Sher...oops! (aka me and Giorgio)

Okay, confession time: I have a huge, deep, dark, guilty pleasure. Yes, I love my cold-pressed coffee from Brazil, but get a kick out of the constant misspellings of my name at Starbucks. However, there's even a deeper secret. I LOVE the History Channel series "Ancient Aliens." If you haven't seen it, it examines the theory that aliens visited our planet in the distant past and helped shape the world as we know it. I won't make any comment on the validity of that theory here, but I will say I thoroughly enjoy one of the main commentators on the show, Giorgio Tsoukalos.

So when I had the chance to meet him up-close and personal at Monsterpalooza in nearby Burbank, California this past weekend, I jumped at the chance. As fans of the show all know, Giorgio has an impressive head of hair, but for the less-fortunate, here is my geeky fan photo with him for proof.

ME & GIORGIO

In an even larger moment of geekitude, I decided to fork over my $25 and get an autographed 8x10 of Giorgio. Despite spelling my name to him, he started out with an "S". He was a sweetheart and offered to start over, but I decided it would be a humorous little addition to the blog. So below is the first "celebrity misspelling" of my name.

TO SHER OOPS...TO CHERYL! CRACK THE CODE...GALATICALLY YOURS.

THE CLOSE-UP

Don't be afraid to embrace your geekiness, dear readers! Until next time, galactically yours. -- The Name Is Cheryl.

 

SHARELL

I've seen this spelling of my name many, many times before. However, this time it's special because it's not from a Starbucks or any other kind of restaurant or eating establishment. I ventured behind the Orange Curtain (i.e., Orange County, land of Disney, the Nixon Library and center of political conservatism in California) for brunch and a movie with my dear friend, George, who just moved down there.

SHARELL

The security guard at the gated community halted my car and asked my name. She didn't seem confused by my name, but when she handed me the pass to place on my car's dashboard, the above is what I got.  This may be an isolated instant, and I'll have to test this in more detail as I continue to visit the O.C. 

Until next time, remember the Name Is CHERYL.

SHAROL/SHAPOL/SHOPOL/SHOROL

With a Christmas gift of a Starbucks card, I think my mother was hinting that I should do a few new blog entries. Despite my several month absence, the baristas and clerks have still not learned how to spell my name.

SHAROL

When I gave the cashier my name, there was not the slightest bit of hesitation as she scrawled my name across the cup. I'm guessing this is SHAROL (considering the already established patterns of this blog), but my first reaction was SHAPOL, which was quickly replaced by SHOPOL, then SHOROL. Regardless, after preparing my beverage, the barista just sat the cup on the bar and didn't even attempt to announce my name.

While I would like to suggest that Starbucks employees make a New Year's resolution to learn to spell my name, it still amuses me to see all the different variations, as well as the atrocious handwriting skills. Happy 2012, everyone!

SHERUL (and No. 26)

Sorry it's been such a long time since the last update. No excuses, but a couple of explanations. I haven't been drinking Starbucks' coffee this summer. There's a great new independent coffee shop just around the corner from my apartment, so I've been supporting local commerce, plus I sold my screenplay "Within the Darkness" back in June, finished a new one, and am nearly done with a third. It's been a very productive summer.

So here we are in fall -- one of my favorite times of year, especially here in Los Angeles, where it's more like summer than summer. I've spent the past couple of days going to horror-related screening and events for the Shriekfest Film Festival (shameless plug: my script, "Evil's Toy" was a semi-finalist in the fest). However, lest I get too uppity, leave it to a studio security guard to put me back in my place with the 26th different spelling of my name.

SHERUL

Check out the Facebook page for "Within the Darkness" to see the first teaser trailer: http://www.facebook.com/WithinTheDarkness -- and "like" if you're the sort who does that sort of thing.

Until next time, I remain --
Cheryl

SHERAL - and do a good thing today.

Be patient and try to keep up. This is a bit of stream of consciousness writing here. I zipped over to Veggie Grill on my lunch hour because they were donating 50% of all purchases to Stray Cat Alliance, which is a very special organization to me because my dear little bundle of fur, Peggy Sue, was adopted from a rescuer who works very closely with them. Back last August when I got this very same spelling at Starbucks, I commented that it rhymes with feral. (Stray ---> Feral -- get the connection?)

If you're in the Los Angeles area, go grab dinner there. It's a painless way to help out and you get to chow on some yummy vegan food. (I highly recommend the "All Hail Kale" salad.)

SHERAL still rhymes with FERAL

Below is my beautiful girl. She's been living with me and her boyfriend Owen since December of 2002. Since she was about five or six months old when I adopted her, I suspect it's pretty close to her birthday, so happy birthday, Peggy!

PEGGY SUE

SHIRLL -- Pre-Apocalyptic Post

In honor of the impending Apocalypse earthquake and subsequent Rapture that will be rolling across the international dateline in about four hours, I decided to treat myself to a glass of cabernet and some Indian food (palek paneer and veggie samosas). However, along with my yummy spinach and cheese entree, I got an added extra bonus of the 25th different misspelling of my name. I'll cut my server a break. He was non-hipster and English was definitely not his first language.

SHIRLL

As a bonafide heathen, as well as an excommunicated Lutheran, I'm pretty sure I won't be raptured, unless my kindness to animals and ability to say all fifty states in alphabetical order count for some bonus points. It's not that I don't believe Jesus existed. In fact, I'm a big fan of his work, it's just his mega-fanclub I could do without. I'm sure there were just as many Jesuses around back then as there are Jaden/Caden/Aidens being named in the hospitals around the world in this day and age.

I'm actually looking forward to the post-Rapture experience. Imagine a world full of liberals, where gay marriages are authorized and protected in every state in the union, marijuana is legal and taxed to the hilt, racism is a thing of the past and we have a balanced budget, along with subsidized health care for all. **

I believe the proprietors of Electric Lotus are Hindu, as they have a statue of Shiva the Destroyer in the entry way. Regardless, I'm a big fan of the statement on their receipts "LOVE IS LIFE". So whatever happens in the coming hours, I think if we all kept that mantra in mind, the world would be a much better place.

NAMASTE.
___________________________
** However, if the chosen start disappearing, everyone else meet me at House of Pies for some coconut cream pie -- carbs and sugar be damned!

And why not enjoy a Blondie classic while you're waiting? (Think they're making a lot of $$$ on iTunes this weekend?)

Special Tax Day Edition

My friend Deven (check out his blog at www.hungrytigernyc.com) sent this photo to me quite awhile ago, but I'd been saving it until this special day. Now it one thing for a college drop-out at Starbucks to spell a name incorrectly, but if it's someone whose job depends on attention to detail, lest the wrath of the Federal government comes raining down...well, not good.

DEVEN, LIKE SEVEN

I hope everyone got lots of money back and you spent it on something frivolous.