What's in a name? Plenty if you have the same name as someone else...

I have this friend in Massachusetts named Jeff Comeau. He's probably the sweetest and coolest man you'd ever meet. I haven't seen him since right before I moved from Massachusetts in the winter of 2002. He's a musician and an artist...I wish I had half his talent in either one of those pursuits!

Turns out that he has the same first and last name of about 40 other people on Facebook alone! If I didn't know what he looked like, I wouldn't know which one to pick (or pick one from Mass. and hope he's the right Jeff).

These two pictures are 1) what he looks like now (or thereabouts); and 2) what he looked like around the time we met (or thereabouts).

Miss you Jeff! (I hope you don't mind that borrowed these from your Facebook page)

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My mother had the same problem before she married my father in 1962. Her birth name was Ruby Jean Phillips (she dropped Ruby as an adult). She was surprised that there was at least one other person named Ruby Phillips or Jean Phillips that she'd get mail for. Or mistaken for, or someone looking for a Jean Phillips that wasn't my mom.

She has gone by Jean Phillips Pera for the last 48 years. As far as she knows, she's the only one with that name. But you never know.

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I thought my name was unique, but guess what? There are other people named Stephanie Pera out there. At least five of them, besides me, on Facebook!!

Hate to break to them other Stephanie Peras out there, but I'm definitely unique...and you can take that to the bank!

Oh the thinks one thinks...

Some things I read just boggle my mind.

Like this whole BP mess, for example. BP's CEO wants his life back, he says.

Nothing about how BP is going to clean up the mess they made, nothing about the environmental damage they have undoubtedly caused, nothing about the loss of livelihood of thousands of fishermen along the Gulf Coast... Tony Hayward just wants his life back.

Are you f'n kidding me?

How callous must one be to not care about the damage their company has caused?

I just have this to say to Mr. Hayward... you selfish, heartless bastard. You suck!

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On the Disturbed message board I frequent, someone posted this story about this guy who advertized for someone to volunteer to be cannabalized. Some weirdo actually answered the ad.

The story goes into somewhat graphic detail about how this was accomplished.

I was so grossed out by what I read (and I didn't even read the whole thing!), that I had to ask why they had to post that in a forum where users as young as 12 and 13 can read it?

I realize it was late at night when this was posted, and maybe the younger members of the community like stories like that (why, I have no idea), but it was inappropriate. I hope that by this time, one of the admins locked the thread.

Eww.

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My mother, who I've said previously is 80 years old, thinks that I can just drop everything and buy her cigarettes because no one else will buy them for her.

In short, I am inabling my mother's habit-- one she's had since she was 16 years old (back when it was considered "glamourous"). I've had health problems my entire life because of it, but still, I buy the damn coffin nails for her because she's hell to live with otherwise. And since my two older sons live with her (because Mom shouldn't really be living alone), I'm just trying to keep the peace.

You'd think that after being diagnosed with emphysema she'd quit...but noooo! She just keeps on puffin'...

Did I mention she's 80 years old? She's a stubborn old broad (she calls herself that, so it's not being disrespectful)...

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I better wrap this up... I need to follow the other people in my class now.

Those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it

Therefore, I'll start at (almost) the beginning...

I'm Stef. I live in the Oklahoma City Metro area and am a Broadcasting senior at the University of Central Oklahoma.

I came to Oklahoma on a wet, snowy night two days before Christmas in 2002. Except for four months in Wyoming to take a job (a learning experience), I've been here ever since.

I am the mom of four sons, ages 16-26. No girls, sorry to say. I'm hoping for granddaughters. It's going to be a long wait. My oldest son is a freshman at UCO, and though he hasn't really declared a major, he'll probably pick graphic design. He's been an artist (and a damn good one...but I'm his mom, so what I say doesn't really count) since he was about 7 years old.

So what do I bring to this blog? Well, for one, I've been blogging since 2003. My current blog is over on wordpress, and it's called "where it's @ !~". If you want to check it out, be my guest.

Two, I think I'm a pretty decent writer. It's mostly poetry and short stories... and the aforementioned blog.

Three, I have definite opinions on a lot of things. Since my 80 year old mother doesn't like to hear me opine about the stuff that truly pisses me off, I blog. She doesn't read it anyway. She's computer illiterate and proud of it.

And lastly, I love music and always have. I've been a self described "rock chick" from the moment I heard bands like Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and Kiss. My current hard rock/heavy metal obsession (a decade strong) is the band Disturbed. It's from one of their songs that I took the name I chose for this blog. After all, I must be perfectly insane to be in college at this late date, like the music I do, and live the life I do. They definitely broke the mold when I came along, much to my parents relief.

So... this is me, my life, and my blog. Feel free to leave comments-- good, bad or indifferent. Oh, and follow me if you would.

Thank you for your support-- Stef