The importance of having nicknames

When you're dating all the time, your friends can't keep up with the swinging door o' guys. Hell, I can't even keep up with them all. Case in point: Last Friday, I was eating sushi with a guy, and the conversation turned to the way in which one's name can shape one's personality (i.e., the benefit of having a relatively uncommon name)---and while we were having this discussion, I completely blanked on his name. I had to think about it, really think about it, and then it came to me: Aaron! So I was saved from making a terrible blunder.

With that in mind, it's vital to come up with a name that you can use with your friends to refer to one of the many, many men in your life. I usually use either a physical characteristic or something distinct about them that has previously been mentioned. So right now, there's Big Hands (who I like the most), Bad Laugh (who I like the least), and Kevin (who doesn't really have anything too distinguishing about him, which is why he lacks a nickname, and is also why he's in the middle of the pack).

I have also recently come across two wonderful guys named Jerem(e)y, neither of which I'm attracted to, but both of whom are some of the most dynamic, interesting people I've met in years. Similarly, in order to help my friends keep them straight, I refer to one as "Red" and one as "Shorty."