Who ARE these people?

"First off, Nicknames are fun. And second, my loved ones, and I, shall forever be given obscure nicknames, until I shall decide otherwise."

That's what I said for almost two years. Two things have changed since I started this blog. First, most people who read it (like, everyone) know me personally and know that I'm the author, not some girl named Ainsley (see the bottom comment for the meaning of this nickname).

Second, I'm heading off to grad school, and most people will be keeping up with me via this blog.

So. I'm still going to utilize nicknames for others because I like them, and also for reference, as some people might go back and read my old posts.

The Madre - This is obvious. And unlikely to change, since her real nickname in life is an imaginative "Mom."

Little Shoe Girl (Also LSG) - My sister. I have a gazillion nicknames for her, but all of them have some kind of take off of her real name, except for Buca De Beppo. Which still does, but has more to do with an Italian place. I named her Little Shoe Girl because her nickname at age 4 was "Imelda." If you can't figure out why, uh, well. I'm not sure what to say to you.

Big Little Bro. (formerly given the obvious name of "The Bro.") Not that this one isn't obvious, but LSG told me that I needed to update it, as I was refering to him by this new name, and she is correct. BLB is ...pretty much awesome, and hilarious, but he's the quietest one in the family (I'm the loud one) so you have to know him fairly well for him to crack jokes around you. When he does, watch out. You'll just about pee your pants.

The Divine Miss M. This one is by far the best nickname I've come up with. I'm quite proud of myself. Divine Miss M is my friend. Her nickname is a double entendre: Her name begins with an M, she's not married, and she's just finished her Master's degree in Divinity. The second reason is that we love a song by Bette Midler (the first Divine Miss M) titled "I'm beautiful (Dammit!)" Life is barely complete without singing that song, Ladies.
I live at Divine Miss M's parents' house, in their basement. They're my second family.

Ghetto Phone Boy - Little Shoe Girl's husband. He's super cool and our family loves him to death. He's also Big Little Bro's tennis partner --He's great. His phone was held together with Duct tape, which I think is funny, and totally white trash (which he's so very not). It's now not, and he's now got the nicest phone of us all. He'll be cashing that one in for a Razr soon!

iTones - taking off on the apple craze, combining it with her unique name. One of the few friends that still resides in Minneapolis, thereby still making it home. Also, she is one of the most giving people I know - easy to remember when I'm around her, but making it that much harder not to kidnap her and stow her away in my luggage to MT each time I visit MN.

My Other Brain (Used to post under Transcrap)- Ya know, I had this great nickname for him. Something about the perfect lawn - he was bragging about it, and I threatened that it was going to be a permanent nickname. He'll read this and then tell me**. He's my twin brother, if you can be twins by two different mothers, 7 years apart with 2 states seperation "at birth".
** Ok, he did tell me, but I changed it, because this was SO MUCH BETTER of a name than Transcrap.

Trae - My friend, whom I love. She gave me a valentine's gift once in college, and for that, I am always grateful ;). She also regularly shows me by her actions what true friendship looks like.

Stranded on a Desert Island: My California friend ("We got more bounce in California...than All ya'll combined!") with whom I went to college. Her name is part of the nickname, and if I were ever stuck on a Desert Island, I'd want her around! She is one of the most entertaining and fun people alive. She rocks at hairstyling and rubs elbows with celebs every now and again. I'm jealous of the fact that she's seen Pete Sampras in real life.

(And what about my former Alias?) Ainsley: My Other Brain gave me that nickname while we were working on Republican politics in Minnesota in a district that hadn't been won by a republican in more than 40 years. "I referred to you as that because of your sharp, gregarious Republican wit," says he. Also, he said once something about me being a firecracker of a Republican. I like that comment better.

Uh, that's about all I can think of right now. I'll add to as is needed.