The Name of the....What?

For those of you who don't know, my name is Shin. (Mr Shin Anigans...get it?) You don't get my real last name or google will find me. As of right now, heh I haven't a clue where it will take you, medical dictionaries, sports equipment, men with unique body part fetishes.

I have a job where I have to speak to many people on a regular basis. And it's almost expected that whomever I speak with will say "I'm sorry what was your name?" at least once. They might even require spelling. And sometimes after spelling they just give up. As if I've refuse to tell them my real name and just picked a random word out of Webster's Magical Lexicon. Is this something that happens to everyone....meaning those of you with normal names, do you get this? Glomgold is excluded from answering this question as I know his name and it's not normal. Of course it isn't a body part.

So as a break from my story, I will now lead you down a strange little trail of memory. (imagine the screen wavering please. And since you're imagining can someone imagine a smell that fits this and apply it?)

The time, mid 80's. The hair, long (not feathered though, I wasn't no sissy). The uniform, lots of ripped clothes, bandannas, back patches on denim jackets. The setting, any social or public event. If you same my name very loudly it sounds similar to a certain word that means the same as feces. Say that word out loud and I would respond. At a party once a pretty young lassy came dancing up to me "Hi, what's you're name?". I told her. "You're name is Shit? Fuck you." That sucks.
Once, I was introduced to a girl, she worked at the GNC in the mall. Names were exchanged. I said "Hi". She said, "People must kick you in the shins alot huh?". So I said "I won't be speaking with you again." Only, I didn't because that would have been effort.
Is it surprising then that I monikered myself with a new 'normal' name every so often? I ended up sticking to one name eventually. For some reason I settled on Eric. (this was before I had met Eric the Estranged.)
Here's an example of how this helped. I met a girl named Heidi that looked exactly like you would picture someone with that name to look like. We exchanged numbers. The first time I called, her mother answered the phone. She wasn't home so I left a message, "Could you let her know Shin called?"
"Jim?"
"No Shin."
"Tim?"
"Shin"
"Chip?"
"Ummm...just tell her Eric called."
"ok"
The name served me well, until one day in school with a new teacher who asked my name I blurted...
"Eric...SHIN."
Say it out loud. Now repeat it. Yeah.....so.....anyway......he looked at me funny for the rest of the year.

So enough about my name. We'll come back to that some other time. Let's talk about you.