Nicknames

What do these things have in common...?






Nicknames! In talking with someone recently about nicknames, I realized
that I am apparently very susceptible to pet names. Here's all the solid (lasting at least a year) nicknames I have ever been given (note that several of them revolve around my curly hair)...

1. " 'Lina"- This is the biggest one. Short for Carolina. Given by Dad, caught on bymany college friends. Had that one my whole life. He, my college friends, and my brother-in-law still call me this more than my name.

2. "Babyline"- My Dad calls me this to this day. A Combo of Babygirl & Caroline.

3. "My little Brillo pad"- My Grandmother, Nanga (speaking of nick-names) called me this when I was little, because of tight, unruly head of curly hair...

4. "Eldoop"- Given to my in 7th grade, much to my chagrin, by some classmates who have since apologize profusely and are some of my closest high school friends. Get it, poodle spelled backwards? Oh the awkwardness of my hair in puberty.

5. "Chia pet"- Given to me in the 8th grade by classmates who did NOT later become my friends. :) They would follow me in the hall and sing the jingle "Cha-cha-cha-chia!" I saw a commercial for Chia the other day and had to start rocking myself... :)

6. "Curly Sue"- Given to me in 9th grade by boys who did not mean it as a compliment, right when that movie came out. Are you catching on that my hair was a very painful part of growing up? :) It's quite alright, it built character!

7. "Little Willis"- Given by my sister's friends. She used to say, "Whatchyou-talkin-'bout-willis" a lot, so they called her Willis. I came along in high shchool and they dubbed me Little Willis. I still hear that every once in a while from my Camp Wyldewood friends.

8. "Moonpie," Moon," "Moonbeam" - My sweet Amy Frank Bell! That girl has called me this since 8th grade. Her mom knew the song "Carolina Moon," Amy started calling me this, and then it got shortened. We were at our 10 year high school reunion this year and she still was calling me moonbeam, much to the amusement of our former classmates!

9. "LinaLoo"- My beloved April Clem-dawg (now Rup-dawg). We lived together one year, and she took "Lina" to a whole new level." We used to right the "Ebonics word of the day" on the mirror and have always talked ghetto to each other, which is funny because we're two of the whitest girls around. Oh, my homeskillet, how I love you!

10. "My Caroliney"- This is still what my sweet Nanga calls me to this day.