Well, I'm around the sixth "Joseph Louis Lockett" in a row in my family -- I guess Locketts just aren't a very creative lot. My grandfather didn't care much for the name (so it beats me why he named my dad that...), and went nickname-hunting shortly after I was born.
He was a lawyer for the Port of Houston, and thus had a lot of contacts. One of these was the local consul for Argentina, who recommended the nickname "Chepe" (pronounced CHEH-pee, or maybe CHEH-pay if you're feeling particularly Latin), similar to the Mexican "Pepe" or the Italian "Giuseppe," and like them meaning "Little Joe."
So it stuck. My parents picked it up (my Mom's often called my Dad by the endearing "José"), as did my friends. Now the only time I'm "Joe" is in more formal situations or when I'm talking to somebody I won't know long enough (or informally enough) to bother with the explanation.
I am not a Mexican railroad, a restaurant in Mérida, a car stereo shop in Fresno, or a river and catchment in Nepal (PDF). I am not obsessed with getting free stuff. Nor is the UN worried about my retirement from life as a Guatemalan revolutionary or my fraternal relations with Nicaraguan dictators. I only wish I took cool pictures.
And there you have it. Go back to my home page.