January 31: That's not my name

Now don't get me wrong, I love my name! But one of the most challenging things about it, right up there with the mispronunciations and the following awkward corrections, is that any restaurant or coffee shop where you have to give your name when you order your food is an instant fail. I gave up a long time ago on telling the people at Starbucks or Panera that my name is McCamy.  The confused and usually annoyed looks were not worth my pride in my name.  So instead, I typically tell them "Helen" which is my first name, and this strategy usually works out for me just fine.

However, the people at the Starbucks in the student center apparently think Helen is just as confusing as McCamy, because even though I go there every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10am and order the same thing, they come up with a new translation of Helen every time.  Maybe they look at me and think "Oh, she doesn't look like a Helen. She must've said something else" or that Helen is some crazy original name like Jerica or Colbie and just don't know how to comprehend it, but every single time I get something new and different.  Ella, Ellie, Ellen, Haley, or like today Kelly. I now respond to any name that has an 'e' or 'l' sound in it, and most of the time I get my own coffee and don't steal some poor random girl's drink.

Regardless of the name on the cup, I still enjoyed my macchiato and orange-cranberry scone while trying to get some reading for World Lit done in Starbucks this morning. And even though the food industry seems rebellious against calling me by any of my given names, I still love being one of the only McCamys out there.

Side Note:  Bonus - When I'm walking around with a coffee cup that has a name that is not mine on it and then see someone I have only met once or twice and say hey, the awkward fumbling on their face as they think my name is McCamy in their head, but then see the name Eleanor on my cup is quite amusing. Not that I like confusing people or making them feel uncomfortable/awkward, but the whole encounter is usually pretty funny and a decent conversation starter to boot.  Go confusing names!