stim - Whewwwwwwww!! ;-) Happy New Year Mr. Stim.

LL2 - Please do keep posting about your job. What you do is very important to the children at your school, I'm quite sure, and where there are kids......there are ALWAYS stories!!

catnmus - How can it possibly be TMI when that's precisely what we want to hear! And it's a very charming story, to boot!

Nikki - Yes, when Mr. Stetson shared his true name, I felt happy for him. I'm glad it works out well for you and your name is far more memorable than 1 Woman's Vu.

Unbreakable - You picked the perfect name. What else can I say?

white and black - I like your name! I could never use anything so straightforward...I have 7 different ethnicities floating around my blood! :)

catnmus - I kinda get it. When they ask for my name at Jamba Juice, I sometimes say, "Mom."

Trilogy - It is quite a miracle how Smithery and I found each other and I so appreciate your kind heart in reading about it. There's a lot in both of our blogs! :-) lol = love story. Hey what a cool street to live on and a great way to choose your name here! I haven't read about your Mom's Ass so I will do some catching up too. Oh, and I like to drink too. Cheers back!

Hells Bells - yeah, definitely a different tone to Oh, for Ch....! :-) I'm enjoying the replies, too!!

jimmymac1025 - That's a perfect story for this! A name by accident. How very cute!

IslandView - Oh I like your view, metaphorical OR literal. Constant Craving is a song that people love or hate. And I LOVE singing it!

madhuri - Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking this with such good humor and responding with your unique story. I was hoping I hadn't offended you; I get a bit silly after too much wine. :-) Happy New Year!

Miko - What a darling pet name from your hubby. It must make you smile every time you hit that Sign In button. :-)

JOY - Are you kidding? This is a fabulous community and we want to support newbies! I'm glad you were comfortable enough to play along!

Linda - Highly amused...I like that and agree! But hey, there are people who change their names almost daily, so I'm sure there's a way to do it! And thanks about my chosen name here...it suited me so well all those months ago. No more, but I'll stick with it.

Eva - I wondered about your name. I have been a performer on very small stages (acting/singing/dancing) and your name seems to fit you perfectly. I would indeed enjoy reading more - thank you!

zumalicious - I've never heard of that game, thank goodness - I think I would play for more hours than I can afford! And you can't change your name NOW! We KNOW you!

Typo - OK, I LOVE this! Story of my life!

Natalie a little bit Pedantic - I KNEW it!

Thoth - I am SO glad you told us! It really is quite interesting and, like other names, I had absolutely no idea. So many meanings... Thank you for sharing this with us, friend!

John - You stole his picture for your avatar, too, obviously.

Thoth: IT SUITS YOU!

I married him because he had nice legs. Now I'm stuck with this last name.

I loved reading where all these names came from--fun post!
I used my real name because I just wanted to be me. But sometimes I feel limited in my writing here because some of my relatives read my posts. Maybe I should have invented a new me.

Wow! Ha s this post got some attention. I answered you in a PM. I didn't know it was related to this post. Had a Homer Moment there. You can copy and paste my answer here if you want. I already forgot half of what I said. Doh!

By the way... Hanyewi Sunkmanitu tanka translates to "Moon Wolf" , "White Wolf" or "Spirit Wolf".

The first part is my first name, the second part is how to pronounce my last name. I'm not very inventive.

Love this idea, OM. (Your story is inspiring, too, as I'm feeling OM lately.) And love seeing some mysteries solved with others' names! No mystery to my name, but I started out on OS with "DebFeb," which is a nickname I've had for a while because of my birth month. Well, my first post, about the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, made the Big Salon cover, holy crap, right? So, being a writer with delusions of recognition, I changed my screen name post-haste to my real name. I've blogged and published under my name, but lately I've been thinking of creating an anonymous blog so I can write about stuff that I don't want my family or, God forbid, my clients to see. 'Tis a dilemma, the whole issue of self-disclosure!

What a fun post to read. I use my real name because at the time I signed up I did not think I would ever post anything (I'm not much of a writer). But after reading so many moving and powerful posts on OS I sometimes wish I had made one up so I could write about some of the issuses going on in my life but are not things I would be comfortable with my family reading.

I chose Still Loving It for my blog title because that is my attitude about things despite the challenges and disappointments that have been part of my life, while realizing of course that everyone's life includes difficulties.

At first, I did not feel comfortable posting under my own name because I was the victim of a criminal sociopath and had been lying low since 2003 after he hurt me, my family, many of my friends and lots of other people as he bulldozed his way to whatever it was he thought he wanted, needed or deserved. He has no conscience and I feel I am lucky to be alive.

Almost seven years later the financial damage he did has still not been fully repaired. His actions affected my health too, but I am proud of how much I was able to recover physically and emotionally. Oh yes, tracking him down across the country and putting him in jail made me feel pretty good too, as did a standing offer of a job as an investigator for the local prosecutor' s office.

So...hours after setting up my blog at OS, I decided I didn't want to spend the rest of my life underground or hiding like a mouse. I have always been an extremely outgoing and communicative person. I decided I did not want to give up more of my life to the psychopath.

So here I am. Natalie K. Munden, Still Loving: It in spite of everything.

Now you've done it. It required a whole post to explain this. Essentially, it's my cat's name. I see becoming this login as a process of examining my own rather blasted life and mining it for material. The name was just a sort of accident or convenience, but I didn't inhabit it until I started writing on this site.

Great idea. I've been curious about the same thing. As for mine, it's a nod to both Christine de Pizan and Dorothy Parker.

I use my real name on everything...keeps me honest and my posts mostly G-rated!

Beckster - What a wonderful venue! I was laughing as you described the performers. If you haven't posted on this topic, you should. And if you do, I hope you'll PM me to let me know! So funny! There is a place locally where they have open mic night on the first Sunday of the month. I am too chicken to try it but on the other hand, there are musicians just waiting to play so why not join them? Hmmmm....

Amanda - I was in the grocery store reading your comment on my iphone and I laughed out loud right in the wine section!! No kidding! Welcome and thanks for your answer!

Karin - It's such a hoot, isn't it?? I understand how you feel about using your real name. Mine isn't hugely popular, so I know that if I posted under my own, friends and relatives would find me. On the other hand, it must be kind of flattering that your family would read your writings.

Michael Rodgers - OK, I did a cut-and-paste from your PM. "I spent twenty years in the aluminum construction business so my email address is alumahead. I thought I used my real name when I signed up for OS and didn't know for several months that people were getting notices from alumahead, but by that time, I just decided to leave it. Computer wiz I ain't. In fact OS was the first on line forum of any kind that I joined. So, that's the story! " I think it's hysterical that there are so many "accidental" stories here on OS.

MrsRaptor - Oooooooooo - I like those. Spirit Wolf is particularly haunting. Thank you for clarifying further. I love stuff like that.

Deborah - I felt OM for nearly a decade, hun. I hope you can find a way to write through your feelings if that is something you want to do. And if you can't do it under your real name, I say start a new blog. I started at OS under my own name but quickly switched. I think people have a problem with users with multiple blogs, but I NEVER use my old one and I'd even be happy to send the name in a PM to anyone wanting to verify that. I was laughing when I read "holy crap, right?" because my first post also landed on the very tippy-top lefthand corner of the cover. And that...was that. I can see why you did what you did, certainly. I'm so glad you answered the question here. Nice to meet you.

Chuck - I am finding that this is a recurring theme. It's how I started here and you can see, many others have your concerns for varying reasons. And I thoroughly agree - there are some extremely moving posts with such powerful personal topics... I appreciate your comments, Chuck (the name of one of my favorite uncles!).

Natalie - What a frightening story! I will be reading your blog and I'm sure my skin will crawl. I have such admiration for you that you decided to take your life back and refuse to allow him or anyone to steal it away. Wowie zowie. I'm sorry for all of your suffering, however. Scary, scary, scary.

Sirenita - "The name was just a sort of accident or convenience, but I didn't inhabit it until I started writing on this site." I'm reading several people identify with this feeling; that the names becomes them, defines them. I will read your post later today; I'm glad you were able to expound on the idea.

Kris - Very interesting. I'm not familiar with Christine de Pizan - something for me to Google. Around my house, I'm surrounded by characters like Strawberry Shortcake, Build-A-Bear animals and tons of stuffed pandas...so if I followed your general formula, my name would be ridiculous.

BL4 - Well, what a fantastic menagerie!! I loved the line about how they've absorbed untold tears. Isn't that quite often the role of pets? And one saved your life?? OK, is there a post about it? Or one forthcoming????

aqwxna - Since I don't quite understand why people don't delete your comments, I'll leave it. Maybe it's good luck???

Ralph - Mostly G-rated? Gotta have a little spice, right? :-)

Well, I'm terribly late to this party -- I actually went 24 hours without getting onto my computer, much less onto Open Salon!

That being said, I chose "Procopius" because that is the name of the last of the classical historians. He is our major source of info on the late Roman Empire, particularly of the time of Justinian. I have this weird, esoteric interest in that period of history. When I started blogging, my plan was to focus on history and try to make connections between historical events and the present day. I chose the name of the historian in a rather presumptuous move because my first choice of blog names, "The Amateur Historian", was already taken.

Procopius - Not late! The post is only 24 hours old! And I'm quite pleased to have you here. I thoroughly enjoyed your story of how you chose your name. Presumptuous isn't a word I would use - you are exceedingly humble in all of your words. And I like Procopius far more than I do The Amateur Historian. Far more. Thank you for playing!

cydkatie: cyd for cyd charisse, katie for katharine hepburn, because i always wanted to have long legs and talent.

I pronounce my name "Taya," bet you didn't know that? LOL
Loved the post.

re: me, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fudo

cydkatie - Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! Who would guess that? Thanks for telling me! (And now I will change my name to cydkatie2 so I can have long legs and talent...too.)

tai - You are RIGHT! I did NOT know. In fact, I always thought it was pronounced "TY" and when I read your description, I still read it as "TY-A" not "TAY-A" so I appreciate the clarification. This is so fun.

Fudo Myoö - Get out! I can WIKI you????

bendan bendan???? Wow, NOW I feel important!!!

OK, must also apologize for the late start - holidays, kid at home, no time to catch up on anything.

also, posted before reading - everyone else went into such detail, I feel compelled to spill (and am hopefully deluded enough to believe some may care)

long ago, back in the olden days (1994) I went to a company halloween party as the most frightening clown I could muster (I made a small child on the subway cry - just by looking at her). Someone asked if I was a happy clown, or a sad clown. I said I was an evil clown. And what's a good name for an evil clown? Gristle.

(I've said a couple times that I'm not actually trying to hide on here. But family, friends and prospective employers can all find my other blog. I just like being able to post stuff that I don't need them to read. It's not a huge concern (yet) if someone on here finds out who I am (I'm pretty sure if you Google "Gristle the Evil Clown" you'll still find me), I'd just rather someone who knows me doesn't end up here.)

So, after years of hanging out in chat rooms, et al. under that name, I decided to ditch my angry alter ego for something more positive.

I had a little statuette of Fudo Myoo, "patron deity of the Yamabushi." Also the "destroyer of delusion." I should note that Wikipaedia also notes "his ability to remain unmoved by carnal temptations." HA!

I had been using that new name for a while, and used it as a login to the regular Salon site. Still used it for that reason.

For the name of the blog, "May Contain Nuts," I invite you here. [http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=123248]

and I am now convinced that bendan bendan follows me every time I comment

fudo - I am sitting here laughing like crazy at your description! And then at the bendan bendan remark. You are a kick in the pants, evil or happy clown - no matter! I'm so glad you had a moment to explain more.

zangmo is part of the Buddhist name my teacher gave me. my whole Buddhist name is Konchock Rangrig Zangmo- which means "Precious the excellence of self awareness"... something I can only hope to aquire with a bit more practice....

Zangmo - One of my (bazillion) sisters is a Buddhist but I don't know if she has a special name like that. I love the translation - it is definitely something to aspire to. Thank you so much for joining us all here!

"froggy" was the name I used on Big Salon, so I brought it here.

Nothing really significant about it, other than I just like frogs. I like the cool, damp, watery places where frogs live. I love the chorus of frogs in my backyard in the spring. I love finding them in my garden. I like Kermit.

I grew up in a desert, and now live in the wet (Western Oregon) where it rains for six months of the year. It is beautifully green and I love it.

Also, I use froggy and not my real name, because I want to write about my children. It wasn't such a big deal when they were babies, but now that they're heading for teenagerhood, they deserve their privacy. A few close friends know about this blog--no one else.

1st, I was born in a summer night
2nd, I love sunshine and daylight
3rd, I can't bear the cold weather

I'm late to this game but I'll throw in my story anyway...

My OS name sounds like it is Ma Moore which would make sense given I write a lot about children (my own and in general) and being a daughter. The truth is, it is really just my initials connected to my last name. M.A. Moore. I didn't even notice that it sounded like I was calling myself Ma until some people called me that in their comments. I kind of like the happy accident that it became.

What an interesting thread! I've always wondered about people's names, and in the case of nanatehay, FusunA, and boanerges1, the pronunciations.

Well, my real name is Letitzia Karnivale but I thought that Lisa Kern sounded easier to pronounce.

Kidding! I actually joined OS under the name of Quakergirl (I'm a Quaker and a girl, so it made sense) but changed to my real name before my first post went up. Some days I wish I stayed anonymous because there are many things I'd like to write about but don't feel comfortable doing so under my real name.

Thanks for this fun post. P.S. Your love story with Smithery is so cool! :)

I got mine from my birth certificate. I did consider "OK Correll",

And "wrinklestink". I know, weirdly, unforgettably, horribly cool, right?

And If i ever created a 2nd OS identity I would use "Gidget vs Hercules"

froggy - I like your reasons for your name and I laughed at the "I like Kermit" line. Funny. I lived in AZ for three years (CA native here) but went to OR on a business trip during that time. It was the nail in the coffin for me living in AZ; I loved the green in OR and knew I couldn't live in the desert the rest of my life. Oh, and it's very kind of you to respect your children like that. Very nice.

onesummer - Great name. I've seen it around OS and for some reason, I always feel happy when I see it. I can understand the choice, certainly.

Lisa! You totally had me going! Amazing what a lack of coffee can do to a gal. I just spent time in PA so I was (re)learning about Quakers before I left. You are not alone in wishing for some anonymity; several others have the same desire. And thanks - the gift of Smithery is a miracle to me.

Greg - OK Correll made me chuckle! Wrinklestink was, um, weirdly, unforgettably, horribly.......um...cool... I'll keep my eyes open for Gidget vs Hercules; but the cat's out of the bag, eh? I'm glad you came along to play!

mamoore!!!! Sorry I missed you! Actually, I ALWAYS thought the "ma" stood for your first two initials. Why? My mom's email address are her first two initials and her last name, as well. Her first two letters are PA. She said people always think she's a man because of it - which makes me laugh. So, I may be the only one who doesn't call you MA! :-)

My mother brought me here. She whispered things to me in my heart and I had to write them down to have some peace. Those original postings I removed because it felt too raw for a place like this. Some people made comments and it was obvious they hadn't read the piece. They simply wanted me to read their posts and rate. There were others that were very supportive, but I felt too exposed. So I started writing poetry instead. Something I had never tried until now. And I am enjoying this new form, so I am grateful for the comments that drove me away initially.

But the name honors my mother who raised doves and represents a peace I am working toward.

OM – You struck gold with this post

The topic has unearthed a number of OS members whose work I am not familiar with. What a great way to start 2010!

My OS name is closely aligned to my profession. In the HR world, we are sometimes saddled with the dubious task of trying to paint company decisions in the most positive light possible, in order to maintain morale. On one such occasion, someone referred to me as a “spin doctor”. It’s a moniker that has stuck.

Mine is pretty simple. I have been a mime professionally for over 30 years. It became a mode of expression when my real love, writing, was stifled by my mother. She passed away Aug. 24, 2008 and I did my first post a year later to honor and reflect on that. It was the first thing I had written other than a grocery list for 45 years. So I am a mime "talking" now.

I'm so happy this is getting more responses - I am not tired of hearing these stories!!!


Lady Dove - I am so glad you answered the call. I was going to PM you if you hadn't...I had a feeling there was something to your name. I didn't realize it had such a deep meaning. I remember you saying you'd removed your posts, but it was before I'd found you so I never got to read them. I love that you said your mother brought you, and not led you, here. There is a difference, yes? And I completely understand about the not-reading-but-commenting thing. For me personally, I would rather NOT read something I don't have time to devote myself to, rather than leave a meaningless comment. And I'm sorry that happened to you, but I'm so glad you're here.

Midwest Muse - That was so funny! Midwest Mule - too much. I like the way you chose it; there are similar stories of compiled names like that and I find it quite intriguing. I'm glad you came here to offer your story. :-)

Spin - Yes, I'm so glad this is still getting responses. And like I said earlier, I love the new folks I'm finding. I think it's important that OS feels accessible to everyone. And I can completely see why HR is a spin profession. I used to work in Public Relations for a $6 billion company, so I understand having to find the positives...whew. At least you were good enough at your job to get a nickname!

Mimetalker - WOW. Nothing "simple" about that explanation, and quite extraordinary as a matter of fact. I find it fascinating that you wanted to write and had to find another way to express yourself - and it's something you must do VERY well in order for people to understand. And now...you've found an old love in writing. I hope you continue this journey of the heart. Thank you so much for telling us all.

It's my real name. Although, Glover is legally my middle name and DeRosa is my last name since I got married almost four years ago.

Not very interesting, I guess.

Mrs. DeRosa - Everything about you is interesting. I even find your married name interesting - I had a friend that I met on a cruise ship back in about 1982 (he worked on it) and he was a wonderful writer...same last name. Great artist, too. He lived in Los Angeles and we lost track of each other many years ago but I always remembered his talent. See? I hadn't thought of him in ages. I'm glad you came to play, hun!

OK, you caught me. After spending 30 mins reading comments, and noting the string is ongoing, I'm jumping in and getting wet. I was an OS Peeper long before I was compelled to join b/c I wanted to comment. I do write, but it's so much more fun to read/comment. Anyway, no thought whatsoever was given, it's just a mix of initials and a nickname. MANY people here have more than 1 blog and it's been fun to learn the Freaky (coughs) way people operate under several nom de plumes, creating characters, and blogging as those 'characters'. Different sides of the same person - clever. Maybe I'm doin' it too?!

I forgot to mention that I go around all day now, responding to other people at work by saying 'Oh Really'? She picked the cleverestist handle ever. Where are you OR? SPILL IT.

Third time's a charm - 'Knightwriter' has my tie vote for #1 fav here. I wanted to be NightWriter as I'm a night worker and all my stuff here comes over in the middle of the night while I'm 'working' (harrrumph..) but Kirkland is owed his rights to this one.

I've spent half an hour reading them all. lol. Mine's simple. I'm an introvert that mostly listens and doesn't talk much. Once in a while, I make up for the silence. Plus, I'm a baby boomer. Hence, the name.

What a fun morning it's been reading all these. I'm The Good Daughter because, between my sister and me, I'm the one who lives near our ancient parents and so shoulder most of the responsibilities that come with that. Also, my sister doesn't have the patience I do and sometimes treats my mom (or at least she did when my mom had all her brain) like she's an idiot. So she became The Bad Daughter and I The Good Daughter. I didn't want to use my real name because I'm struggling in this crazy up-and-down marriage and I'll probably say some things that would make my husband angry (if he knew about this blog). He has schizo issues with my writing. See, now that would totally piss him off. Plus I teach high school kids and sometimes they google me. (BTW, after blogging here and falling in love with it, I had all of my students create blogs on our school's closed, safe system, and they are LOVING it!) Great, great post.

I had just read this on line (and recommend it to you dear friend): http://www.zug.com/pranks/harvard-vs-mit/index.html
It made me happy in so very many ways. My college yearbook quote was: "A sense of humor keen enough to keep her from committing all sins - save those that are worth committing." Same feeling.

Sorry getting caught up. Mine shows the duality of my nature. Old and new meeting in one place. There is an old English poem called "The Wanderer." The struggles the wanderer has with his glorious past and his reflections to seek a higher meaning or purpose while being forcibly removed from that past. The new speaks to my hidden (albeit embarrassing) vice for a grown man. Video games. The Lone Wanderer is the protagonist in my favorite video game, "Fallout 3."

Self reconciliation of old with the new. Deep thoughts with of grounded nature. Seriousness, with a sense of humor. That is why I chose, "The Wanderer," as my descriptive handle on OS.

Late to the party, as usual, and boring. Real name, two initials. None of the clever pseudonyms felt right for more than a couple of minutes, although I have since thought of using chollybuck since my uncle called me that when I was tiny, and my mother hated it.

Gabby - I jumped right in after I joined but have since taken down some of those earlier posts. And I like your name; I think my 3rd grade teacher called me that once. For a year.

ranting - Some days, ya just gotta let it all out, dontcha?

good daughter - all good reasons for the name. And I'll take a moment to say good for you re: helping your folks.

nowledge - Soooooo......what sins are those? You ought to tell us more! :-) I will check out the link - thanks, hun.

Wanderer - Getting caught up myself. You know, that doesn't surprise me one bit, the old & new in you. Not one bit. I like the choice for you.

charlie - Never late to any of my parties - I'm probably still awake and on the dance floor! Chollybucks made me laugh out loud - I would love to see you use that!! Thanks for playing along on this OC!