What's in a Name?

[Richard M]

Yesterday I was rather blaisé about responding, but today I am _really_ up
to it.  I wasn't kidded that much growing up with a last name of Moody.
The worst I can remember was kids pronouncing it  Moooooody.    It was my
first name that got the most attention. That and being a Jr.  I grew out of
Dickie by age 12.     My dad was Big Dick and I was.. little dick.
	Names can be hard on a person. When people asked me how I liked Dick
for a name, I was glad it wasn't Peter, or John.   But I didn't want to be
a dickhead about it, so I never held it against someone for name teasing.
	As an adult, it got real subtle, and I must have missed a lot. And maybe
when I did, people  were thinking, "He is handling this well."  On the
other hand I couldn't be sensitive to every,  "Are up for another tuning?"
 "Did so and so give you a hard time", "did they leave you hanging?"  "Are
you in a good mood?"  I waited till just the right time to reply, "I'm in
the mood for love."
	Once when I had to wait 45 minutes for a piano to be set up, I wrote 45min
hang time on the bill.  The stage manager thought it was funny that Dick
Moody would charge hang time.  But actually that was about as blunt as it
 got.  There were times when how to use the name was a consideration.  I
thought long
and hard about "Dick's Piano Service" which of itself is no biggie, but in
San Francisco?
Then I heard about Les Moody the staff psychologist for Car Talk.  If
laughter is the best medicine,  I should  author a book on impotence, but
then I couldn't write from experience.  Now wait... before you go taking
that the wrong way....
	Even the internet hasn't left me alone.  My email address looks like "are
we moody?"  There is a fantasy roll playing game called mooing.  If you
really want to know whats going on with your name go to Yahoo or Alta Vista
and type it in.


Richard Moody ptt