Why you chose your forum screen name

[l2ridehd]

Love to ride Harley Davidson became l2ridehd. Probably should use an avatar of my 06 Road King

 

[MooreBonds]

My screen name has a 2-part meaning:

1. As I had quite a big step-up in my portfolio and became relatively closer to FIRE, I decided I needed to add more fixed income to my portfolio....although I've since (unfortunately) put that on hold, given my confidence that as soon as I bump up my fixed income from about 15% to 30%, rates will jump up and I'll be looking at massive paper losses as I wait years for it to be offset by higher rates.

Of course, as the portfolio reached the stratosphere in 2007/2008, I kept telling myself Peter Lynch's quote of "More money has been lost trying to time market corrections than in market corrections themselves", and watched the portfolio drop as much as 50%. If I had stayed the course and added to fixed income, it would have jumped up quite a bit over the last few years. My only consolation is that I resisted the temptation to finally join the herd and go all-in on the internet craze in 1999 when people were paying 20,000x earnings for web-based companies that didn't even exist yet, so I figured I'm ok plowing money into emerging markets and dividend payers and slowly growing the stash by DRIPing the cash flow for now, and then add more fixed income later on when rates bump up.

2. Growing up, I was a relatively big James Bond fan, and Roger Moore was my favorite Bond (still is, with Daniel Craig in 2nd).

So, I figured I'd combine the two and give it a few meanings.

My avatar is from a random stop on the side of the road in New Zealand (South Island), during an epic month-long trip I took in 2006/2007, which instantly placed it tied for first on my list of favorite destinations.

 

[HFWR]

When I first joined this forum, I chose a name close to ReWahoo's former name, REWannabe, or some such. In order to avoid confusion, at least about who was whom between the two of us, I picked another name out of the blue. Channeling Palladin, for reasons long forgotten, my name is a take off of Have Guns, Will Travel...

Current avatar is an abandoned railroad, that I thought would make an interesting photo. Current sig stolen from somewhere, because I thought it was humorous. Both the avatar and sig are subject to change at my whim...

 

[SoReady]

My name says how I feel. I am so ready to FIRE but I'm one of those that is waiting 1 more year...or is it 2? When I found this sight and began thinking about RE I put a name together that is exactly how I feel about FIRE. Haven't decided on an avatar.

Me being 56 and one last child still in college, I'm waiting until she is graduated next spring!. Then maybe a year or so to accumulate more funds. Can't seem to forget '08.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I picked my avatar because she makes me laugh with her perplexed look of surprise. The movie Exotic Marigold Hotel about retirees uses my sig line, which I discovered is from Bob Dylan originally as I recall.

 

[Sue J]

Mine is my name and initial. I should put a picture in for my avatar since I enjoy everyone else's avatars.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

When I was 20-ish I was still living with my Mom, paying my way through college as I went and had no big financial obligations, so a coworker with an apartment and live-in girlfriend called me "Big Money". When I eventually got onto financial forums it seemed an appropriate handle, but "Big Money" is usually taken so I use "BigMoneyJim". It is not unique, either, so if you see my name elsewhere it may or may not be me.

In 2004/2005 or so when I volunteered and converted this from from YABB to SMF software (later changed again to vBulletin) I gratuitously added royalty-free smileys and avatars to the built-in collections, and this one was in a series called "mildly abstract". For some reason an abstract avatar and this one in particular appealed to me. Wow, I guess that means I've been using the same avatar for 6-8 years.

I'm generally not a fan of signature lines on forums. It seems a lot of unnecessary repetition to me.

(Note I lost the "!"at some point. I was told it was a side effect of aging.)

You got older and turned the volume down?

I picked my avatar because she makes me laugh with her perplexed look of surprise.

I always read your name as "best WiFi ever" and am jealous.

 

[MBAustin]

Boring name - my initials and (happily) city of residence.

Avatar - for those of you who haven't been on cruises, this towel folding is a variety of what greets you (at least on Holland America) each evening at bedtime. On this day, the stewards added my sunglasses as an extra touch.

 

[freebird5825]

Freebird is a state of mind derived from a line ("and this bird you cannot change") in the song of same name by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Numbers come from 2 significant events in my life.
- 58 is my birth year [-]darn young whippersnapper[/-]
- 25 is my age when I married

My usual avatar, Bugs Bunny, is my favorite cartoon character.

My signature is a quote from a man whose genius I admire.

 

[Moscyn]

Combination of nick name and english name. My avatar features one of the many golf courses I like.

 

[Free To Canoe]

Thanks. I was having trouble reading the inscription. It is just on the edge of my poor eyes' resolution.

I work all over the world, partly due to being unable to hold a real job.

The avatar these days is the symbol of the Richland, WA high school football team, the Richland Bombers. You may be able to make out the words "Proud of the Cloud". Richland is where some of the first atom bombs were built. I am totally politically-incorrect and have no shame. I picked this one after I lost the animated Flying Spaghetti Monster avatar. (If anyone knows where to find it again, please let me know.)

The tag lines come from two songs I heard on the radio. Priceless.

I too have trouble seeing the details in avatars. I saw the big atomic mushroom cloud and the big R and I thought it was retirement going up in smoke.

I/DW have/had many rescued dogs (Shetland Sheep Dogs - AKA Shelties) over the years.

The avatar is one of the "Babson Boulders" and shows the one how we live from a financial perspective ...

Roger Babson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Neat stuff.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I too have trouble seeing the details in avatars. I saw the big atomic mushroom cloud and the big R and I thought it was retirement going up in smoke.

I like your interpretation! When I chose it, I was feeling desperate.

By the way, a member of this board directed me to FSM avatars. Thank you, amigo!

Now I have to think if I want to switch again.

 

[Retch The Grate]

my username has been my handle online since I first started bbsing back in the mid 80s.

 

[EllisWyatt]

Chose the name of my favorite geologist (who happens to have found a flambouyant way of announcing his early retirement in "Atlas Shrugged").

Of course, there aren't too many geologists in popular literature to chose from.....

 

[Koolau]

The Ko'olau mountains are (arguably and IMHO) the most beautiful mountains in the world. When I first saw them, I fell in love with their shape and color (they look like ribbon candy and are a deep vegetation green.) To me, they represent half the beauty of Hawaii. The other half is represented by the ocean. 10 minutes after first seeing the Ko'olau, dis midwestern haole boy decided he wanted to live in their shadow. For over 5 years, he has done so. The Ko'olau were an inspiration to FI and ER.

The avatar is a picture of Diamond Head crater - picked in leu of a good picture of the Ko'olau range.

I claim my tag line as original, though I'd be surprised if someone didn't coin it long before i did. Though it was conceived as a political statement about the endless string of laws we pass to "fix" every conceivable problem, it is, in my opinion, true of every human invention and endeavor. Of course, YMMV.

 

[RunningBum]

Handle is because I like to run, especially marathons and ultras. 25 marathons or longer as of 2 weeks ago. It also sounded more unique than Ski Bum, even though I'm that too.

Avatar is a visitor to my backyard, taken from the safety of my deck some 20 feet above.

 

[pb4uski]

My screen name was [-]stolen[/-]borrowed from the name of a ski boat of a teenage friend - it seemed appropriate when you were being towed behind that boat.

My avatar is a photo of an unusual "sun dog" on the horizon at dawn a couple days after I went off payroll in February.

Updated because I recently added a signature. It was a favorite saying of my high school creative writing teacher - no idea where it comes from - but it has been almost universally true in my experience (other than major tragedies like 9/11 or the Sandy Hook School shootings - no way to find any humor in those events).

 

[okapi]

Okapi is my favorite animal.

 

[Nords]

The Ko'olau mountains are (arguably and IMHO) the most beautiful mountains in the world. When I first saw them, I fell in love with their shape and color (they look like ribbon candy and are a deep vegetation green.) To me, they represent half the beauty of Hawaii. The other half is represented by the ocean. 10 minutes after first seeing the Ko'olau, dis midwestern haole boy decided he wanted to live in their shadow. For over 5 years, he has done so. The Ko'olau were an inspiration to FI and ER.

Well said, and exactly the way I feel too!

 

[W2R]

Well said, and exactly the way I feel too!

I was lucky to be able to do quite a bit of climbing in those mountains when I was a teenager. They are even more awesome when seen from that vantage point! I could never do that again at my age and physical condition, but luckily I can see those hikes in my mind any time I want to. I don't know why, but it seems almost impossible to completely capture their beauty in a photograph.

 

[MuirWannabe]

What can I say, I like the mountains. Especially the Yosemite area.

Sounds like I should check out the Ko'olau Mountains some day. Hope so.

 

[LauAnn]

Mine is similar to my Twitter name. I didn't want to have to come up with something new/different for this forum.

 

[imoldernu]

As long as we're on mountains... one vote for the Adirondaks... bigger than Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and the Great Smoky Mountain parks all put together.
Shudda taken Adirondakid for a username.

 

[panhead]

Panhead is the nickname of the Harley Davidson engine made between 1948 and 1965, so labeled because the top of the motor (the rocker covers) look like upturned baking pans. The motor company never gave the engine this name, it was given by the riders. It's one of my favorite bikes I've ever owned, but I have yet to own a knucklehead, so my moniker may change! My sig line is a favorite quote in the book mentioned.

 

[W2R]

Panhead is the nickname of the Harley Davidson engine made between 1948 and 1965, so labeled because the top of the motor (the rocker covers) look like upturned baking pans. The motor company never gave the engine this name, it was given by the riders. It's one of my favorite bikes I've ever owned, but I have yet to own a knucklehead, so my moniker may change! My sig line is a favorite quote in the book mentioned.

Oh!!! So it's not a whimsical pancake-on-head reference after all.