When I was about 14 years old, people started calling me "Matt" instead of "Matthew." Even to this day, if I introduce myself as "Matthew," people more often than not will shorten it to "Matt" immediately. This doesn't bother me so much anymore, but when it first started happening, it drove me a little crazy. My friend, Will, knew that this annoyed me, and so when we were sparring one day, he started taunting me, to try to get me to be more on the offensive. He started saying, " Matt, Matt, Matt. Mattric, Mattric, Mattric with the Hat Trick!" Silly, yes, but humorous. Just then Will's brother, Coleman, stepped out of the house and, hearing this, asked, "What are you calling him? Metric?"
This was even more funny to Will, and he renewed his taunting, almost singing it out: "METRIC! METRIC!"
For my part, I was chasing him around now with mock anger, laughing myself because it was kind of funny.
I quickly realized that I much preferred "Metric" to "Matt," and embraced this new moniker among my inner circle throughout my high school years.
Then, I moved away, and for the most part I became simply "Matt" again throughout my 20s. Then when I was 30, I moved to the Black Rock Desert, and had an opportunity to introduce myself however I liked. I began to call myself "Metric" again, and that has become my name for most people who know me. It may seem a little odd to some people to be known by such a nickname, but to me it denotes character, intelligence, and fun.
Just like me!