this one's a good un rachel.I chose the name maria cos it was close to my own name plus.... i liked it anyway. lol maria xxxxxx

I made up lists from a bunch of online baby name sites. I intentionally picked one that was not a homonym for a male name or an androgynous name or anything close to my male name (although one of my favorite girl names happened to be a homonym for my male name)(I should also point out that I haven't gone by my given male name for 10 yrs but by a masculine nickname that sounds nothing like it...I have no attachment to my given name). I eliminated names that would sound ludicrous on me like "JLo" or "Barbie" and picked a simple, easy to spell, feminine name. Then I picked a last name that seemed simple, short, that I liked and was reasonably easy to spell. It stuck in my head so I kept it. 11 letters total, short unambiguous, and i liked it...took me months to decide on it though. kept trying on different names and seeing how they felt. It actually was a pseudonym origionally for an email account and I liked it and used it when I came here which is when it really became my femme name.

And besides...."I won't grow up".

Hi Monika honey,that's not shallow at all!!.love and xxxxxxxxxx maria

Hi Sarah Anne

You knew Kirsty McColl! I knew her father, I met him a few times when he was doing the rounds of folk clubs, singing. I was an aspiring singer-songwriter type and I once "opened" for him in Blackpool. A lovely man and a brilliant writer of songs.

Cerys x

It's interesting that both Sarah Ann and Cerys have associations with Kirsty McColl.

I once met her when I was in the audience at a recording of 'Later with Jools Holland' at the Beeb in London, about ten or twelve years back.

They had the audience members (and lots of BBC secretaries and other staff) standing around the studio between the various bits of scenery.

I got chatting to a girl who was standing next to me and she told me she was working on the programme. Silly me didn't recognise her and I thought she was probably a make-up girl or something.

I was amazed when she turned out to be a guest and duly got up to sing!

For the few moments I stood with her she was very nice and not at all the way you'd expect a rock star to be!

Hugs,

Katie x
PS I'm called Katie after one of my teenage heart-throbs - Dr Who assistant Katy Manning, who played Jo Grant. My Katie is spelt differently because I wanted it to be a bit more grown up. Recently I've even started thinking of abridging it to Kate because I think Katie still sounds a bit babyish, and I'm afraid I'm no baby.

I chose Meredith because I like it. The fact that my drab name starts with the same letter is coincidental. Also, I had a student once with that name and she was sooooooooo cute! If she had any idea I adopted her name!

I took the name Kat because my first name startes with K & I couldn't think of anything when I joined TW. It's been a little over a month & I'm starting to think of myself as Kat. Like you I'm just starting. I've put things on but haven't realy dressed since I was in my teens. Not sure where I'm going eather. But having fun getting there.

How did I post twice.

I was thinking about what Kat said about becoming Kat. It's similar to what happened with me and "Wendy Larsen"....I hadn't chosen it as my "name", it was a creation for an email account. I used it when I came here to TW. I think maybe how I felt after I came here and I was being called by that name made it just felt right to keep it....I think the good feelings associated with it by TW and my sisters here did that. So in a way, you all named me, with the name I feel I will always keep, by your acceptance and friendship.

Will be changing mine soon Have a new neice Kathy. Heard her dad call her Kat. I had mine first but I can't fight it. How does Karen sound.