On Tuesday Victor, a 4th year student in my program and coworker asked, "How's it going, Cindylu?"

Before answering the question, I asked him another question. "How do you know people call me Cindylu?"

"No one calls you Cindylu," he joked. "You're lying."

"Yeah they do, all the time, just not here," I said, still a little weirded out since only one person at the School of Ed knows about the Cindylu nickname.

Victor explained that he sometimes calls his sister Cindylu and that he got the name from some old school TV show.

A minute later, another coworker spoke up, "That's funny, because I was talking to Rob [a professor] and said something about you and he was like, 'you mean Cynthia?' I told him, yeah, but no one calls her Cynthia. He was all surprised and said, 'Wow, I didn't know that she doesn't go by Cynthia.'"

The second conversation didn't make me uncomfortable, since I'm used to professors calling my Cynthia.

I left to class with Rob a few minutes later. While in class, I kept thinking of the fact that my family, friends, boyfriends, professors and classmates all call me something different.

A quick rundown of the names and nicknames (I've tried to do it chronologically by origin):

1. Cynthia (1980): The name on my birth certificate. The only time I hear Cynthia is with professors, some place where it's wise to use my given name (doctor's office, graduate division, financial aid office), or when my mom or dad is mad at me. I love the meaning of Cynthia (Goddess of the Moon), but don't really use it because it's always seemed so formal. I like the sound in Spanish much more than in English too. Almost all of my other nicknames derive from Cynthia.
2. Cindy (1980): the name I've been using since I was a baby. I don't know why my parents gave me a name they hardly ever use. Almost everyone knows me as Cindy.
3. Cinderella (~1980): my mom and Grandpa Bartolo call me Cinderella. My mom is now the only one who uses since Grandpa passed away in 1996.
4. Giggles (~1983): I don't remember ever being called Giggles, but my cousin Tony says he and his brother used to call me that when I was about 3-5 years old.
5. Cindimarindi (~1984): again, my mom used this one back when I was a kid. I've always liked it because it combines my first and middle names. My middle name is Marie.
6. Cyndi Lauper (~1987): growing up, Danny used to play a lot with this kid named Charlie. He lived a few houses down with his family. My mom was good friends with his mom so we'd spend a lot fo time there. Anyway, charlie's dad used to call me Cyndi Lauper. I didn't like it too much because I thought Cyndi Lauper was so weird.
7. 31 Flavors (~1996): so, like many other high school girls, I was kinda boy crazy. My friends in high school swore that I liked so many guys (the flavors). 31 Flavors was born out of my boy crazy days and the fact that 31 is my favorite number.
8. C-ny (~1998): when my cousin Valerie started to learn to speak, she couldn't say my name. So Cindy was shortened to C-ny. Even though Valerie coined the newest nickname she doesn't use it anymore. Lori calls me C-ny and I call her Yoyi or Yo (Valerie couldn't say Lori either).
9. C (~1998): Danny and Lori shortened C-ny to just C. Danny and Lori use it most often and I'll often sign emails and stuff with a C.
10. Cindylu (~1999): the name I use most online and with friends from undergrad. My friend Victor (not the one above) started calling me Cindylu my first year and it just stuck. I didn't like it at first because I thought it was incredibly country (or hick-ish). However, I had a crush on Victor, so he could get away with calling me whatever he wanted.
11. Cind�s (~1999): nickname Isa gave me. She's the only one who uses it.
12. 31 (2000): the name I'd use when I would do security for demonstrations.
13. Chunk (~2000): Adrian and I use this one most often to refer to each other. However, it gets a little confusing because Adrian, Lori and I all call each other Chunk or Chunkie. Adrian and I also use Chunk Status.
14. Crazy Booger (2001): at a Hawaiian restaurant Theo, a Filipino friend, recommended I try the Loco Moco. I laughed when I heard the name and told him, "That means crazy booger in Spanish." I ordered the Loco Moco, which was a bad idea since the guys said, "You are what you eat!" Theo and another friend, Evan, started calling me Crazy Booger.
15. Number One Stunna (2001): after I got elected to the undergrad student government, Karren (the president) started calling me the Number One Stunna. There were two other General Representatives, but I had the most votes so I was General Representative #1. Karren was the only one who ever used this nickname.
16. The cute one (2001): after I got elected I told people it was because I was cute (I'm so modest...). Anyway, I began calling myself "the Cute One." To this day, if you go around saying, "I'm so cute" in a high pitched voice around my old work or with old friends, they'll know you're making fun of me. Meh.

17. Cindyluwho (2001): I didn't realize that I shared a nickname with the little girl from How the Grinch Stole Christmas until the Redhead (an ex) mentioned it to me. After our first date, we watched the animated version. He's really the only one who has ever used this nickname.
18. Queen of the Bruins (2001): the Redhead was so impressed that I was involved at UCLA. He gave me this royal nickname and was the only one to ever use it.
19. Big Sista Shutterbug (2002): Lori is the only one allowed to call me this. She's Lil' Sista Shutterbug because she's the real photographer of the family.
20. Citlalli (2002): Danny is the only one who calls me Citlalli (which means star in Nahuatl). I guess he just liked it.
21. Lu (or Lulu) (2004): some people, like my friends Iago and Alfred, have begun to shorten Cindylu. I kinda like it.
22. Muppetface (2004): Iago made this one up. I like it, and he's the only one who uses it.
23. Cindylunares (2005): it's debatable as to who first came up with this. I say it was Will. Either way, I think it's pretty cool and creative.

Me siento: less mad than I was earlier
Escuchando: la puerta negra - los tigres del norte

M�s reciente:
Searches - 09.16.05
the big move - 07.29.05
mother and daughter: a comparative analysis - 07.28.05
jardineros y dom�sticas - 07.27.05
tough question - 07.25.05

antes // despu�s