I'm back at Quillen, and life is hectic as usual. I'm only two days into classes, and I'm already struggling to keep up with the work. This block is definitely going to be a beast which means little sleep and not much else but studying. I'm special enough that Quillen is giving me a holiday on my birthday (actually it's Good Friday), but it looks like I'll be spending it in Stanton Gerber reviewing biochem and phys notes. Oh well, turning 21 +2 isn't such a big deal anyways, just another year.
Anyways...
Being on Quillen's "Ask a Student" page has recently sent a rash of questions my way and almost every email begins with "Hi Michelle." Even my professors address me as "Michelle" in their emails. If you're like 90% of the population, you address me this way too. You see, my name is not "Michelle" it's "Michele." That's one L not two LL's. I suppose my parents were trying to be clever or creative when they named me, but it's been a curse all my life. Maybe if I were named something really strange like "Kyoo" or "Shanika" or "Loan," people might notice the spelling. However, since "Michelle" is such a common name, the spelling is taken for granted and my name goes unnoticed. In fact, when I was 4 years old, I demanded to change my name only to have my parents tell me that I'd have to go by my middle name which I like even less. I can't tell you how many certificates, birthday cards, medical records, etc I've had addressed to "Michelle" instead of "Michele" Sometimes I fight it, but usually I just resign to the fact that my name will never be spelled right.
So, the moral of the story is, be considerate to us oddly-spelled named people. It may be another letter to you, but it's our name that's at stake. Be kind to your future children, name them something outrageous or just give them a normally-spelled name. Otherwise, they may have to join me in the "Misspelled Names Anonymous" group.
Hope you are all enjoying this crazy Tennessee weather. Hasta luego!
MicheLe
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5 comments:
Ah, poor Michele. Nobody ever can spell Michele's name properly. We really feel sorry for you Michele. At least when people say Michelle it still sounds like Michele.
I have a different sort of problem. My name is Justin, but I get called Jason a lot. About the only thing similar about those two names are they both start with a J, they have an S about the middle, and the end with N. Even professors who I've known for 7 years will still call me Jason.
So even though they aren't spelling your name properly, Michele, they at least have your name correct. ;)
As if 2 LLs weren't bad enough, today when I had to go replace my idea (because I'm not very bright sometimes and have a tendency to lose things), the name written on the receipt read: "Machelle" Maybe I should consider changing my name to something like Mary or Rachel.
That would be ID, not "idea" (that's what happens when you try to think after sitting in class for 3 hours)
Machelle is acceptable because this is the south. Its still the same name, just a different spelling. ;)
Haha, those two names are the names of my two sisters. We call the youngest one Katie because her name is Mary Katherine, but at school and outside the family, she goes by Mary.
I hear you, Michele. I've heard so many permutations of my name that I've pretty much given up trying to correct people. There is actually this burrito place near work where they try to be friendly by calling you by your name when your food is ready. The only problem is that they never get your name right. Once, my friend Byron even spelled his name for them, but the end product had only two of the five letter correct. Sigh.
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