I have already been asked why my blog is entitled "Do Not Call Me Jennifer."

First of all we have to hearken back to why my name is Jennifer in the first place. My parents say my name was inspired by a styx song. I recently listened to this song. Let's just say we are lucky I did not rip off my ears and run screaming from the room. It is a truly awful song. This song alone is reason enough to change your name from Jennifer to ANYTHING else.

The actual reason I began asking people not to call me Jennifer is really due to the popularity of the name. It was the number one baby name throughout most of the 1980's. I can name 5 other Jennifer's in my 7th grade class off the top of my head. It is a disturbing experience to hear your name called and have 5 other people respond. Everyone wants to be an original and so out of sheer frustration I asked people to call me Jenny. At the time there were no other Jenny's in my class so it seemed original enough. I realize it's not exactly Princess Consuela Banana Hammock but I figured it would work.

This change disturbed my Mom greatly. She hated it. She has refused to acknowledge my request to be called Jenny. My friends would call the house and ask for Jenny and she would tell them they had the wrong number and hang up on them. I suppose since I was in middle school and going through the standard "I am brilliant and my parents are retarded" phase this probably caused me to dig my heels in even further.

Lastly, I have never really felt like a Jennifer. When I think of Jennifer I think of the 80's big hair, preppy, entitled, stuck up, prissy pants, debutante image. Okay, so maybe I am a prissy pants but I wouldn't consider myself preppy or stuck up. I just feel more like a Jenny.

So that being said there are still plenty of people who call me Jennifer. In my world there are 3 categories of people:

Pre Jenny Family and Friends: They were grandfathered in and can call me Jennifer whenever they want.

Those that call me Jenny: These are close friends who refer to me as Jenny per my request. However, on occasion (mostly to annoy me) they sneak in a Jennifer.

Those that dare call me Jennifer: People who have not earned the right to call me Jennifer and if they to attempt to do so they will be punished quickly and severely.

If you are not sure which category you fall into…well, then see blog title!