Sometimes people ask me if it's the Scottish spelling or the Swedish. I'm not sure if they're not thinking, or they're just not caring. However when the Swedish chick asked me, I had to give her a "Really?" Her answer was "Oh, I forgot..."

Which is just weird.

I wonder if my mother, with double-barrelled Scottish names, gets asked that. But I can't spell her maiden name anyway. Mac vs Mc gets me about every time. So I never use it as a password personal question.

I just spell my name out to people. Often.

Y'all who have been with me when someone on the phone or in person asks? Yeah, I don't even say the name, go right to the spelling. And then of course I get the perky, "And how do you pronounce that?" If I'm feeling charitable I'll syllable-ize it for them and hit them with the "sounds like crotch", which is, as intended, unforgettable. If I'm feeling detached, I'll say it, give 'em a beat, and move on.

Last names, tricky.

My first, middle, and last names are all simple, straightforward (except MAYBE the second "d") ... and yet people insist on trying to find interesting ways to spell them.

Daniel, all healing thoughts to you, and good employment-finding, too.

Ginger, clear ear-ma, and soon.

My first name was a trial in K-6, because nobody else in the world was ever named that. My last name was odd anyway, but an odd variant on the spelling that was accepted. I meant to marry John Smith Doe (I meant Doe!), I swear, so as to A. get into the first half of the alphabet, and B. have an easily recognized and spelled last name.

Failed on the second count. Did good on the first, though.

I meant to marry John Smith, I swear, so as to A. get into the first half of the alphabet, and B. have an easily recognized and spelled last name.

I basically did this. I mean, the marriage didn't work but the name change did. ... I still spell it out for people.

The first time Pete heard me spell our last name to someone on the phone (yeah, I took his) with the instructions, "No, that's V, as in vampire", He did indeed facepalm. What? Like I'm going to pick another word that starts with V.

V as in vulva. Try it just once.

Bwahahaha! Okay, I will try that the next time.

Vulva should work. Crotch is a miracle of remembrance, swears.

One of the reasons I switched to Raq was that I was really bored with everyone spelling "Rachel" as "Rachael."

People do okay with my last name, but it tends to be illuminating about their interests which "as in?" they go with. "As in the gun?" "As in the cathedral?" "As in the town?" "As in Charles Emerson?"

So far one person has said "As in the brothers in Supernatural?" And that was a Colombian hotel desk clerk.