If you are really interested in the evolution of my name, you can continue reading…though I would recommend using your time reading more productive things on this site J.
My mother named me Michael Peter Orellana Mayor, my official first name being Michael Peter, after my mother’s younger brother (and my Godfather) and my dad’s youngest brother. Interestingly enough, I bear semblance to both of those uncles a lot more than I do to my own parents…
When I was six years old, I went to live with my Aunt Rosie for a month. They started calling me “Mikey”. In my six-year-old mind, this was synonymous with “Monkey”, and determined to put an end to this “butchering” of my name. The next time someone called me Mikey, I very firmly replied with a, “My name is NOT Mikey!” When they playfully inquired as to my real name, I quickly responded with a, “Michael Peter!” (which, from the mouth of a six year old, sounds like “My Computer”). So, from then on, my mother’s side called me Michael Peter (and I got the nickname My Computer for a few years).
Sometime later, my brothers and sisters shortened my name to Mike. I never noticed it till someone pointed out to my mother that I went by Mike instead of Michael (my mother hated the name Mike). I denied it, but was brought to the realization that my brother and sisters did, indeed call me Mike.
My first two years of high school, people started calling me Mayor (with a Mexican accent). They thought it was funny for some reason and chose to accentuate the Mexican accent…
When I changed high schools at the end of junior year, my football coach decided to add an “s” to the end of my last name and call me Mayors. This stuck with all the guys I played sports with till I graduated from high school. Everyone else went back to calling me Michael, however.
When I got to the Academy, it was a gesture of friendship to know someone’s first name. So, when asking my name, the following conversation would usually ensue:
“Hey, I’m John.”
“I’m Michael, how are you?”
“Good…so is it Mike or Michael?”
“I don’t care, whichever you want.”
“No, man, I want to call you what you wanna be called.”
“It’s no big deal, I really don’t care.”
“No, seriously, what do you wanna be called.”
“It really doesn’t matter to me.”
“Dude, just make up your mind – what do you want to be called?”
“I’m Michael, how are you?”
“Good…so is it Mike or Michael?”
“I don’t care, whichever you want.”
“No, man, I want to call you what you wanna be called.”
“It’s no big deal, I really don’t care.”
“No, seriously, what do you wanna be called.”
“It really doesn’t matter to me.”
“Dude, just make up your mind – what do you want to be called?”
So, I learned rather quickly that if I said my name was Mike instead of Michael, I would avoid that conversation altogether. The only problem was that now I shared a name with 100 other Mikes at the Academy.
When I got to Monterrey, Mx in 2006, I still introduced myself as Mike. Anytime someone had to write my name, however, they would ask how it was spelled. When I replied with “M-i-k-e”, they would erase it, and say “no, how do you really spell it?” The first time I heard this I was utterly confused – had I said one of the letters wrong? One of my friends who was with me pointed out that I had to spell my name “Maic” in order for it to work out in Spanish. I liked the change, and decided to keep it after I came back to the United States. I especially liked it because it differentiated me from the 100 other Mikes that there are in any given place.
So, that’s how my name has evolved. Like I said, please feel free to call me whatever you’ve called me in the past – I just felt it was appropriate to start this blog with my “current” name. Oh, and Kamaya has always called me either Michael or Michael Peter. So, whenever she writes about me, expect her to write “Michael.”
