Holly, I always wondered about your name, seriously. I totally assumed you picted that for your screen name because you were a super star (which you are) for loosing weight....and now that the weight is gone...it is GONZO...gone, forever. Ha....I was way off.

This is a great thread!!!

haha, gina that's funny! i really love the character gonzo, actually. it's hard to find stuff with him on it, but a frend in holland sent me this huge stuffed one... it's so great! See:

My screen name is not very original.

Kari is my first name, and my family tends to call me "Kari-Berry" or "Care Bear".

Kari Berry just sticks with me, so I thought I'd use it as my username.

Well, what can I say? My name is Sheila. There are quite a few Sheilas on 3FC and I was born in 1953 so I added 53.

On animal boards, I'm PawPrint, but that just didn't seem to go here, and I didn't want to have to remember another name. So on non-animal BBs I'm Sheila53, and on animal BBs I'm PawPrint. Just lazy, I guess.

So, Sheila, who's the cutie in the picture? I love her hairdo!

mary

Mary, I'm glad you explained your name. I was worried about you, your self-esteem, etc.

Sandi, aren't ALL clowns scary? A lot of people in my generation can't stand clowns, I'm not sure if it's b/c of Stephen King's It or b/c of the clown doll in Poltergeist that sucks the little boy under the bed. I've never been afraid of them b/c I have an uncle that used to be a clown w/Ringling Brothers.

Do I really have to explain mine? Is there anyone here who *hasn't* heard that? (yes, I'm including the guys, you're both pretty as well) I guess I can give you my version of it.

My Grammy was like a mother to me; her youngest child is only 4 years older than me, so sometimes when she'd tell me something about my grandpa, she'd say, "Your dad" & not even realize she'd done it.

We lost Grammy to cancer a week after 9/11. She was always supportive of me in my efforts to lose weight over the years, having battled it herself & succeeding. She never said an unkind word to me about my size, or refused to serve me foods she knew I probably should not indulge in. One year just before Christmas I mentioned that pecan pie would be so great, but no one ever made them. She looked surprised & said that if she'd known I liked it, she would've made one. The next holiday, there was the pecan pie on the table. (great, now i'm on the verge of tears & still at work )

Anyhoo, getting back to my point, about a year or so before she died, she said to me during a phone conversation, "When are you going to do something about your weight? You have such a pretty face, and when you take the time w/your hair & makeup & clothes, you're stunning. I'm worried about your health, honey." This was right after I'd gained back all the weight I'd lost on phentermine & another 40# along w/it during my friend K's pregnancy.

I told her that I would try to get the weight off & I've lost 40+# since then. It's a daily struggle. And she was right to be concerned about my health--since that convo, I found out that I have HBP, got taken off the Pill, and was diagnosed w/polycystic kidney disease. My Grammy knew that I was @ risk for inheriting PKD, and she was right to be concerned.

So that is how I got my screen name, an homage of sorts to my Grammy Bear. (Nicknamed after the Grahamy Bear crackers they used to have)

I just hope when I meet y'all in Chi-town that you're not thinking, "Jeez, did she ever pick the wrong screen name!"

Now Aimee you are a beautiful woman inside and out!

Well, guess I'll explain my name too.

When I was growing up, my brothers and I watched a British sci-fi show on PBS called Dr. Who. There was a character on it named Nyssa (also one named Adric, which is where I got my older son's name). I wanted to name my daughter Nyssa from the time I was about 12, but I have two boys and no daughters. When I started going online in 1995, I used the screen name Nyssa. I have played on text-based role play games since I was on bed rest with my younger son and had a character named Kahreen. When I signed up for a hotmail account sometime in 1998 or 1999, the name Nyssa was taken so I combined the two names into Nyssareen and have used that ever since. Since it's so unique, I have never run into my chosen user name being taken like I did often with Nyssa, so it works

OK, I think I replied to a post instead of the thread. I'm so confused. Here's what I said. . .

Mine is my name. Ho hum!

Mary, thanks for asking! That's my granddaughter. I love that photo--kinda reminds me of Pebbles from The Flintstones.

My name's Jill and I'm in the legal profession, hence Jillegal. However, some people have decided it's a "J" tacked onto "illegal" - as if I have some sort of sordid reputation!

My name comes from my precious miniatuer pinscher who I couldn't live without. Her AKC registered name is Piper (thought it was cute) Gale (which is actually my middle name). Shes the closest thing I will have to a baby until I am done with medical school.