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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 22 of 22. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by JenStar on August 6, 2004, at 18:34:53
hi everyone,
I was curious to find out what some of your on-screen web names mean to you. Would anyone be willing to share the meaning or significance behind your babble name? (if there is one!)For me, I picked JenStar because my name is "Jen" and I would like to think of myself as a "star" -- bright, shiny, pretty...I don't often feel this way so the name is supposed to be a subtle reminder to myself to think more positively. (Also, other permutations with "Jen" were already taken!)
JenStar
Posted by ghost on August 6, 2004, at 18:42:15
In reply to What's in a Name?, posted by JenStar on August 6, 2004, at 18:34:53
i love your name story :) (btw, i'm also a jen irl)
i picked ghost a long time ago (almost 10 years now!!) because i wanted a genderless "invisible" name so that i wouldn't get harassed by guys online wanting net.sex all the time. (i was originally "jezebel.") interestingly, it stuck. ghost was also the name of one of my favorite characters in my favorite book "lost souls" (poppy z. brite). anyhow, so i got vanity plates for my first car that said "ghosty" and ever since, i've been known as ghosty often irl, too.
Posted by gardenergirl on August 6, 2004, at 22:45:43
In reply to Re: What's in a Name? » JenStar, posted by ghost on August 6, 2004, at 18:42:15
Mine's pretty self explanatory...I love to garden.
gg
Posted by pegasus on August 6, 2004, at 22:57:47
In reply to What's in a Name?, posted by JenStar on August 6, 2004, at 18:34:53
my name is peg, and I've been called pegasus as a nickname by some people who I've thought of warmly.
Also, I like the imagery of a big ole horse with wings, flying around. It's what I feel like sometimes; impossibly cumbersome, but by some miracle still functional. I said once before that I think therapy and meds and babble and my husband are what make up those wings.
pegasus
Posted by holymama on August 7, 2004, at 15:46:57
In reply to Re: What's in a Name?, posted by pegasus on August 6, 2004, at 22:57:47
I'm holymama ~~ I'm a stay-at-home mother of three little ones, and recently had a religious manic experience that brought me 'close to God'...and also had me just about joining the Jehovah's Witnesses! It's partly a laugh at myself and my crazy life, but also part of my new self that is forever changed.
Posted by 10derHeart on August 7, 2004, at 16:04:35
In reply to What's in a Name?, posted by JenStar on August 6, 2004, at 18:34:53
First time poster on this board...hope it's okay if I just dive right in....my name just came to me after reading (and crying over) such sensitive, caring posts over on Psych board....the essense of me is my tender heart and the innate ability I have to respond to different emotions of those around me. The neat thing is, it used to be something about me I looked on as at best - inconvenient and confusing, at worst - a weakness, but my wonderful ex-T (37 days post-termination <sighs...tears> )helped me learn this sensitivity to others' emotions is quite a beautiful and even sought-after trait....10derHeart (not to mention, can you really go wrong sharing a name w/a Care Bear?:))
PS Thx all for sharing reasons for your names...fascinating!
Posted by B2chica on August 7, 2004, at 17:14:22
In reply to What's in a Name?, posted by JenStar on August 6, 2004, at 18:34:53
Hey JenStar, great thread.
I chose mine mainly because it allows me to remain somwhat anonymous. The B2 stands for bipolar II (my primary Dx) and chica...well i guess cuz i'm a chica?! Also, didn't want to use my real name (i'm paranoid that way).
i tried a couple varieties and all were taken, infact i think i tried like four others...wow, lots a chica's out there!B2c. (cuz writing it all out becomes a pain!)
Posted by AuntieMel on August 7, 2004, at 20:18:59
In reply to What's in a Name?, posted by JenStar on August 6, 2004, at 18:34:53
My best friend lives in the UK. His kiddos call me Auntie Mel.
Haven't seen them for two years, now. Time for a trip....when I'm up to being social.
Posted by JenStar on August 7, 2004, at 20:37:26
In reply to What's in a Name?, posted by JenStar on August 6, 2004, at 18:34:53
hi all,
thanks for sharing your name derivations! I feel like I know you all better now. :) That's a cool thing.Hope you're all having a nice weekend.
JenStar
Posted by gardenergirl on August 8, 2004, at 0:28:39
In reply to Re: What's in a Name?, posted by B2chica on August 7, 2004, at 17:14:22
>
> B2c. (cuz writing it all out becomes a pain!)And that's exactly how I got to gg instead of gardenergirl.
:D
Take care,
gg
Posted by Catgirl on August 8, 2004, at 18:22:00
In reply to What's in a Name?, posted by JenStar on August 6, 2004, at 18:34:53
My name sounds kinda superhero-ish but it's not nearly so interesting!
I'm female and I love cats.
Posted by mair on August 8, 2004, at 22:09:52
In reply to Re: What's in a Name?, posted by Catgirl on August 8, 2004, at 18:22:00
I used to use a different name, ksvt, which was an acronym. At some point I got very paranoid and became convinced that anyone who knew me even remotely could figure out who i was if they came to this Board. I think I also wanted a name that sounded like a name.
Mair was my grandmother's middle name. She always said she hated it, but I really liked it. (Stupidly, however, it's also part of my personal email address, so if any of my friends or family members ventured on this Board, they'd probably gravitate to my posts)
Posted by JenStar on August 8, 2004, at 22:45:16
In reply to Re: What's in a Name?, posted by mair on August 8, 2004, at 22:09:52
Mair,
sometimes I too wonder if people would recognize me on the board...not from my name, necessarily, but from other things I talk about. Probably not...but who knows?I also wonder -- wouldn't it be weird / strange / interesting if a friend, mother or sister was on the board too, unbeknownst to me, and we were talking as strangers the whole time? Would we eventually recognize each other through personal writing style or comments?
JenStar
Posted by daisym on August 8, 2004, at 23:41:32
In reply to Re: What's in a Name? » mair, posted by JenStar on August 8, 2004, at 22:45:16
I collect elephants. My first ever, when I was 7, had a daisy on its nose. Her name was...Daisy!
Talk about a give away if anyone was reading.
Plus I like the song..."bicycle built for two"
Posted by mair on August 9, 2004, at 7:52:56
In reply to Re: What's in a Name? » mair, posted by JenStar on August 8, 2004, at 22:45:16
Jen
I think what might have sparked my paranoia was an incident with a poster a few years ago. A friend of her husband's was also on this site (as a poster or voyeur, I don't know) and figured out that she was also here under a posting name which was sufficiently identifiable. He not only told her husband about this site, but he also reported to her husband some of what she was writing about her marriage.
I can't stand the thought of someone who knows me reading what I post here. At least half of the attraction of posting here is that it's not being read by people I know. I don't think I could ever print some of my posts and take them into my therapy session so my T could read them. Bob asked once whether how we would feel if out Ts came onto the site - The thought horrifies me.
I don't know why being found out bothers me so much. I think the person I am here is pretty much the same as the person I am in non-cyber encounters - I can just be alot more open and revealing here. It may not be so much a privacy issue as it is that I seem to have a great desire sometimes to be invisible, or at least largely unnoticed.
Mair
Posted by holymama on August 9, 2004, at 8:25:45
In reply to Re: What's in a Name? » JenStar, posted by mair on August 9, 2004, at 7:52:56
I'm obviously very naive and open, because I often sign off with my first name (Autumn). I don't care, I guess. I also talk openly about my psychological problems face to face with other people. I've always been this way, preferring to be completely open with other people, letting them know who I 'really am'. I suppose this opens me up to all kinds of hurts and troubles, but so far in my life I haven't found that to be true. ~~Autumn~~
Posted by vwoolf on August 9, 2004, at 11:02:55
In reply to Re: What's in a Name?, posted by holymama on August 9, 2004, at 8:25:45
I guess I chose my becuase I was reading Virginia's diaries at the time, and identified with her so much - intellectuality, challenging nature, writer, sexual abuse history, gender confusion, suicide......
Posted by JenStar on August 9, 2004, at 11:18:31
In reply to Re: What's in a Name?, posted by holymama on August 9, 2004, at 8:25:45
I don't think it's naive to use your real name (Autumn is so pretty, by the way!) To me it's more a sign of personal self-confidence.
JenStar
Posted by JenStar on August 9, 2004, at 11:27:59
In reply to Re: What's in a Name? » JenStar, posted by mair on August 9, 2004, at 7:52:56
wow! that sounds awful -- having someone find you and tell your web confidences. Yuck!
I worry about that too, a bit. I don't have the personal confidence in my psyche to weather a bout of 'being exposed', I don't think. I'd be mad at the inequality of it (they know more about me than I wanted, and more about me than I know about them...gives them leverage in a way.)
I guess I choose to share personal stuff with you guys on Babble, things I'd be afraid or cautious to share with friends in 'real life'. I don't tell them because I believe some of them would react badly, strangely, or look at me differently. If I do choose to share some of my 'stuff' with them, I'd like to do it my own terms, not because they found me out and ID'd me (accidentally or on purpose, like that babble poster you referred to.) The funny thing is that I'd LOVE to have friends IRL with whom I could share all my deepest confidences, secrets, worries and neuroses. Maybe more of my friends wound be interested in sharing this kind of stuff too, and are also afraid to reach out. It's hard to take the first step though!
It seems unfair to have some discover my web identity; it's like having someone scrounge through my underwear drawer and my medicine cabinet and my diary all at once --and then pass judgement on what they found -- all the while keeping me away from THEIR diary/underwear/med cabinet. (Not that I look at these things in other people's houses...honestly!)
Anyway. Keep that underwear drawer safe!
Happy Posting.JenStar
PS - about have a T read stuff on babble...I guess I feel the same way about that. I like people to receive info when I choose to give it to them, not before. Otherwise it's like a scab being pulled off too soon. I'd prefer to have my T hear my issues from me, not the board. But I do think I'd like my T to read this site (not knowing which poster was me) at least once or twice, just to get a feel for it.
Posted by JenStar on August 9, 2004, at 11:34:33
In reply to Re: What's in a Name?, posted by holymama on August 9, 2004, at 8:25:45
I was just thinking about your post, and something occurred to me.
There ARE times when I'm really open and upfront about some issue or problem of mine, and I bring it up right away and talk about it a LOT. I think I do this to 'get it out in the open' and make it less of a 'big secret issue'. Once people get a chance to see it, they get bored with it and sort of forget about it, and then it's not a big deal anymore. Kind of like allowing a teenager to try alcohol in small amounts at home...or letting your child have a supervised touch of a precious vase - once people get an interest out of their system, they leave it alone.
Maybe what you're doing is a very smart and savvy approach -- the approach of deflection through saturation! If you're honest about yourself, people won't feel the need to gossip or whisper or wonder.
I think it's great that this approach works for you. Very cool. :)
JenStar
> I'm obviously very naive and open, because I often sign off with my first name (Autumn). I don't care, I guess. I also talk openly about my psychological problems face to face with other people. I've always been this way, preferring to be completely open with other people, letting them know who I 'really am'. I suppose this opens me up to all kinds of hurts and troubles, but so far in my life I haven't found that to be true. ~~Autumn~~
Posted by Poet on August 10, 2004, at 19:50:34
In reply to What's in a Name?, posted by JenStar on August 6, 2004, at 18:34:53
My favorite high school teacher told me that my poetry was brilliant, so I named myself Poet in hope of remembering how good she made me feel.
Poet
Posted by JenStar on August 11, 2004, at 0:38:17
In reply to Re: What's in a Name?, posted by Poet on August 10, 2004, at 19:50:34
very cool! What a nice way to pick a name.
JenStar
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