Blogging seems to have a lot of unwritten rules. One of them seems to be about names.
I’ve noticed that some folks in the “Blog Ring” I’m a part of have fully adopted their chosen nicknames, and use them exclusively in their blogs. A good example is Mort … I have never seen her use anything other than the nickname. This extends to family references and friends, too … thus MD, MM, MTCFRCW, etc.
In other cases, I know the name of the person behind the nickname … but the unwritten rule seems to be that you don’t reveal those names. So, I try hard not to and dread the day when I slip! 🙂
And in yet another type of situation, the names are out in the open. Henry’s Henry, I’m Scott, Stu and Sarah are Stu and Sarah. Sometimes I’m a little self-conscious that my nickname isn’t more imaginative, creative, or unique … but maybe I’m just unique in my dullness. I guess you can’t expect much from a man who would start (and end) a paragraph with the word “and”.
The reason all this comes up is because The Merman recently paid us a visit here in Atlanta, enroute to a week’s holiday in a cabin in North Carolina with his charming fiancee. As I started to write a blog about this, I had a moment of panic as I realized I had no idea what her blog nickname might be! Luckily, a quick look back at the Merman’s old blogs uncovered that her name is public knowledge, so I can use it without guilt!
Having been misinformed about the driving time from their abode in Florida to the fine, smog-encircled city of Atlanta, their Friday evening arrival became a mid-afternoon arrival! They stopped by the office for coffee and a nice chat, then went off to get connected with the friend with whom they were spending the night.
Later in the evening, we met up at a biergarten nearby. It turned out to be a large group … my colleague Karl Sch?ning and his wife Isabella, two of their friends, The Merman, Kelly, Kelly’s friend Kelli, and myself. Everyone seemed to have a great time … pleasant conversation, good company, German bier, it just doesn’t get a lot better than that. There were lively discussions on a variety of subjects, some of which taught me a thing or two about international politics.
Oh, and it was also pointed out that if I were to remove my eyeglasses, I would be the spitting image of Henry VIII, pictured here. I am not sure quite how I feel about that. The man did manage to attract no less than six wives at various times of his life, some of whom even lived to tell of the experience, but I think his being Monarch might have had something to do with this.
We got a jingle from the Merpersons on Sunday afternoon letting us know they’d made it to the cabin and were (to say the least) quite happy with the accommodations. I wish them a relaxing week!