At Mike’s memorial I remember one of the speakers commenting that he thought he was Mike’s only friend. It was a nice reflection on Mike’s amazing ability to connect with people and make them feel like they were uniquely special to him. He seemed to have many tricks for carrying out this mission but one of the most common seems to be the use of nicknames.
There have been many references to nicknames in earlier posts – some in the text, others in signature. It got me to thinking that it would be nice to see the full collection of everyone’s nickname. The list must be long.
My nickname from (and to) Mike was “loser”. Not particularly flattering but always good for humour. It came in many verbal varieties: loser, loooo/ser, lo/sa, capital L loser….and the list goes on. I really have no memory of how it came to be but it is present in all my memories.
Joanne (aka Loser)
Joanne, I remember first hearing your nickname and was a bit horrified. I was just starting my teaching career, taking courses about 'the inclusive classroom'. It was so counter to all the principles I believed in. But then I realized I couldn't mess with the master-of-nicknames and it soon (somehow?) became okay-- especially knowing Mike used it as a term of endearment. Then again, my sister and I called my brother 'geek of the week' for years... I will start a nickname list and see where it goes:)
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