Throughout the years, it’s been both a blessing and a curse.

When I was young, I hated it. I could never find my name on any of the personalized tourist-y items, like mini-license plates or necklaces. And grown ups were always screwing up my name tags.

But as I grew older, I learned to appreciate it. I’d laugh it off when others misspelled my name. Even friends came to my defense when other people mispronounced it (in case you’re wondering it’s pronounced “Mih-kin-zee” not “Mac-ken-zee”). It’s never been a big deal to me because I’ve gotten used to people messing it up. After all, it’s not their fault my name is all fucked up from the normal spelling.

In fact, I’ve actually gotten compliments on how it’s spelled and had a woman contact me through MySpace (back when I actually used MySpace) to tell me she was naming her daughter after me. True story.

More recently, I’ve discovered that both my first and last name can be a first or last name. I’ve been replied to as “Stuart” in several work-related emails. When I’ve introduced myself by my first name, they’ll say “is that really your first name?” or “What’s your first name?” (assuming I had just given them my last name first, like Bond, James Bond).

Regardless of all the confusion my name has caused, I still like it. It fits me.

However, this one is very different from the others. It’s more personal, more introspective and more random. There’s no rules, no expectations and no hours of editing.

I’m writing whenever I want, about whatever I want. I’ll likely still promote it on my Facebook and Twitter feeds, but I’m not expecting anything to come of it aside from finding common ground with my readers. This blog won’t be perfect because I’m not perfect. And I think it’s time we start celebrating our imperfections.

Posts will likely be more like a stream of consciousness. Nothing too insightful, just an outlet where I can release my thoughts, hopes, dreams, frustrations, etc. Like letting a balloon loose into the sky.