mistaken identity?

[cellio]

Yesterday I picked up the ringing phone to be met with "Is this Mrs. Cellio?" Now, that's a telemarketing tip-off as far as I'm concerned, as is "...Mrs. Zweig?", so I asked who was calling. Sometimes I respond to such things with "there's no such person"; this time I started to and at the same time she was saying my full name, so I let her talk to me.

It turned out to be someone from Ohr Somayach, an organization I support, so it was, I suppose, ok that she called me. It wasn't a cold-calling telemarketer, at least. (Or UJF -- same thing.)

But the whole thing did make me wonder about one tangential thing: am I "Mrs. Cellio"? I mean, I'm married, and I kept my original last name of "Cellio", but "Mrs. Cellio" usually implies a "Mr. Cellio", right? And there's no "Mr. Cellio" living here. I don't think of myself as either "Mrs. Cellio" or "Mrs. Zweig"; I mostly just avoid honorifics, and grudgingly cough up an ambiguous "Ms." if forced to specify something. I've done this since college; it's not recent. (Aha -- a reason to seek a PhD! :-) )

I wonder what my various friends with mixed last names do.

Comments

[jeannegrrl.livejournal.com]

My sister-in-law keeps her maiden name since that's how she's known in the PhD world. It's kinda funny she doesn't object to being called "Mrs. Husband's Last Name" but she definitely objects to being called "Mrs. her last name"

I took my husband's last name, moving my maiden name to be my middle name, but I feel weird being called Mrs. Glazer (Hillel's Mom is Mrs. Glazer - tho I don't call her that, I call her Mom or Sabta) - I mean it *is* who I am - I'm married, and I'm a Glazer, but I normally check the "Ms" category if I'm filling out paperwork. I considered myself Ms. Sarfaty before I got married so now I consider myself Ms. Glazer... But I don't make an issue if I'm called Mrs - it just feels weird...

However my personal pet peeve is the custom of addressing stuff to Mr. and Mrs. Husband's First Name and Last Name. I love my husband. Dearly. But I am not Mrs. Hillel anymore than he is Mr. Jeanne. Although I have had friends who know this pet peeve of mine, who want to tease me, address stuff to Mr. and Mrs. Jeanne Glazer or Jeanne Glazer and Family. :-)

[cellio]

However my personal pet peeve is the custom of addressing stuff to Mr. and Mrs. Husband's First Name and Last Name.

Amen. That annoys me. I am not "Mrs Dani Zweig" any more than he is "Mr Monica Cellio", though of course we get Mr/Mrs Dani but never Mr/Mrs Monica. He has enough trouble with people who think "Dani" is a woman, though, so I'm not going to insist that he answer to Mr Monica. :-)

[goljerp]

My friend Ruth would defenestrate me if I called her Mrs. Edward Katz. Occasionally I call her husband Mr. Ruth Hartman-Katz. :-)