What's in a Name?

OK...is it Mandy or Amanda? It's funny when people ask me this. It's both. My family calls me Mandy and a lot of my friends. Professionally I go by Amanda but then I make a lot of friends in my profession so I have friends that call me Amanda, too. At school and in college teachers would call me by registered name, Amanda, and I would never correct them cause it's still my name to me. Which do I prefer? Either one because they're both me. I like them both. So call me what you'd like. But if you're crossed between two because let's face it...they're both awesome names...just call me Manda. I go by that too. But don't call Freddy "Fred" or "Frederick." He feels like his dad if anyone calls him either one of those. (FYI - Tre's real name is Frederick Ellis Kuhn, III. Hence three - TRE! That's why we don't use a Y at the end of his name. It stands for 3. Brooklyn's middle name, Sage, was my great, great Grandmother's maiden name; a name that directs all the way back to William the Conqueror. As for me, I was named by the one and only Barry Manilow. Awesome. Every other girl born in '77 with the name Mandy will probably tell you the same story so I'm sure it's not that original of a story.)