name.

My friends keep mentioning how my new name keeps throwing them off. I agree- It's so weird and cool seeing my new name. I mean, the name itself is familiar, but I'm just not used to it being mine.

I get a piece of mail and it looks weird. I see it out of the corner of my eye on a screen at work and I double-take. I have to think before signing something or putting my initials on a document.

Hearing people say it (or attempt to say it) is also so strange. It's weird telling people how to pronounce it. The whole situation is just new. I mean, I've had the same name for 28 years. It's a hard habit to break.

There's one new habit that I wonder how long it will last... With every new piece of mail or email change or credit card, I have to double-check, and sometimes triple-check, to see if it's spelled correctly. It's 11 letters of mis-spelling waiting to happen. So far, so good. But I'm going to catch it if does happen.

Also worth nothing: If I get a piece of mail or something with my old name, it's suddenly a little foreign. It's like I'm stuck in limbo between being disconnected from my old name, and adapting to this new one.

I think that's pretty normal.