Hot Pink Freak

Growing up, I always liked my first name. It is a pretty name and combined with my middle name, kinda rolls off the tongue. Except for when mom yelled it when I was in trouble. Then it sounded like I should run and hide. Hah!

When I made it to middle school, it was the first time I had ever had classmates named Donna. There were numerous Donnas in my class and even a Dondi, which was odd. That’s one of my mom’s pet names for me (which she still uses even though I am 47 years old) and I liked it. She was an okay girl and I think she was nice to me. But some of the other people with my name..weren’t.

I remember asking people to start calling me by my middle name. Mostly in my own head, in my own stories, and imagination. I hated my name so much and wanted to change it. I knew it was a dumb thing, because I had always loved my name.

I also was very tired of people singing “Donna” by Ritchie Valens. I still hate that song. I also hated “Donna the Prima Donna” by Dion. Thankfully, it was never sung to me that much. *shudder* There is one song called “Donna” which is a big favorite. It is “Donna” by Art of Noise. Man, that “Into the Battle with the Art of Noise” is still my favorite album of theirs.

As I got older, I didn’t mind it as much. When I did run into other women named Donna, they were a very very nice. Many just as persnickety as I am, with difficult personalities. Really. I can be difficult. It didn’t bother me as much because none of these people were mean to me; they didn’t fit what I thought someone with my name would be like. Rather, what other girls named Donna were like.

When I discovered Ye Olde Internets, I started using the handle Danicia. I used it /everywhere/ and met heaps of people through Usenet. Yeah, really old school there. Everything was using Danicia. You couldn’t find me by my real name…ever on the intartoobs. Well, until I had to use my real name while working for BioWare.

I’ve known people for over a decade who still don’t know that my real name is not Danicia (dan-EE-see-ya), but is Donna. I’ve kinda gotten used to it by now; rarely does anyone still call me Dani. I’m asked if I have a preference; I don’t. They’re both me and I love both names.

“My name is Raymond J. Johnson, Jr. Now you can call me Ray, or you can call me J, or you can call me Johnny, or you can call me Sonny, or you can call me Junie, or you can call me Junior; now you can call me Ray J, or you can call me RJ, or you can call me RJJ, or you can call me RJJ Jr.” ultimately ending with, “but you doesn’t hasta call me Johnson!” – Yes. I am that old.