I like having a
name that could be either male or female. I was named after my two
grandmothers. My mother's mom was named Mildred Josephine, and my father's mother was named Anna (Ah-na) Marie. So, I got a combination of the two:
Josephine Anna (Ah-na).
I do not go by Josephine however. I go by "Joey." (I know I know.... It is SO Dawson's Creek. But trust me-- I am way older than that show.)
The neat part is that I am a twin. She did not get her name from my grandmothers entirely. My parents named her Jenna Marie. But, when my older brother of 14 months was little, he could not manage to get both of our names right. So Jenna was either Jenna or Jennie, and I ended up being Joey or Joe-Uh. He could never remember which sound went with the end of each name; so needless to say, our names were always wrong.
He got his fair share of getting his name wrong though because when Jenna and I began talking, we could never say Justin. So he was always Jussie. Similarly, our oldest brother Jeff was logically called Jeffie, simply to fit in with the rest of us.
Anyway, I like having a name that no one knows whether you are a boy or a girl. For a majority of my classes, the roster said Joseph. (I know, I know, this is just like the show too. BUT THIS IS MY LIFE!!!) Or, when I was really little, and teachers made little signs for you, with the girls being yellow and the boys being green, they always forgot that "Joey" was a girl, and I would end up with a green sign. I guess that is why I have grown to love blue and green.
I feel like having a name that is a boy/girl name is quite an advantage. If I go in for a job, as I did last week, and I write Joey, the employer always has a surprised expression on his face. I feel like although they were expecting a boy, it gives me more time to prove myself. Other times, people realize that Joey could be a boy or a girl. Therefore, they go into our meeting with an open mind, expecting anything. These are the people I like best. I feel like I am at ease to be myself, show them who I am, name and all, with no inhibitions.
And what is the most popular question people ask me nowadays? Where is your Dawson? The answer to this depends on who I am with. If I with another guy that is not my guy best friend, I will say whoever I am with just to be nice. But, on all other occassions, I will say Paul, my guy best friend.