What's in a name?

So I am sort of in the mood to be sentimental. Nothing too special, but I have been thinking lately about the nicknames I have acquired over the years. They have all been such fun, so I thought I would take a minute to relive them and share the meanings behind them. There aren't too many of them, so this shouldn't be too long. OK here goes...

1. "Little Green" & "Baby Green": - This nickname came as a result of being a freshman in High School while my older brother was a senior. Since we were both orchestra musicians, I wound up meeting a lot of his friends, and they gave me the first name. Later, others picked up on it but modified it to the second one seen here. Fun times, and even funnier that, even long after Marshall was gone, I maintained the name. Even today, a few stray friends from orchestra call me that :)

2. "Duckfluff":

- This one was a very humorous event. My sophomore year of High School, I started participating in the county honor student orchestra, the GCYS (Gwinnett County Youth Symphony). I met a lot of new people that year, and one of my fellow violists did not know my name. As a result of this unfortunate event, she started to call me "Duckfluff". She even admitted that there was nothing behind that name except as a place-holder of sorts. After I introduced myself officially, we still had a good time with the name. She called me "Duckfluff" and I quacked. Yes, weren't we just such obnoxious kids...

3. "Chopin":

- This name was given to me freshman year of College at the Cougar U. After performing a musical number in Church one of my first Sundays here, my fellow wardmates decided to dub me such...It is technically a misnomer, as I am an organist...Lol, but that's not really the point. I am still known by some people by that name. Some people that year never knew what my real name was until the year was almost over. Fun times.

4. "Green":

- This is not really a nickname, as it is just my last name. However, when I was on my mission, I was referred to as Elder Green, so when I got home after almost a year of that, I was not too used to hearing my name, so I stuck with Green. Easy enough.

5. "David C. Green":

- Again, this is not technically a nickname, but there was suddenly a mass decision that, since my facebook profile says "David C. Green", that I would be referred to as such. It's funny because now, when I meet new people, the conversation is "[Annette], this is David C. Green. David C. Green, this is [Annette]." Good times.

6. "David C." or "C. Green":

- Yeah, just the two possible combinations of #5. I rather like the C. Green one. Good times.

7. "DCG"

- Yep, you guessed it. The initials. Again, probably not a nickname, but it's also not flat-out my name, so I count it.

8. "Sneaky Meat"

- This is by far the best of the bunch. Yes, it does not make any sense to the naked eye, but it is very appropriate and humorous. A friend of mine (protecting the names of the innocent) noted that my middle name was "Cunningham". Cunning = Sneaky; Ham = Meat. Tada!!

So there you have it. I have gone through quite a few for various reasons, and I have sincerely enjoyed each one. You will note, of course, that "Dave" does not appear on this list. That's right. I do not go by that name...Ever...Someone tried it once, and he hasn't been heard from since ;) Just kidding, but seriously, it's not my name. Hope you enjoy this, and maybe it reveals a little more about me. I don't know...

Reflection on my Appearance

So, I have been reminded a lot recently about my weight...or the apparent lack of any. This reminded me of an incident I had as a missionary a few years ago. Mind you, I was living in Colorado and not some bizarre exotic locale where they eat bugs or something. I had been getting increasingly ill due to a number of issues such as my clinical depression as well as undiagnosed stomach difficulties. Needless to say, my appetite had been dropping like a bowling ball, and it wasn't pretty. In a matter of maybe two months, I went from weighing 138lbs (my highest recorded weight on my mission) to weighing 118lbs. At the time of my illnesses, I was serving as a companion to two other missionaries simultaneously, Elder A and Elder B. Surprisingly, in keeping them anonymous, I notice that their last names really did start with A and B...How ironical. Anyway, I had been serving with Elder B for a few months when we "inherited" Elder A, a missionary who was with us for two weeks before he was to go home (he was leaving a month early to return to BYU for summer term). So, after the two weeks were up, Elder A's father (Brother A) came to pick him up and go home. Elder A introduced him to me and Elder B. Brother A took one look at me and said, "You look like a meth addict." That was a pretty good indication that I was in bad shape. I've seen pictures of meth addicts, and it's not a pretty sight. It was somewhat of a wake-up call for me because I had only seen the subtle changes in my appearance and was not aware of just how drastic the end result was. About two weeks after this exchange, I was sent home from my mission on medical leave. All in all, I would say that I have never been as ill since then, which is good. However, I am constantly reminded of my inability to retain weight. One of my friends, BJ, has nicknamed me "Emaciated". It's fitting. It also makes me laugh.

It's true that I don't really take care of myself physically. To me, grocery shopping means soda, chocolate, and laundry money. No fruit/vegetables, no meats and cheeses. Just chocolate and soda. No wonder I have been required by my friends to take a multi-vitamin. Oh well. The point is, I have often been concerned about my weight, trying to avoid another crash like my first one. So far, so good. And for that I am pleased.