today a good friend called me a Minx. it got me thinking as to the number of nicknames i've collected along the way and how that affects my relationships to the people who use them. sometimes i find that after a given nickname is coined by someone, it doesn't sound right to be called the same name by a different person. others, are used more ubiquitously.

nicknames aside though, real names are important too. a plethora of friends have been struggling to pick baby names lately. as i listen to them, i realise that i have very strong preferences and associations for certain names. have you ever noticed that certain types of names come with certain types of personalities? it makes me wonder how much of my personality was shaped by a seemingly random choice of name from my parents. after all, they named me after a golfer ...