Who Is This Weirdo, Anyway?

My name is Norah, and I confess, I am a name freak. I got my first name book when I was about 7 years old. Now, 25+ years later, I am still obsessed with names. Names have interesting cultural relevance, and as a freak with an anthropology degree, I find this fascinating. I am also totally obsessed with language, so origins and meanings of names fascinate me as well. I was cursed with a really really boring name at birth (I'm not going to tell you what it was! Ha ha!). It was also the name of my great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother. OK, so not only was it the 2nd most common name used the year I was born, but it wasn't even my own. I used to tell people my name was something else when I met them. I noticed that when I told people my name was "Jennifer", "Jessie," or "Lisa", (my favorites when I was 6--what was I thinking?), nobody ever said anything, nor could they remember my name. However, everyone always remembered my friend Emma's name (in the late 70s, Emma was a pretty weird name to have in Central NY), and commented on how beautiful it was. It set the name-obsessed wheels turning in my head. The next time I had to spend the summer with my grandparents and fight off the neighborhood children, I was the exotic Nicolette. Nobody forgot my name. Of course, in the following years, I was Tegan and then Nyssa, after Doctor Who characters because I was a giant dork even back then... this embarassing tidbit still haunts me.

At the wise old age of 15, I decided to go by my less common middle name (Norah), and although nobody ever puts the "h" on the end, I'm completely happy with it. People remember my name, and I don't have to turn around and be embarrassed every time someone calls my former name, not meaning to get *my* attention. People often read it as "Noah" and call me "Norma" or "Lauren," but such is life. Also, half the people I meet call me "Norah the Explorah" and think it's really original. It's not.

I attempted to find a new middle name as well. In my folk-music obsessed wanky teenage years I tried on Guthrie (Norah Guthrie B.?) in the middle. It wasn't *totally* out of the blue, I mean, some of my Scottish ancestors did carry the surname Guthrie. It's vaguely relevant. However, I settled for a time on Dylan, which really was totally out of the blue. Those were the pre-90210 days, but still. Pretty wanky. Anyway, I soon abandoned Dylan, thinking it way too pretentious. My library card still has Dylan listed as my middle name, so before they announce my fines to the world, the librarians say "norah DYLAN b."? It's still pretty embarrassing. Oh well, Baby Boomers think it's cool. Currently, I'm still searching for the perfect middle name. I doubt I'll ever find it, but I'm sure it's out there. Some possibilities: McSweeney (grandmother's maiden name), Aoibhgréine or Aoibhfhionn (awesomely impossible to spell or pronounce for the average non-Irish person), Funky (so I can say "funky is my middle name!"), Xanthippe (I just like the idea of having the middle initial X--I'm not even sure how you pronounce that).

Currently, despite my degrees in archaeology and graphic design, I work in a record store in Boston, where I spend my days absorbing and ridiculing all the silly band names out there.

In the future, my offspring will be named Channing Morrissey (Whatever Last Name). Why this name? This was the result of spending one too many nights of drunkenness with a bunch of silly performance artists. We somehow, after a long complicated chain of thought, decided that my first child, regardless of sex, will be named after Carol Channing (a.k.a. "Thoroughly Modern Millie") and Morrissey (you know, that guy from The Smiths). Beyond that, I couldn't tell you where this came from. What has this got to do with names? Oh yeah. My future offspring. Don't worry, I won't be inflicting this name on anything soon, except maybe a fish. I have a bulemic cat named Morrissey already, so I doubt I'll be naming any offspring after ol' Moz anyway. I also have an awesome turtle named Stella.

The contents of this page probably contain more information than anyone needs to know about me. In fact, there are probably things here that my mother doesn't even know about me, so I'll end here. Vaya con Dios.

I am an Asteroid. I am a drifter. I go where life leads, which makes me usually a very calm and content sort of person. That or thoroughly apathetic. Usually I keep on doing whatever I'm doing, and it takes something special to make me change my mind. What Video Game Character Are You?

Some more links:

My Web Log!
Yes, I'm a narcissistic geek. I have a web log, too.
JayKayEss.com
My buddy Krustee's site. 
World of Sparky
another one of my projects: has lots of fun toys!
Metal and Madness
My comrade Kelly's page devoted to heavy Metal music.
Midnight Factory
My chum Channing's site (not my future child. That would be weird).
Watershed Arts
Slug, My Stepdad
Laura Burch
My Mom's page

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