A biographical sketch of the names I have used legally.

my_names.txt

  When I was born, my parents named me B_____ Daniel Strand.* I went by this name in childhood,
as a teenager, and as a young adult. While I was in college, I began using Livejournal, and used
strand as my handle there. I also preferred that people call me Strand then, but told people that
they could refer to me by my last name or my former first name at the time.

  A few years after I graduated college, after working several jobs where colleagues and
coworkers called me Strand, I had my name legally changed to B Strand. I realized almost
immediately afterwards that I would have mad my life easier had I adopted the name Be Strand,
as many computer systems do not accept B as a first name. (I was unable to use Priceline at one
time, though they have since fixed this bug.)

  I have been dating my partner, Wendy McCutchen, for two years. In the last year, I have begun
going by Strand McCutchen professionally, and will be getting a legal name change to Strand
McCutchen within the next two months. Wendy and I will have a handfasting ceremony in August.

  I have had two different first names in my life, and will move onto my third soon. This is all
to say, names don't behave like you assume they behave.

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* I've redacted my former first name, as jerks on the internet have called me by it after I've
requested that they not, and that bugs me.