Part of relating to other human beings, is of course, calling them by name...now a few of us, know each other by our 'real names'....most of us know each other by our screen names, and some times I just have to laugh...my husband asked me the other day, how I came up with the mis-spelled name of a Greek mythical monster. Then he said, 'Nevermind'. He better have been cracking a joke!

I ended up with a distorted spelling of Cyclops, not because I can't spell, altho lately that has gone to pot too, not because I am a giant, I can not reach the top shelf of my cabinetry, not because I have one eye, nor a bad disposition, (well, not most days anyway), nor because I enjoy dining on ancient Greek mariners (if one happened into my life, I would have better use for him than to eat him)....I got it from the fact that I used to spend my spare time on a bicycle, hence, Cycle and that I used to run, but now I lop. So I covered two thirds of what used to be my passion in life, doing sprint triatlons, by becoming a distorted, defunct, mythical creature that cycle-lops. (This is one of those 'adjusted down dreams') Kind of 'what is left from what was' concept.

I am OK with it, because, as hubby points out, 'Hey, at least you did it'. It is truly, one of those things on my list of things to do in life, that we all should probably have....a few of those things got crossed off as just not practical anymore (kiteskiing), but, I got a fair amount of them done, at least once. There is a Dr. Seuss book about the places you'll go and the things you will see. I can't remember which little ditty that was in.

Getting to grandmotherhood is one more thing I want to do, but, hey, I don't want to pressure my kids, and given only one is anywhere near marriage, this is a not just a goal I can set out to accomplish on my own....I guess my goal is hanging around long enough to get to know a few grandchildren, when ever they happen to arrive. This IS one of those things that keeps me 'plugging on' right now....as is the fact, that I will likely be able to ride my bike again, when the glaciers receed. I want to get to the point where my garden is no longer a 'starter patch', but reliably productive. I would even like to go back to work again, yeah, crazy I know....I have a few bodily function that would have to behave themselves first.

I can clearly see how some people's screen names came to be, by knowing a bit about them personally, or by avatars posted....but if any one else wants to come out of the closet and share how they got their screen names, I would love to hear about it. Of course, don't disclose identity or say anything you'll regret.

The thought processes that go into what we 'christen' or ritually name ourselves by whatever belief system we have, is, no doubt interesting and may be, for those comfortable enough to share, kind of fun to disclose. Any one game??

I wanted my ID here spelled mrsD ...but I was out of town, and had my son
make it for me (so someone else would not take it) and he forgot to capitalize the "D".

mrsdoubtfyre comes from the movie...very loosely. I really liked that movie and felt that the character by Robin Williams really accomplished quite a bit as an alter identity. I really didn't pay that much attention to the cross dressing, as it didn't interest me in the way some people react to it. I am fairly open minded. And besides, men have been playing women on stage since Shakespeare..
Well, so then the first time I ever used a screen name on the net and I just was flamed endlessly. Especially by men. I was just naive and didn't understand how aggressive and mean the internet can be. All the trolls and people who lie typically reacted negatively, so it became a barometer of sorts for me to highlight who to IGNORE...

So I used to say: I am a woman and not a man in drag! LOL that usually shut them up. But I occasionally get spam in my emails directed towards men...male enhancement stuff.

Then as the years passed (since Jan 2000) people started to call me mrsD.
So I changed to that for here. I have mrsdoubtfyre in my signature if you look closely, so that anyone who searches my old name on an engine will find me here.
It has remained fairly unique on the net, all these years, much to my surprise.
I changed the spelling to not infringe on any trademark, and keep lower case because I don't care much for ego-type things.

At one time I would have changed it if I could, when the flaming was terrible.
But over time, I have begun to like it now, sort of like an old comfy pair of shoes!

Since I like to shake things up now and then and get people to start thinking...the name has taken on
a new cast for me lately. I sort of like to instill some doubt-ful thinking where I feel we have been bamboozled by
the media, and medical community. Often the truth, can be found to be very different from what we
expected!

In the movie...Robin Williams makes the name up by reading the paper, while
applying for the nanny position. I sort of liked that, since my mother named me from the paper when I
was born...a little girl surviving a fire. So my real name came that way.

A 'creature' from the longest running science fiction TV show Dr Who. It was originally spelled 'dahlek' - of late it's been changed to 'dalek'....As Mrsd implied, you cannot imagine the spam I tend to get.
I chose it because w/my PN I wanted a name that was perversely positive. Dahleks scream hysterically to 'EXTERMINATE! OBEY!' and the like, and that's how I've felt about my PN.
Here are some pics from the 'official' Who website. And NO I bear no resemblance at all! None whatsoever.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/galle...ks/index.shtml
I'm not that short, stodgy, cranky and I move faster! - j

of stating what may be obvious, "Alkymst" is a variant on the spelling of the old medieval "Alchemist". The monniker is most apropos since I am or was a chemist who spent ~40+years in various hoods trying to convince Mother Nature that I really knew what I was doing - She never caught on, not only was I on the wrong page in the wrong book but my book was in a completely different language, hence, I never did find the philospophers stone to transmute lead into gold but I certainly transmuted many an organic compound over the years, some more successfully than others.

I don't look as much the part since unlike Merlin and other Fantasia-like wizzards my beard resembles steel wool once it gets long, not the free flowing "wizzardly" image that most people think of.

I have no clue why I chose this name. When I joined I was in the midst of vicodin worthy pain and sort of lost. I want to change it because you guys are like family but don't want anyone confused. When I get a pm I tell people my real name which is Gina. I always thought if I would have a child which I don't want now I would name it after my gram either Daniella or Daniel so maybe why I chose that. Anyhow I am Gina nice to re meet you all.

I wish I had been more original like the rest of you. The name is my own name of course. However, the age has changed...oh, well.

--inasmuch as Glenn is my real first name. (A lot of you know my last name as well--I'm one of those people who hides in plain sight on the Internet .)

The "taj" part takes a bit of explaining, though. It started when I was studying for my Bar Mitzvah (the Jewish "manhood" ceremony, which mostly involves eating and the parents of the boy in question doing everything they can to impress friends/relatives with ostentation). I had a hard time explaining to people how/why an agnostic was going to have such a ceremony, and I began telling people that I was still Jewish, at least in the abstract. Taj became an acronym for "the abstract Jew" and I have used it rather tongue-in-cheek for several decades.

(There are several other stories surrounding the designation--some of them might even be faintly interesting--but that's the basics.)

Hehe--need I explain darlindeb--Deb is my name, and of course, I am a darlin!!! Hey, heyjoe, you out there, I'm a darlin, aren't I????? Seriously, I originally, in MSN messinger, was debd25 and a man who was and still is very important to me, called me darlin, so soon, I became darlindeb. When I became a member of AOL, my sign-in name became, darlindeb25. As with many of us--one name is much easier for me to remember, so I use it in many forums!

In my celiac forum, many people from this area (Long Island) have asked how to get to my celiac support meetings, once there, they will walk up to me and say, "You're darlindeb, aren't you, I recognize you from your picture online!" It's great meeting people that way!

Got the nickname Moose in the Air Force.

Twisted into a dinosaur.

Like a balloon animal.

My screen-name comes from a beautiful valley where my in-laws live on their farm:-

http://www.visitalpine.com/pages.asp?code=25

Best Wishes
Steve