What's in a name?

I've been mulling over how I want to refer to my nearest and dearest in my blog. I could avoid the use of proper names entirely, but that can make for dull reading. I could provide the preferred monikers of my friends and family, but everyone is a little different in what they are comfortable sharing online, and, since I tend to be an over-sharer, it seems wise to build in some limits before I go spewing people's social security numbers all over the internet. I could use initials, but I know way too many J's for that to be practical.

So I've decided to go with nicknames. Sometimes it will be a person's pet name, sometimes a celebrity they resemble, sometimes the resurrection of a long unused inside joke (I have a memory like an elephant.)

For starters, I will introduce you to my daughter, Petal. Yes the nickname is a bit overly precious, but if you can't be sappy and sentimental about your baby girl, then who can you be a sap about?

Petal's daddy and my hubby reminds me of the star of one of my favorite (now sadly off the air) TV shows, 24. So he is Jack, for Jack Bauer.

And my gorgeous sister has often been compared to Shakira, so Shakira she shall be in Fairweather New England.