July 6, 2001
10:50am

I will never understand people's need to sing my name. I suppose it's because the ending rhymes with so many things, but then again, so does Tiffany. I don't hear people walking around chanting, "Tiffaneee, Tiffaneee..."

It never fails. At least one out of every five new people I meet will turn to me and say, "T-T-Talia!" (sung like the Ch-Ch-Chia Pet song). Then they smile at me like they were the first person ever to think that up.

Then there are people like Rob who will just start making up songs. Davowa likes to beat a rhythm on the nearest hard surface and go, "Tuh-LEE-uh! Tuh-LEE-uh!" What a weirdo!

When people aren't singing my name they're pronouncing it wrong. It seems people would love for me to be named TAHL-yuh. This might be alright if my last name was Shire and I had costarred in Rocky, but this is not the case. It's an understandable mistake. I don't even bother to correct people anymore, especially not teachers. They never remember anyway.

The most perplexing one is my mother. She calls me all sorts of pet names that I refuse to answer to. The only time I hear her say my actual name is when she bellows, "TALIA!!!!" from some far recess of the house. Then it's not a pleasant omen because it means she thinks I've done something wrong. It amazes me that the woman who gave me my name would be the very one who doesn't use it.