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I don’t know! And, no, I’m not talking about the story that turned into an early 1980s musical-movie, starring Carol B., Tim C. and Burnadette P. I’m talking about the name, Annie. I don’t like it.
[Yet, after hearing tales of the legendary Annie Oakley, the keen riflewoman of the old/Wild West, and developing a sort of crush, you’d think I’d enjoy the name. Honestly, I’d prefer her pen name to be Anne or Anna Oakley, though the Oakley part makes her sound old and stiff.]
But, I like other similar sounding names, some immensely. I love Amy (looove it), Abby (versus Abigail), Angie (though all forms of the name are delightful), Becky (but Becca and Rebecca are also nice), Callie, Chloe, Debbie (versus Deborah), Emily, Gabby (though Gabrielle is pretty), Jessie (though I may love Jessica even more), Katy (though Kate is nice and Kat is sexy), Lily, Maggie (versus Margaret, though I love Meg even more), Mercy, Molly, Tori (though Vicki is sweet and Victoria is powerfully sexy), Zoey… I like Mandi (but often lean toward Amanda), Tammy, Stacy, Tracy, Trixy, Roxie (though Roxanne is appealing, too), Lexi (though Alex, Alexis and Alexandr(i)a are increasingly better), Julie (though Julia sounds a bit nicer), Nicki (though I often adore Nicole, as well), Penny and Kelly. All those names have a distinct “E” sound at their end. They’re almost cute, girly names. But, Annie…agitates me, for some reason. And, I don’t know why. It must be subconscious from a previous life.
I guess I have similar feelings about women named Alison or Alexandra who get called “Ali” or “Allie.” I think the “longer” names sound more elegant. The shorter names sound wrong and leave a bad taste in my mouth. Likewise, Frankie makes me a little ill, but I like Francesca, which reminds me of a certain soda (beverage). Marcia sounds better than Marcie. Some think it’s cute to call a Jean or Jeanette “Jeanie;” I’d disagree (unless Jean decided to wear her hair in curly pigtails and wore something cute and girly). Anyone who would call an Andrea “Andie” would also irk me. Andrea is a lovely name; Andy is a guy’s name. ‘No wonder we’re seeing so much gender confusion; we’ve confused spirits with names that don’t quite match their given gender. [Heck. It’s a miracle Anne Rice was able to stay feminine and assert herself with that name, considering the story of her birth name.]
I definitely prefer the name Barbara over Barbie; don’t get me started on why the latter irks me. [I had an aunt I’d never call Barbie.] I prefer Catherine or Cat (‘love Cat) to Cathy, yet I like Connie better than Constance. Lori and Laura could go either way; they sound equally nice, but Lori seems easier on the tongue. I’ve had a strange obsession with the name Liz, preferring that and Beth over Betsy and Elizabeth; whenever I write an Elizabeth into one of my stories, I tend to call her Liz. If I had to choose between Rose (or Rosalyn) and Rosie, I’d favor the former, which stirs thoughts of flowers.
I’ve never been a fan of the name Mary, though it comes with immense religious history. Perhaps it’s that fact, alone, that makes it seem like a burning statue no one should touch. Mary might be a great figure/person, but I leave her to live her own life and write her story. Give me any other variation of the name, like Marionette, Mary Jo, Mary Jane or Mary Ann. I can work with those. But, Mary bothers me. Every Mary I’ve ever met has made my skin crawl in some way; they seem to come from a past era and retain souvenirs as their preferred apparel, and their egos almost always clash with mine. I know a Mary Jo who is much nicer and not as trapped in the past.
Occasionally, I meet people who become like thorns in my side. And, when they do, I am compelled to write their names off as trouble. I decide not to write about them and avoid people with those names. It may seem a bit unfair, but when you pair up with someone by the same name, you’d hate to repeat the mistakes you made with the previous one. And, as difficult as it may seem to believe, there may indeed be similarities in people with the same name, just as sharing the same astrological signs can bring out similar traits in two individuals.
Personally, I’ve known a few people who could call themselves Anne. And, the one who was often referred to as Annie was not particularly upsetting…in fact, she was a source of information and got me started with crossword puzzles, which I use regularly to combat anxiety and social discomfort…but she did have an eerie aura which occasionally rattled me. She could look like a vulture on a post and send a chill up my spine. But, as a person, she seemed decent and even gave me a photo of her to remember her when she left our workplace.
I love the name Anne and, occasionally, Anna (preferably with the two Ns, versus the one, which may be pronounced “Ah-nuh”). So, what is it about Annie that irks me? Again, I just don’t know. But, it comes to mind as I hear someone use that name on TV.
‘Any ideas what might explain this?
Now that I think of it, perhaps I need to work this into a story. Perhaps Annie needs to be an unexpected villain who stirs up past feelings in the protagonist, an ill wind that blows in from another dimension/world to alter the course of one man’s journey through life.
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