Cherilyn Sarkisian, an honorary Cheryl

I got into Starbucks earlier than normal this morning, so there was no name-writing on my cup.  In the meantime, until my dear readers ante up with some submissions or I hit the 'Bucks at rush hour, here's a little change of pace for everyone --

Cherilyn Sarkisian is an honorary Cheryl. Of course, I'm talking about no other than the one-name musical/acting/media sensation, Cher. Throughout grade school, I was the lone Cheryl in my school -- which was good if you wanted to stand out, but bad if you desperately wanted to be invisible -- like I did.

You see, by the end of grade school, I was just shy of my current height of 6'-1/2" (yes, that's six foot and a half inch tall). Although Cher was/is only 5'7", she seemed like a giantess icon to me because she towered over her then-husband, Sonny Bono.  She just seemed to have this glamour factor that was unattainable for me.

Glamour, thy name is Cher

I know Cheryl doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.  In fact, my younger brother was unable to say my name as a toddler.  Rather than lisping through it, my nickname became Sissy.  To this day, my father occasionally calls me by my childhood moniker when he's feeling silly.

But if Cheryl isn't sexy, Sissy isn't much better.  When I made it to junior high and high school, there were a couple of other Cheryls, but -- in my mind -- it still wasn't one of those names that invoked steamy sexiness.  However, pin-up gals Cheryl Tiegs and Cheryl Ladd helped change that.  But they were more the good-girl-next-door types and I just didn't relate.  Despite my quiet nature, I was a rock & roll gal on the inside -- just like Cher.

The Name is Cher -- not Share

I wonder what name Cher gives when she goes to Starbucks or Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf?  I'd be willing to bet every last cent in my savings account that if I went into Starbucks tomorrow and said my name was Cher, they would write some form of Shar, Char or Share.