last week i brought up the topic of a nom de guerre. the topic seems to have been a more interesting topic than i had expected, as it was brought up and discussed outside of this bumbershoot.

the main question was: what is yours? and i had to admit i didn't have one. or at least couldn't think of one. i felt a little weakened by this admission. and what has been worse has been the search for a name. i can't overcome what feels like a very pretentious move of "naming" myself. and then yesterday Kevin pointed out something that hadn't occurred to me, at least in this context.

the names we give our avatars online are frequently something close to a nom de guerre, more so than the stage name even. as we approach the intarweb and are confronted with what feels like a vast and foreign sea of ideas it seems that everyone girds themselves with a new name. something that protects their identity and reveals their interest.

once, i took the name of thelostboy. and for many years that has been my nom de guerre de facto. it was an expression of my state in life and love and faith. summing me and giving me a front to face the world through my LCD window. somewhere after this i have found much of myself. not all and not all expected. certain things were lost forever or lost without realization.

though found, i am still thelostboy more often than not. in most ways i see it as a nom de guerre that i will always wear. not sure i am ready to redraft my cheques or my driver's license to reflect this.