Does Your CSN Name Have a Special Meaning????

Hatshepsut said:

"We'll always have Paris..."
I’m Hatshepsut.

I taught high school history for almost thirty-four years. Selecting a historical name was a natural thing for me to do. But why an Egyptian queen?

My husband and I were fortunate to travel widely for many years. We particularly enjoyed exotic and remote places with cultures vastly different from our own. From Tibet to Madagascar to Antarctica, we savored the diversity that our amazing world has to offer and, counter to the modern perception, we thoroughly enjoyed the genuine kindness extended to western travelers worldwide.

There are moments in travel (and life, too!) that sear themselves into one’s memory--a sight, a taste, a flirtation, a sound. Remember Bogart and Bergman and that inspired line of dialogue from Casablanca: “We’ll always have Paris.”

In my case, my unforgettable “Paris” moment came at Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt-- a monument associated with the reigns of dozens of pharaohs including the against-the-odds feminist pharaoh known in history as Hatshepsut.

In terms of sheer size, Karnak is an extraordinary temple. It is the world’s largest ancient religious site. The columns at the entrance to the temple, for example, are enormous--134 skyward-reaching columns arranged in 16 rows. Artistically, Karnak is a treasure as well, covered with graceful carvings and hieroglyphics. One can only imagine what the temple must have looked like when it was painted with a pallet of fresh,vibrant, and mostly-primary colors many many years ago.

The trip in question was many years ago. Travel to Egypt was still pretty basic (Our 1976 guidebook advises to hire a donkey or a carriage to visit the Karnak site! We traveled to Karnak by horse-drawn carriage.) and political tensions in the region had caused many tourists to cancel their trips. As a result, we had unfettered access to many sites, particularly since we were traveling alone and had total control over the times of our visits to museums and monuments.

On one particular day, I was standing absolutely and utterly alone just inside the entrance to Karnak. (My husband had wandered off to study the hieroglyphics.) I remember it being early afternoon, intensely quiet and stifling hot. As I stood there, my mind raced to consider the people in history who must have stood where I stood---Napoleon’s scientists, Howard Carter and pharaohs like Hatshepsut. To this day, I remember the absolute stillness of that moment and the awe I felt as I stood dwarfed by the weight of history.

Thus it was that Hatshepsut became my screen name and my muse.

Hatshepsut (wannabe)

P.S. Thank you for this thread. I’ve enjoyed writing about Hatshepsut and my reasons for choosing her name. Also, for those of you who have nightmares about your high school history teachers, I assure you that there will not be a test on this material.

dirtyshirt said:

Nick has Special Meaning?
I've been using this nick as my online personna for years. The story behind it is this:

I am a high school Math teacher, and a co-author of a textbook of which I am quite proud. We were using my text book when the principal decided he wanted it changed (he was a PE major; his problem with the book was that it didn't look like the one he used in HS, but I don't want to bore y'all with 'Math Wars' tales). So, he started putting pressure on me, and eventually fired me as the Chairman of his Math Dept. Well within his rights, there; no complaints. But when I asked him what his reasons were, he chickened out and said, "Well, your shirt is dirty!" It wasn't. True story. I've been dirtyshirt ever since. Even opened up my own small business with the name "Dirtyshirt Productions".

This is my first post on the CSN website. I haven't even told my background yet. I liked this thread, however, so I'm posting.

Thanks for a great thread, Jennie!

Hatshepsut said:

"We'll always have Paris..."
I’m Hatshepsut.

I taught high school history for almost thirty-four years. Selecting a historical name was a natural thing for me to do. But why an Egyptian queen?

My husband and I were fortunate to travel widely for many years. We particularly enjoyed exotic and remote places with cultures vastly different from our own. From Tibet to Madagascar to Antarctica, we savored the diversity that our amazing world has to offer and, counter to the modern perception, we thoroughly enjoyed the genuine kindness extended to western travelers worldwide.

There are moments in travel (and life, too!) that sear themselves into one’s memory--a sight, a taste, a flirtation, a sound. Remember Bogart and Bergman and that inspired line of dialogue from Casablanca: “We’ll always have Paris.”

In my case, my unforgettable “Paris” moment came at Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt-- a monument associated with the reigns of dozens of pharaohs including the against-the-odds feminist pharaoh known in history as Hatshepsut.

In terms of sheer size, Karnak is an extraordinary temple. It is the world’s largest ancient religious site. The columns at the entrance to the temple, for example, are enormous--134 skyward-reaching columns arranged in 16 rows. Artistically, Karnak is a treasure as well, covered with graceful carvings and hieroglyphics. One can only imagine what the temple must have looked like when it was painted with a pallet of fresh,vibrant, and mostly-primary colors many many years ago.

The trip in question was many years ago. Travel to Egypt was still pretty basic (Our 1976 guidebook advises to hire a donkey or a carriage to visit the Karnak site! We traveled to Karnak by horse-drawn carriage.) and political tensions in the region had caused many tourists to cancel their trips. As a result, we had unfettered access to many sites, particularly since we were traveling alone and had total control over the times of our visits to museums and monuments.

On one particular day, I was standing absolutely and utterly alone just inside the entrance to Karnak. (My husband had wandered off to study the hieroglyphics.) I remember it being early afternoon, intensely quiet and stifling hot. As I stood there, my mind raced to consider the people in history who must have stood where I stood---Napoleon’s scientists, Howard Carter and pharaohs like Hatshepsut. To this day, I remember the absolute stillness of that moment and the awe I felt as I stood dwarfed by the weight of history.

Thus it was that Hatshepsut became my screen name and my muse.

Hatshepsut (wannabe)

P.S. Thank you for this thread. I’ve enjoyed writing about Hatshepsut and my reasons for choosing her name. Also, for those of you who have nightmares about your high school history teachers, I assure you that there will not be a test on this material.

tiny one said:

Describes me
My CSN name Tiny One describes me. I am only 4 ft 11 inches tall and weigh about 90 pounds. I have been little all my life. I reached my lowest weight and looked to thin after my resection. Slowly I put back a little weight on, but am thinner than before surgery. I will be 52 years old this July. My name is Cathy

eric38 said:

Mine is as basic as it gets.
Mine is as basic as it gets. My name is Eric when I came on this site after being diagnosed I was 38. No creativity here. In fact, I may be slightly retarded. I should change my name to Special E. Im not toopid - I`m peshial.

The cancer ****,
Eric

dirtyshirt said:

Nick has Special Meaning?
I've been using this nick as my online personna for years. The story behind it is this:

I am a high school Math teacher, and a co-author of a textbook of which I am quite proud. We were using my text book when the principal decided he wanted it changed (he was a PE major; his problem with the book was that it didn't look like the one he used in HS, but I don't want to bore y'all with 'Math Wars' tales). So, he started putting pressure on me, and eventually fired me as the Chairman of his Math Dept. Well within his rights, there; no complaints. But when I asked him what his reasons were, he chickened out and said, "Well, your shirt is dirty!" It wasn't. True story. I've been dirtyshirt ever since. Even opened up my own small business with the name "Dirtyshirt Productions".

This is my first post on the CSN website. I haven't even told my background yet. I liked this thread, however, so I'm posting.

Thanks for a great thread, Jennie!