What's in a Name?

Nicknames - I love them. They are a way to 'personalize' a friendship with someone and preserve memories that made you laugh. I never realized that I was so obsessed with nicknames until recently. But I enjoy both giving and receiving nicknames - it's almost like the friendship isn't solidified until a nickname is given/received.

I'm pretty sure that my dog doesn't even know her given name because I have so many nicknames for her! While there's nothing wrong with calling someone by their given name or already-established nickname, it's just so much more fun to have that inside joke with each person that caused them to get the nickname that they have.

One rule about nicknames that I like to stick to - I generally don't like to call people by a weird nickname unless I was there or was a part of giving that name. Otherwise, it's kind of like I don't have the right to use that name! I feel the use of a personalized nickname is an indication of the closeness of a friendship, so when I feel close to someone, I have this need to call them by some other name that is representative of our friendship.

What are your thoughts about nicknames??