July 15, 2008 Michael AugustineLisez en Francais
Hi folks,
I’ve given this some thought, and I think I’ve come up with a fairly satisfying name for this on-going collection of my little missives of internet banter.They say you can never choose your own nickname - that it never works out. I guess it’s a good thing I had never heard that in 8th grade, or things might be very different today.
I had discovered when I was younger that my father had earned the nickname “Augie,” a name derived from both the cartoon character of the 1960s’, as well as from the abbreviated form of his last name “Augustine.” Upon entering my senior year in grade school, I, like so many boys trying to embrace their new identities of manhood, decided I needed a new name to go along with this new attitude adjustment. Thus, proudly re-christening myself as a junior version of the man I admired, I adopted the moniker “Augy” (now and forevermore misspelled) and made my debut.
A man barely in his teens as a grade school senior can make those arrogant strides with a certain amount of confidence and success. However, a 13 year old in 9th grade is not nearly as successful. Although the name did stick, it became synonymous with its paired persona that of an über-nerd and all-round class clown. Still, as I got older, and as my sense of self AND self-confidence grew, so too did the nickname become second nature.
As with any nickname, it started to evolve as it became more common to use, changing in its form from, at first, “Augy Doggy,” then to “Froggy,” and, at one point even morphed into the bizarre “Snauggy,” owing to a similarity between my appellation and the name of a popular, edible canine treat of my day. Eventually, everybody settled on the succinct and simplistic “Aug.”
I carried “Aug” over effortlessly into college, and eventually, the name Michael was either forgotten, or never known by the majority of my peers. However, it remained synonymous with my eclectic persona throughout the intervening years.
Thus, I am proud to announce that my internet diary, documenting the skewed combination of my boundless optimism, my tireless determination, and my, um... “unique” sense of humour, shall forevermore be known simply as “Aug’s Blog.” Rest assured, the tone will remain respectful and the subject matter will still be relevant. This is simply my attempt to merge those traits that others have come to respect of me with the very-off-centre point of view that has enabled me to survive some truly difficult situations with my integrity and sense of humour intact.
I hope I may impart upon all of you that same sense of humour that enables me still to realize that things are never as bad as they may seem, and that - sometimes - all you really can do is laugh!
Yours Irreverently
Mike, who will probably start going by “Aug” from now on