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!