Friday Shuffle - It's All In A Name Edition

What's more embarrassing - forgetting a name or calling someone by the wrong name?

For me, it's calling someone by the wrong name. When I forget someone's name I can generally work around it. Find out the person's name on the sly. Just avoid saying their name. But calling someone the wrong name? Just open a crack in the ground and let me sink down to Earth's fiery core.

While chatting with Darling Mollie today she said to me, "I found out today that I have been calling someone the wrong name for two months- okay, I think it could have been pushing three. This guys name is NOT Dewey, which I have been calling him since October. It comes down to this: his parents misnamed him."

I said to Mollie "He should have corrected you by now. Three months is a long time to be called Dewey." and she replied, "Now, Sean the guy who is the building maintenance guy called me Amanda once- but I let it go and he got it right the next time. Never let people continually call you the wrong name. I said hi to him [Dewey - or Not Dewey, as the case may be] EVERY DAY!
And to make it worse, three weeks ago, I called him Dew. I mean, it was getting to the nickname stage. At that point, perhaps the coincidence of him drinking Mountain Dew was a factor.".

I was howling with laughter at the idea of Mollie casually flinging out a "Hey there, Dew!" and all she could add was "Who lets someone get to the nickname stage?".

And you know who would do that? I mean besides Not Dewey, that is? Me. At least I used to be that sort of person.

My name is Kim and I've been called Kathy and Karen and Carol and Kate and even stuff that's not even close like Melissa or Linda. And what did I do about it? Most of the time I did nothing unless I was in a situation where it was crucial for someone to get my name right - and even then I'd let them screw up my name a few times in hopes that they'd eventually land on my correct name and I wouldn't have to bring up the fact that my name isn't Connie or Sarah.

This makes no sense to me. Why would I do that? I acted like it was my fault that someone was calling me by the wrong name. The problem couldn't be their faulty memory or lack of attention to detail or their simply having the wrong name slip out. It must have been something lacking in me that would cause them to call me the wrong name. I must not be memorable or not important enough for someone to get my name right.

What utter crap. Jeez, what did it say about my lack of self worth at that time that I took on the blame for someone not calling me the right name? I will accept the blame if I didn't say it clearly enough for them to understand but I'm not taking on blame for introducing myself as Kim and having them say to me later "Nice to have met you, Mary Frances!".

It's been a long time since someone called me the wrong name. In fact I can't think of the last time it happened but then again I have it a bit easier now. I generally tell people my name is Kimberley and Kimberley is a name that tends to be a bit more memorable for Germans since it's not a particularly common name here.

I said to Mollie "I'm still laughing over you calling him 'Dew'." and she replied "It portrays a casual interaction that we did not even have." and she's right. Calling someone a nickname implies at least some sort of closeness and yet in reality Mollie and Not Dewey weren't close enough for her to be calling him the right name and for him to correct her.

Don't be a Not Dewey! Correct those who call you Paul when you're a Phillip! When they call you Louise and you're a Laura! And if you get called Dewey when you're really a David and you don't correct yourself, be prepared to start being called "Dew". And change your beverage of choice so you at least have an excuse to give when your other friends say "Dude, how come you let that woman keep calling you Dew?".

And now Darling Mollie has to go around and un-brainwash all the people in the office she's contaminated with learning this guy's name as Dewey (Moll works in human resources so everyone asks her what someone's name is) before it sticks to poor Not Dewey like...well...doo.

Know who's got a memorable name? Bixente the iPod. Time for him to shuffle.

1. Jeremy - Pearl Jam
2. Panic Song - Green Day
3. Along Comes Mary - The Association
4. Armageddon It - Def Leppard
5. Dixie Chicken - Little Feat
6. Everybody's Happy Nowadays - Buzzcocks
7. What A Difference A Day Makes - Dinah Washington
8. Shame On The Moon - Bob Seger
9. She's Crazy For Leaving - Rodney Crowell
10. America - Simon & Garfunkel