That's Not My Name!

My name is Jeannie. It seems like a simple name. No, it is not the most popular name. No, it is certainly not the prettiest name. No, it certainly is not trendy in anyway. However, it is still my name.

My name is not Jean, Jenny, Jeanine, Jeanette, or hell, even Judy. For some reason, I even get Judy - a lot! I can't explain that. I know it is easy to forget a name. It is easy to mispronounce a name. However, it is just rude to not even attempt to get my name right.

If I send out a work email and the correct spelling of my name is in my signature line, then I expect to see my name spelled correctly when I receive a response. Does that happen? Nope. About 20% of the time I see my name spelled totally wrong. If I am dealing with other educated adults, I expect to see them at least attempt to get it right.

Furthermore, my name is indeed Jeannie. It is not short for anything. It is not a nickname. It is on my birth certificate. I can prove it. So I hate it when I see "Jean" written on something. I am not Jean. If my name was Jean, I think I would have figured that one out by now. Just today I got an email with Jean written on it. So what will I do when I answer that email? I will give that person a nickname as well. For instance, for the name Jessica, I will respond with "Jess." After all, that must be acceptable or else I would not receive my own special nickname that is not my name at all, right?

Yes, I am aware of the song, "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair." That is actually why I shy away from having light brown hair. I am working that hard to avoid that song. I go with a darker tone now or dark blonde or even red hair. This is just so people will not sing that song to me. But they still do. They think it is cute. It is not.

Yes, I am a fan of the show, "I Dream of Jeannie." No, no, no... it is totally not necessary to hum the theme song to me. I assure you, it is not necessary at all.

Yes, I know Christina Aguilera has a song called, "Genie in a Bottle." That is why my screen name is Jeannie in a Bottle. Still, I really don't need to have that sung to me either.

The bottom line is, all of the songs are cute enough if my friends want to sing them to me (although some of my friends cannot sing at all!), but if you don't know me, don't do it. It is weird and creepy.

No. I can't. Do you know why? I am Jeannie, not a genie. It would be funny if I did not hear it all the time, but I do. So come up with some different, more original genie material and then we can talk. Seriously. I challenge you.

Sometime long ago, I learned to deal with the fact that my name is hard to spell. I also learned that I would get stupid questions like, "Can you grant me three wishes?" I know, I know, I've accepted it. To some degree, I even embraced that my name is a little different and is pronounced the same as genie. When people have a problem with my name, I even say, "You know... like the genie in the lamp." It helps people. I am here to help.

What I am really asking is for people to take the time to be polite and learn how to spell my name correctly. Spellling it wrong once is an honest mistake. Spelling it wrong over and over again is not acceptable. This is not just about me either. Always try to spell every person's name correctly. Also, please do not butcher my name. If I tell you my name is Jeannie, call me Jeannie. If you meet a new person, make sure you have the correct name. When in doubt, even ask them what they prefer to be called. It makes people happy when you call them by their actual name. It is also good manners to know a person's name and use it when speaking to them. You want to be polite, right?

As for me, I still can't figure out how people get Judy out of Jeannie. I am still trying to figure that one out.