CName

[azurelunatic]

I've been Miss Lunatic in my head for so long that I get confused when I see my actual last name. There was a time in high school that I felt similarly, but then I had no other name to replace it with. More and more I'm starting to feel that $FIRSTNAME $LASTNAME is a convenient social/business formal mask that I put on. The more I step into Miss Lunatic, the less well Miss $LASTNAME fits. I rather prefer being Miss Lunatic.

There are all sorts of uncomfortable things about one's blood kin, and I'm struggling with some of them right now.

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[xinef.livejournal.com]

About 6 months after we got married, we went out to dinner with my family, including a visiting cousin. We all sat at a round table. At one point in the evening, I was facing away from my cousin's side of the table, talking to someone. She tried to get my attention. (I wasn't ignoring her, I hadn't noticed). Finally, in a loud voice, she said "Mrs. F....". I turned around and said "What about her?". Everyone cracked up, including Andrew.

Skip forward roughly 24 years. Last Sunday, we were at the local large mall. I had stopped by Lush, to get some henna. Andrew finds the scents in that store to be overwhelming, so he went on to the video store where we had to pick up a previously ordered DVD. While I was walking briskly from Lush to the video store, I heard, from behind, "Mrs. F....". It was a friend of my elder son. Apparently he'd called me several times.

I identify quite readily with "Christine F.....", but "Mrs. F....." is still my mother-in-law!! :)

[azurelunatic]

*giggle*

I expect that if I ever get married, I'll go through the same thing. Somewhat fortunately, if my best friend should ever come to think that it's as good a plan as I think it is, I know his mom by her first name.

It does amuse me when people call me "Mrs. $LASTNAME", because that's my mom, and they clearly don't know who they're calling for.

[wibbble]

You could, of course, not change your surname. elance didn't, because she likes her name and changing it is a bother.

[azurelunatic]

I have fond thoughts about most of my kin in my paternal clan, but the crypticly-referenced bad news I found out a few years ago makes me dubious about my wish to claim the name, and as long as the surname of my eventual mate is one that I don't mind, I rather think I'll be changing.