Names

Why “Sideon”? It’s the distorted and shortened name for obsidian, that black volcanic rock that is supposed to absorb negativity. Game freak that I am, Sideon Stiehl was a character created for Planescape (literal “translation”: Black Stone Dagger) and then for online role playing games and I have enjoyed the name since then.

I’ve collected nicknames and names like some people collect boyfriends, stamps, watches, clothes, etc. Some names are still private and I won’t discuss or list them, but here are a few that get kicked around:

• Donavan (an extension of my middle name – notice: one o and two a’s)
• Delta (as in “change”)
• Michael Todd (birth name, not adoptive/legal name)
• Morgan (from the Riddlemaster trilogy)
• Kerris (circle name from a pagan group in Salt Lake City)
• Gidon (ask Navina about this one sometime)

I’ve noticed that friends look surprised at hearing what others call me (sometimes even annoyed, such as “Donavan? But your name is DON!”), but I guess that’s my bad habit of compartmentalizing different parts of my life.

This space here is for that exploration of self, regardless of names, because I know who I am, and I sometimes forget how I got here.