Rebuilding Rob

Daily writing prompt

What’s the story behind your nickname?

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The closest thing I’ve ever had to a nickname would be “Red“. When I was very young, I had red hair. I mean, it was almost orange. Lots of freckles, fair skin, stereotypical, redheaded, Irish temper, the whole ball of wax.

My parents even taught me that it would be funny to answer the question “where did you get the red hair from?” With “the milkman.” People would laugh hysterically, and as a young kid under the age of 10, I didn’t know why the hell that was so funny. I really started to resent that question after a while. I always felt like people were laughing at me instead of with me. 

Obviously , I understand the joke now. But it’s like got older, my hair actually got darker. So much so, that, even though I still referred to myself as a redhead, my students are like “you don’t have red hair.“ The nickname originated from The Old Man. I’m sure that’s a big part of the reason why I even remotely hold onto it still.

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

• Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
• A Death in the Family (And My Disposable Income): My Life in Comics
• The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
• Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
• The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie

The article “Call Me Red” first appeared in Rebuilding Rob.