Nicknames

Nicknames, the basis of Western Civilization. When a person has a nickname, they feel confident, accepted, and quite invincible. This feeling, as you may have guessed, is a feeling that most people enjoy at one point or another. Some nicknames are perfect for a person... short, sweet, and fitting. Others are not particularly wanted. They don't fit. Nicknames are important to have, but the people that recieve them have to understand that you feel that their name is important, appreciated, and "their's." This is an important factor in creating a suitable nickname. Recently, I was at my cousins' house in Pittsburgh. I have a cousin named Dave, who was playing Hero's Quest with me while we visited. He doesn't really enjoy this game, but he'll play for us. During the game, which took place late at night (a recipe for disaster, whatever that is), I began to see fuzzily. Everything was funny and I laughed at the slightest noise. Suddenly, Dave seemed like the perfect person to give a nickname, unfortunately for him. At first, I gave him the basic nicknames... Davy, Davy Jones and his underwater locker... Steve. But, as the Femurs attacked and the WitchLord advanced, I became more daring. "Dave, what's your middle name?" "I can't tell you," replies a somewhat aggravated cousin who is not very happy being called Steve. "It starts with a W. Then an E. There is also an S." "WEST! West! Is that it?" "Yes," he replies. Soon follows: DJ Master Weston, Dave West, Dave Weston. "At least it's not Steve," Dave is probably thinking. Finally, when Dave goes to get me an orange juice from downstairs, I decide that Dave is the perfect name for Dave. It seems he thinks so too.