Although now I am thinking I should possibly file for a real name change because all my recent things are N____ Brooks T_____ and my childhood things are N_____ Marie T______, because I informally changed my middle name.

I don't have this specific issue, but my drivers license and SS card have Susan as my first name. But I sign my name as Suzi. It is that way on my drivers license. I've run into problems where I've been told I have to sign Susan to match my identification and I try to argue back that the same identification has my signature with Suzi.

When I was a notary public in California, the rule was a person could sign the equal to or less than the name on their identification. So I could do Susan, Suzi, Sue, S but not Suzanne. I really don't remember the direction if a person goes by their middle name.

I run into that sometimes - my real name is 10 letters long so who have time to sign that? Plus literally no one calls me it. So I sign the shorter version I've on occasion been told it's not good enough.

Meanwhile my boyfriend literally squiggles a line for his signature and has never had an issue, so maybe we just need to sign less well?

Changing your name for reasons other than being a (het?) woman getting married is actually pretty onerous and costly. Or so I understand from friends who've been through it.

Interestingly, the passport agency does not need documentation of a legal name change if the change involves a standard nickname or a minor change. So if your birth certificate says you were born Susan Smith, and your current license shows you as Suzi Smythe, you can get a passport as Suzi Smythe without documenting a legal name change. Also, married women who changed their names at marriage and are now getting a first passport do not need to prove they legally changed their names. If you were born Susan Smith and have a license showing Susan Jones, and list Jim Jones as your husband on the application, they are fine with that.

OTOH if you are inconsistent about what your name is, that is more likely to be an issue with passports. If sometimes you are Susan Jones, and sometimes Susan Smythe-Jones, and sometimes Suzi Smythe, that is more problematic. Pick a name, is their philosophy.

My reward for today is going to be a hair appointment. I may be getting something dyed blue. Or purple, maybe. Probably not all of my hair, but something. I'm not going into an office at the moment, so it seems like a good time.

Ooh fun!! I have been loving my secret blue chunk (it's under other hair but peeks out here and there). Much as the all-blue hair was fun, I kinda figure this is more "me" anyway.

I have a couple friends who do not have passports due to name issues (one has rather different names on her birth certificate from her social security card to her other documents--I think having to do with both her mom's indecisiveness, poor spelling, and multiple re marriages (her mom, not her)

Work is frustrating today.

OMG, I had no idea how frustrating when I wrote that. For the last 2.5 days I've been chasing a $200k variance. I have engaged a bunch of people to try to figure out why, how, who, etc. Today I sent a note to the person who started this mess saying I have exhausted my research abilities with no results and could he provide more information.

His response? Oh, the numbers match now. Must have been a mapping issue since our company just went through a HUGE reorganization and a ton of our internal coding has changed. So "Nevermind".

I want to RAGE QUIT for the day. I can't even express how....UGHHHHH...I am over this.

Definitely dye something blue!

The Superb Owl is this weekend, right? I've already forgotten what teams are playing.

I'm about to start day two of a class taught by this guy: [link]

ETA: Ooh, purple or blue!