Hi again, Internets,

You remember that post of a few days ago, where I whined non-specifically?

Well, I tend to do that sometimes because I don’t know how to tackle situations where I might need to confront people.  And I need to confront someone.

Someone who is calling herself Madame Meow and is not me and should stop it because it’s creepy and weird and not very original.   Any ideas?

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I have been Madame Meow –my sobriquet, my creation, my little pet name for myself– ever since I was married.  When I was single, I called myself Miss Meow– I can still remember spelling it out next to the email address ending, and waiting for the person to realize what it was and then laughing out loud.  It still happens, though I think my being a madame commands a little more respect these days.

A few people I knew through work and play still call me that, even.

So when I got married, I toyed with Mrs. Meow, but it didn’t have as nice a ring to it, I felt.  However, turn it into French and suddenly Madame Meow…. Mme. Meow for short, bien sûr…. it has panache and it’s chic.

And everything sounds better in French.

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When I started using that sobriquet, there weren’t too many other uses of it — according to Google.  There were some pictures of a cat –named Madame MeowMeow– and there was an Australian girl who kept a poetry blog under Madame Meow (who gave me a shoutout in her blog once…. thanks fellow Meow!)

That was pretty much it.  That has been it for the almost four years I’ve called myself that (est’d. Feb. 2004!).

So when I started an account in a pregnancy forum almost three years ago (May, 2005), it was a no-brainer what my name would be there (I’ve since asked the admin to delete that account).  And there I met many great people and a few okay people, and a couple of crazy people.

One of them was the future nickname-stealer, whose nickname at the time was something else entirely.  She wanted to be my friend but at the same time did not like me much. 

I wasn’t interested in being friends with someone who sounded very mentally unstable.

I should have known.

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So here is where you, my dear online friends, fit in.

What would you do?  What can I do? How can I protect myself?

If you want to drop me a line and give me advice, I would be eternally grateful.

Thankfully in advance,

Madame Meow™