Mary, Mare

[plumtreeblossom]

It's hard getting used to being called Mary at work. I've used Mare almost exclusively (except on legal documents) for over 15 years, and Mary echos unfamiliar now. Its only a difference of one letter, but the two names *sound* very different and almost imply different types of people. I think of Mary as an old lady name; nice Catholic old ladies who give to charity and bake lemon cakes. Mare doesn't have any associations at all, other than horses and me, and the few other women who use that nickname. Because of its rare use, Mare belongs to me more than Mary does.

Still, I think it's good that I'm using slightly different name at work. It helps me compartmentalize work from life, and that compartmentalization is very, very important to me. They don't need to know what Mare is up to.

*****

When I got home from work yesterday, the befouled driveway wasn't as bad as I'd feared. The merciful rain had washed most of the vile death water away. Our household now owns a hose, which I bought at Sears. $19.95 buys you 50 feet of hearty green hose. Where'd my golf ball go?

*****

So, happy May Day, all! I wish May Day were still celebrated widely. I guess the Pagans still celebrate it, but I've never been part of a May Day celebration, which is unfortunate since I tend to like holidays. My Grandma used to tell me about May Day in the early 20th century, when the young lasses would make tiny baskets of spring flowers and deliver them to the doorsteps of friends, neighbors, and secret sweeties. What a nice little custom that seems to have disappeared in the tide of time...

Comments

[ron_newman]

May Day is celebrated every year in Cambridge, starting at dawn at the Weeks Bridge, and ending up at au bon pain in Harvard Square by 8 am. Morris dancers, a maypole, lots of songs and dancing. Join us next year!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

At dawn? Oh my. I'm an early bird, but I'd have to try vdry hard to be up and out at that hour!

[ron_newman]

Same for me, but it's worth it for this one day each year.

As a Mary who doesn't go by Mary . . .

[androidqueen.livejournal.com]

I tend to think of Mary as a young woman name, but the sort of young woman who lived in the 50s. She's nice. She's catholic. She wears white gloves and saddle oxfords and hats.

She does still bake lemon cakes, though.

Re: As a Mary who doesn't go by Mary . . .

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

There's something about lemon cakes...

Maybe I'll have to bake one for a potluck, just to show what a good girl I am. :-)

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

Welcome to my world where to this day I don't know if I'm an Iago or a Santiago. They seem like different people.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I like to call you Iago, because it's so totally cool and it goes with your corporate goth image. But at your wedding you were more Santiago, I think.

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

One is just more formal and used for business and weddings. I'm curious if my mother ever heard the nickname from friends during the ceremony or reception.

[ron_newman]

I can't hear the name Iago without thinking of the villain in Othello. I would have thought that permanently 'ruined' the name for general use. It didn't?

[evilshell.livejournal.com]

I went to a May Day ceremony - complete with maypole - in Central Park a few years ago, right before I moved to Switzerland. I bet there's something like that in Boston.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there are. I haven't actually looked, but someone above mentioned one.

[campion7.livejournal.com]

I hear ya. At Simmons, I'm Andrea. No one named Andie exists there. (Although every now and then, when I'm talking to myself or referring to myself, I slip up and call myself Andie.)

Andie is a name reserved strictly for friends and family.

[kalliejenn2.livejournal.com]

when my sis and i were little, we made those little paper baskets, collected flowers, and tried to drop them off at neighbors' houses - until one bitchy neighbor yelled at us...

[beowabbit]

Where'd my golf ball go?

I think I have it. :-)

Happy May Day! I’m glad somebody else noticed. Workers of the world, dance around the maypole!

[ron_newman]

And on that note.... enjoy this song.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I knew if anyone picked up on that golfball joke, it would be you. ;-)

*kiss*

[thesynergizer.livejournal.com]

when i was a kid, i tried to leave these fake construction paper flowers i'd made in school on the neighbors doorstep, but she saw me walk up and opened the door as i approached it. so, thinking fast on my feet (something i still do more than i should today!) i told her "i made this ugly construction paper flower thing in school. it was supossed to be for my mom, and i know she'd pretend to like it cause its from me, but i was just thinking how much nicer it would be if i could give her some real flowers for may day. would you mind if i took just a few from your beautiful garden?" she ended up helping me cut about half her flowers and arrange them nicely with a bow. and of course, it's not like my mom didn't know they were from me, but she pretended not to, which i still think was very nice of her.

i kinda get the having a different name at work thing, but hey, if it bugs you too much, you can always say "oh, my friends call me mare" and then they will a. start calling you the right name and b. feel all happy because you've implied they are "friends" so, how is the new job going?

PS: this is horribly off topic, but i wanted to ask you a couple of questions that could potentially help me earn some more money for my family. i don't know if you've been following my struggles with pay-per-post and such, but basically, i can't do it anymore because i don't have a high enough ranking. i've yet to figure out how to get it higher, but i do know, that out of all my friends, YOURS is the highest, a 4. wow. so, if you're willing, e-mail me at suzanne_deselms (at) hotmail and maybe with your help i can figure out what exactly it is that one does to get this number up. but if you don't want to, don't worry about it. no hard feelings or anything, OK?

[minkrose]

My b/f Andy actually knows a few May pole dances. I don't think we'll be boston-local next year but if you wanted, I'm sure he could teach them to T@F folks. We'll be living in Brighton all summer.

[moria923.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I switched from Mary to Masha *before* I moved to Boston! When I first got here I was living in a YWCA residence where there were about five other women named Mary. It would have been very confusing. And if what you describe is the standard way the name Mary is thought of, I'm *really* glad I use Masha.