Naming Rights

Hopefully a quick post, as I am meant to be sleeping right now, but I felt like I had to get this off my chest. We all probably have a friend out there who happens to engage in various flings over the course of a few years, and unless you know the flings in question, it is usually hard to keep track of them all ("Was Henry that guy you met at the parachute shop who studied law?" "No, that was George. Henry was my housemate's sister's gardener." "Oh, right."). Plus, there are some occasions where you may be the friend who has flings, and you don't feel comfortable divulging the identity of the other party. Whatever the reason, it seems that a lot of people go the route of the Sex and the City-esque nicknames for partners. Is it a good idea for you, as the friend of the person with flings, to be the giver of nicknames, or should you just let the other person decide?

Obviously, the nickname will tend to be something memorable about the fling (That Guy With the Big Ears, The Chick With the Fake Boobs, That Doctor Who Treats Very Small Elephants), but you might think is memorable about someone may not necessarily be something the other person thinks is an appropriate nickname, despite how fitting it may be (That Guy With the Small Penis).

In my blogs, I've had my various MrMen, and I like that system, because it is easy for me to differentiate different guys (though it may be hard for others to tell them apart), but it is also something that is non-descriptive, so whenever I introduce a new guy to my friends, they don't stop and think, "Hmmm, he looks like he has a small penis, I wonder if he's TGWSP." At least I hope they don't...

The downside is, when you look back, it may be hard to remember what it was about that person that really stood out for you. I do remember having feelings for MrMan1, but I struggle quite hard to remember what it was exactly that drew me to him. Maybe part of it was that by giving him this nickname, I had separated him into the person that he is in real life, and the online persona that I describe in my blogs who is MrMan1.

Other blogs that I read will give someone a fake name in order to protect the privacy of their flings, and I thought about doing that, but it seems like it will get confusing, especially if you happen to already be friends with someone who has that name. Plus, if you ever decide to introduce him to your friends, there might be an awkward moment where one of them asks, "So what happened to Mark? That blog post you wrote yesterday said you were still with him. How long have you been with Westley?"

I ask because I have a friend who is seeing a girl, but I don't know her name. He has been reluctant to talk about his female friends in the past, and I respect that, but at the same time, I'd like to be able to give him the opportunity to talk about her if he so wished, without him having to reveal her identity. I want to call her Hairy Armpits Girl, but I imagine that he would object.

On a final note, I still think Ice-Cream Cone Penis Guy is an awesome name.