> > > Then I went to college, where on a stone tablet, they had inscribed, "Everybody has a first name, a middle initial, and a last name." I felt sorry for a few students, mostly girls, who had no middle name so were given the middle name, NMI. I also felt sorry for myself because they called me William and got confused when Howard was on my papers.
> > > "What is your first name?"
> > > "William."
> > > "Then why don't you put it on your papers?"
> > > "I never use William. Everybody calls me Howard."
> > > "Oh."
> >
> > Being a high-schooler, I can only hope that colleges these days have gotten rid of that proverbial stone tablet. My first name is William as well, but similarly, I go by my middle name, which is Cody. Many times I won't even respond if somebody asks for William, unless they clarify that after all, they really *are* speaking in my direction. And to further confuse the issue, my father is a William as well, which sometimes leads to minor confusion...
> >
> > -- codeman"you talkin' to ME?"38
>
> My brother is Jim, after my father, also Jim. But my brother has always been known to the family as "Ambrose." As a matter of fact, since I'm six years younger than him, I didn't really know he had a name other than Ambrose, or that he was called Jim or Jimmy at school. Shortly after my father left the household, a woman called, asking for Jim. I told her he had moved out. She turned out to be my high school aged brother's girlfriend!
>
> Mou"I still have trouble with sisters-in-law who expect me to call him Jim"sie

Heh, that's good. Along that line I have one almost as confusing.

My first and last are, of course, Buddy Stacy. My wife's brother's first name is Stacy. Now guess what his nick-name is.... right, Bud. This gets a bit hard to follow at times. Once, when Shannon and I were dating, I called her. We were talking and her brother said something to her at the same time I did. She asked "What Bud?" I repeated myself and so did he. Then she said "No, Stacy." I said "I am Bud Sta.... Oh, you mean Stacy, sorry." It has been very interesting at times.

Drac "You probably just had to be there" imas