nicknames

aussies love shortening things. take "aussie" for one--who really wants to say "australian" all the time? really, no. too much. gas stations are "servos," taken from the time when they were service stations, this afternoon becomes "th'sahrvo," which is really confusing if you're trying to distinguish one from the other.
names are no exception: you know a guy is a friend when you add "-o" to the end of his name. i've become facebook friends with a guy named jonothon who goes more casually as "jono." if your name doesn't work well with that, you get shortened to your first syllable, then add a "z," possibly a "za" or "zo."
the fellow i'm talking to just said, "everything in australia gets shortened." that's from an aussie. i'm not kidding around.
now, nicknames are a sign of familiarity. if you're friends with someone, you want to talk to him often, and saying his name multiple times during the day can get a little verbose. so you shorten it, right?

i have earned an australian nickname: mezza.

a few of the guys around the house who i have become good friends with asked me if i have any nicknames at home. "well, there's mere," i say, "and my brothers sometimes called me meref," (i didn't mention another nickname given to me by my brothers, for the sake of simplicity).
and they go, "aw yeah? you're mez now."

so i'm mez, or mezza, as the mood strikes you. i really like it, and i'm starting to feel little more at home. it's nice.