What's in a Name?*

Is it an odd thing that one of my closest friends in Regensburg still never spells my name correctly? She always leaves off the extra "e" at the end on text messages and such. Now English is not her mother tongue, but she's pretty darn good at it by now, and not to mention the fact that I have signed my name in text messages very often.

I still haven't said anything yet. Theoretically, I can talk to her about anything. But maybe something terribly confused inside me wants to wait and see if there is some kind of reason behind this, just for kicks.

I've already excused the fact that in the first 9 text messages she ever sent to me, my name was spelled like any possible second-cousin variation you could imagine, some practically from an unspeakable number of centuries ago. And yes, I did sign my name often between those. And yes, I've known her since Sept./Oct. I am so confused.

Anyway, just a thought. In addition to this one: Can I just stay home and study instead of going to class today? In the muck and half-rain, half-snow? Or as I should put it, the shnain? (For those of you who speak German, I like to call it the "Schneegen".)

*"That which we call a rose
By any other name would still smell as sweet!"

or according to the Reduced Shakespeare Company (I almost have this entire thing memorized by heart):

"That which we call a nose
By any other name would still smell..."