January 14, 2003 - 10:03 p.m.

The Name Game

First of all, let me just say that it is 9 freaking degrees outside! That's WITHOUT the windchill. Brrr.

Anyhow, it was a pretty quiet day today, so I got to thinking about nicknames. I am one of those people that likes to give nicknames to others and also gets nicknamed a lot herself. I have dubbed the three kids I take care of Cuckoo Bug (B, the youngest, since he is just so goofy all the time), Giggle Bug (M - she has the loveliest giggle and uses it frequently), and Smiley Bug (H - more reserved but still perky). I am also responsible for bafley's moniker, as well (her initials are BAF so she became Bafley).

Meanwhile, I have accumulated quite the list of nicknames over the years. When I was a baby, I was quite pudgy, so my Mom called me Pooh Bear. In high school, I mostly went by Kristi, but many of my friends called me Kris. In response, my friend Hollie, whenever anyone would call me Kris, would immediately add "tee". After a while she just started calling me Tee. In college, my short stature and hyper personality snagged me the nickname Pixie. And most recently, my (ex)boyfriend dubbed me Little Bird. It actually started after a night of karaoke when I sang Annie Lennox's song, Little Bird. But after that, we both realized it suited me in a lot of ways: I am little, I love to sing, I am curious but slightly skittish and flighty, I get cold easily, and I eat only a little at a sitting but often throughout the day. I've also been given nicknames that didn't stick quite as well as those, mostly based on my given name, such as Krisalis and Kristilina.

All told, I think my love of nicknames stems from my being a hopeless romantic and my love of tradition. A nickname is almost like a mini-tradition between two or more people, like an ongoing in-joke. Nicknames are also very often a term of endearment, and I love that it's a public way to express closeness. And often it just gives you a sense of who you appear to be to other people - which can often be quite surprising. Anybody want to share their nicknames?

today's project: the kids painted with cardboard scrapers I made

musing about: where to go next month while the family I work for is in the Bahamas

�

flutter back - fly ahead