Why “The Mel”?

I'm sure some folks (maybe all two of you) wonder why I go by the moniker “The Mel.” It’s really not because I’m conceited – honestly for those who have met me in real life, you should know I have the self esteem of a fruit fly. But because I’m long winded about everything here, of course I must now tell you a story.

My real name is Melissa. It’s an ok name I guess – I’m indifferent. I do realize I could have it much, much worse – Bertha for example. Through high school that is what everyone called me. The only exception is my grandma – she would call me Missy on occasion, and she is the only person on the planet who is allowed to do this. If you call me that, I will ignore you and/or shoot you the dirtiest of looks. 

The summer before my senior year in high school, I got my first job working at the local movie theatre – I did the concessions mostly, but worked the box office and ushered as well. One of my co-workers started calling me Mel. It stuck. I think I liked the fact it was one syllable and somewhat non-gendered. Being the mid-90’s it was also the advent of the internets, so I went by Mel on mailing lists and irc chats (remember those?) I frequented. I was soon introducing myself to people as Mel – this is how I was known for the most part at my previous job at the bookstore. Amy and her entire family calls me Mel. What is amusing is Amy is also her nickname – Amanda is her given name. So at gatherings there’s a bit of a double take when our families call us by our real names. 

As I get older, I’ve tended to go by Melissa in more formal situations. No one at my current job calls me Mel, and I tend not to use it when strangers ask my name. If I had to choose, I do prefer Mel – if anything it’s much easier to spell – you wouldn’t believe how many butchered versions of Melissa I’ve seen in my life. 

So back to the original question – why am I called “The Mel.” It’s not really an exciting story. Several years ago a friend of mine thought I said “You’ve reached the Mel” on my voice mail. I find it amusing, and I’ve used it around the internet for things. Interestingly, there’s already a “the_mel” on twitter. So I go by “the__mel”. Who knew?