My name is

One of my worst personal attributes, in my opinion, is my short attention span. I wish I wasn’t the type of person who picks up a project and remains enthusiatic about it for only a short period of time, but I am. This blog, however? I thought this would be different. One thing that I have remained enthusiastic about for as long as I can remember is names. I read appellationmountain virtually every day, if I can, and often drop in on other favourites- such as youcantcallitit- so I felt certain that writing my own would definitely keep my attention.

Alas (I love the word alas!)  it was not to be. Namingacrossthepond lay in the netherlands of the internet, gathering dust, while I pursued other interests, such as writing.

 Until today, that is. Because lying on the doormat of my email inbox today was a blog subscription (thank you!) and once I had opened the envelope there was no turning back.

Reading back on old posts was very much like reading an old diary; excrutiatingly embarassing. Was I really so pretentious and keen to play up my, well, Britishness? I suppose it’s understandable you can change a lot within two years. The nineteen-year-old I am now is nothing like the seventeen-year-old I was then. And you can see that even in my change of taste in names; back then I loved Beatrix and Quentin, right now I’m a little more happy to blend in with the crowd and consider more mainstream choices.

But what has really changed has my own sense of self. Back then, I hid behind a screen name, Esme Squalor. And when commenting on other sites, I may or may not have gone by Elizabeth. I hope my ever-changing identity didn’t confuse any of the site owners, because I’m not entirely sure I was very consistent. But I now feel safe to reveal my real name, because, really, what difference does it make? If by any chance someone I know in real life happens to deduce it is me I will hold my hands up and say ‘So? I like names’. And there isn’t anything wrong with that.

I am me; short attention span, geeky hobbies and all.

My name is Emma, and thank you for reading.

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