and in those days, I was in college, learning programming
on a set of VAX/VMS computers (fun times)...
I taught various other people how to program, when they were
stuck, and wound up holding regular evening classes for a while.
I became known as a computer whiz - but didn't have a specific
machine name for a while....
Then there was another wierd looking computer programmer, that I
hung out with for a while. He was a bit older than I - short,
round faced, completely bald, and had big ears.
He adopted the nickname of the HOBBIT. He also had a sidekick
that we soon referred to as FRODO (hibbit's nephew)...
I completed teh set, and sort of came & went with my own projects
so for a while, my process name was just Tolkeins-III, but soon
I was dubbed GANDALF. The name stuck, and I remained Gandalf, for the next ten years. People on campus may not even know my
real name - but would shout "Hey Gandalf" across the computer room,
or lawn, or cafeteria. When I got out into the rest of the world
I had various things simply addressed to "Gandalf" instead of Joseph.
This included my Checkbook - which didn't even have my name on it
for years - with the name at the top AND the signature being Galdalf.
So that's how my OTHER nickname came about. |
