Coffeehouse Name

I swear, I know that I am not with it, but this is a phenomenon that I was TOTALLY out of the loop on.

But, then again, maybe someone is just fucking with me.

Apparently, when people go to coffeehouses, they do not use their given names -- they use alternate names. I learned this from my cousin, whom I am not sure is a slice of the average coffeehouse goer.

Still, he says it is really common for people to use aliases. But, that's it. They don't change their personalities or make up a persona -- just their name.

I do not get it.

If I were going to go to a coffeehouse and call myself Locklear or Athena for the fuck of it, I would make up a personality to go with it too. It would give me a chance to act up. To be someone else for a minute. (Kind of like the other night when Scott and I pretended to be mysterious strangers in the bar... Until his friend busted us on it and I got all embarrassed.)

Why go and change your name and still be yourself?

Do you ever tell what your real name is?

Only if you see the people again, according to my cousin.

I do not get it.

I feel kind of bummed that I do not have a coffeehouse name. Not sure who I would be. I've never been able to come up with any cute alias names for myself. The last time I had an alias was in the high school literary mag, but I did not even get to pick that name. Other people chose it for me.

I would not have picked what they picked, but I did like it.

Chloe? Lois? Lana? Maryjane? Anna Karenina? Scarlett? I could be the anti-HP, Penny Harker? I could be Harriet Potter? Hermione Potter!

What do you think? What's YOUR coffeehouse name?!