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Listening: New Haircolor by The Icicles. They're right - a new haircolor can make you feel better when you're felling kind of blue.

Reading (perhaps quality): How to Be Alone by Jonathan Franzen.

Reading (definitely pulp): Nothing.

Drinking: Beer.

January 25, 2004
09:55 pm

Even back in Berkeley, my name was unusual. There were a couple of Sunshines in my grade, but no other Moryma. Nothing even like it. Really nothing like it, because I got used to the inevitable pause a teacher would take before trying to say it - and this was before they even saw my last name.

From grade school onwards I got used to crazy mispronunciations. Every graduation I've had they've butchered my name. From kindergarten to grad school (where the Dean had only 50 names and was given a friggin phonetic spelling of it) there's something about a microphone and those 14 letters that really screws people up. My father claims not to understand any of this, says my name is really easy. I try to remind him that not only has he been saying it for almost 30 years, he had a hand in selecting it so he's hardly an unbiased source.

Don't get me wrong. I love my name, every syllable. Because my first name is unusual I get to skip using my last name in most social and even professional situations. I never have to worry if I hear someone calling it, that they're calling someone else. And though I'm used to the anglicized pronunciation (like Mariah with an extra m) I get the unexpected treat of spanish speakers saying it the way it would sound if it was spelled in the traditional way (Morayma).

However for the last couple of years it's been the whole Google thing that's a drag. Put in what seems like anyone else's name and you have to wade through a cast of thousands. But for me there's no hiding. Put in my first and last name and only I come up. Heck put in just my first name and I'm still the entire first page.

So there's my life. It's cool that the citation from the paper and poster JA, James and I did for CHI comes up. Less cool that my extremely lame running times still show up. You can see where I interned, work I turned in for school projects, and of course this site. Obviously if I put things online I knew that they could be indexed and accessed, that's not the issue.

I don't mind that people Google me. Hell, I do it too. But sometimes I wish they would just admit it. Otherwise it gets pretty funny when they know things I don't tell them and then they try to come up with increasingly implausible ways they could have otherwise known.

So if you just met me, work tangentially with me, etc and found your way here, cool. Really. But just tell me. I won't mind.

a m. just a m

Doing (life and related tasks): Saw "The Battle of Algiers - Reissue" with SS the SS and the gang on Friday, hung out with D, Demmert and Foster for a Mensa/ Stitch and Bitch gathering last night, went to the American History Museum and baked brownies today. Delish!

Doing (crafty stuff): working on a hat for Bug's birthday next month. Oh and finishing Valentines.

Wanting: Bookcases. The piles of books on my floor are starting to get ridiculous.

Anticipating: Well not anticipating but wondering what the commute will be like tomorrow with all of the snow already outside.

last footer everything else what I'm working on on to the dailies all (well some) about me back to the index page next

 

all text, images (except those noted) copyright 2002-2010 Moryma Aydelott.