Susan Dennis's RULE!

[susandennis]

I grew up as Susan Schubert. I grew up mainly in the south. It was really rare to find anyone who could pronounce Schubert. And even more rare to find anyone who could spell it. Sumpert, Shufford, Shifford... So, when I got married, I grabbed my husband's name and obsconded with it. (That was part of a tradition, itself. I was the 2nd Mrs. Dennis out of what I think is now 4 but I'm losing count and I'm not counting his mother. - another story, another time.)

So I became Susan Dennis. When we got a divorce, I did consider picking out a new name. In the early 80's in North Carolina all you had to do to change your name was start using your new one. As soon as it turned up on something you didn't create - even an electric bill - it was yours. But, it turns out, changing one's name - was a pain in the ass. So I kept Dennis.

And it's been interesting. People on the West Coast can handle it pretty well. I noticed on the East Coast I got a lot of this:

Hi, my name is Susan Dennis.

Oh, hi Sandy! Sandy Dennis... isn't that the same name as the wheat thins lady??

(Ok, no... Sandy Dennis was a Broadway actress. Sandy Duncan did Wheat Thins.)

But, I had a job for a while when I was on TV a lot being interviewed. I would know that the cyron (how do you spell that thing - it's pronounced kie-ron) would say Susan Dennis and the interviewer would be saying 'so... tell me, Sandy...'

Anyway. I've met some nice Susan Dennis' along the way. At IBM there were three of us. One was an engineer in New York. The other was in Atlanta. I actually worked for the Atlanta one for a while and that was hilarious. No one could get their arms around the fact that my name was Susan Dennis and my manager's name was Susan Dennis.

The most precioius moment came the day I got my manager's salary file - the file from personnel that contained all of the salary history for her and everyone who worked for her. I called the person who sent it and tried to explain. The enormity of what she had done really prevented her from understanding what I was saying for the longest time. Finally I broke through and I thought the poor dear was going to expire right then and there.

I don't know which is sadder - that I told her I hadn't read it or that she believed me. (FYI - my manager was getting screwed salary wise - as were several of my co-workers... in comparrison, I was doing pretty darned good!)

I first registered susandennis.com back when domain names were free. I picked up susandennis.org along the way. I'm hoping to get susandennis.net in the next month or so - the woman (a musician as I recall) has abandoned her website and the domain name expired last month. I have to wait the grace period to get my hands on it.

Over the years since I've had the website, I've heard from several Susan Dennis', but this morning - FINALLY she gets to the damn point! - I got an email from a Susan Dennis who has just joined Live Journal!!! She didn't tell me her LIve Journal name so I can't blow her cover. But, it's such great fun to know another member of the club is here... So, Susan Dennis, Welcome!

Comments

[waning-estrogen.livejournal.com]

hmm. Schubert seems pretty straightforward to me (I guess I'm special). anyway, that's the story of my name, too. no changes for me once I got my own name back. Anderson is pretty easy to figure out. if I'd changed it once again with this husband, I'd be constantly spelling and pronouncing it for folks. I feel so sorry for the kids, who do have that name, Scholze.
we get Shoalzy, Skoalzy, Shoals, Skoals, Sklozy, Skloze, Shlozy and Shloze. and the spellings are just as wacky. then there's the issue of them having to pen that accursed cursive z when they sign their names.
Yep, I think I'll just stay Anderson 'til I die.

[emjaybaxter.livejournal.com]

Aren't names wonderful. And yea to the new Susan Dennis.
I wonder if there are any other Meirion Jones' around. Now there's a name for you. I can't tell you how many times that's been misspelled and still is. And how many times I've been addressed as Mrs or Ms or Miss. When I was at IBM I worked as an instructor for about 5 years. Great job by the way but that's another story. Two of my workmates were Eime and Dawn. We all had to go to Trinidad to teach once and the looks we got when 2 guys and a woman showed up. Yes Eime and Meirion were the guys and Dawn was the woman.

[melodysk.livejournal.com]

Yay , welcome to the new Susan Dennis :)

I was *blessed* with the name Susan Melody Shanahan when born ..then the parents decided they didn't like Susan and began calling me Melody - this has led to endless (as in still going on ) conversations with *authority* type people who see Susan M and insist on calling me Susan despite my loud protestations ...and Melody is a very unusual name in the UK

Then of course we have the Shanahan ..not a common name in the UK ..more so in Ireland and the US . 1st marriage I ended up being a Williams ..2nd marriage I decided to combine his n mine so now it's Shanahan-Kluth you should SEE the spellings we get :))

I did find (via the web) one other Melody Shanahan ...in America ..I sent her an email and she replied :)

[amai-unmei.livejournal.com]

Susan does NOT equal Sandy! Where did that come from? Silly people; don't they know it's rude to use nicknames without expressed permission?

I love your name (old and new)! Thank you for sharing your story!

Names are funny

[spiritgirl.livejournal.com]

My maiden name is Llewellyn (pronounced Loo-ellen).....you can imagine the fun we have with this. My dad taught me (well backwards and forwards (one w) and YN. I welocmed any change and thought PREECE would be simple. No...I get oh...Priest? Ha Ha. Or most often Pierce or Price. I hate it when people pronounce it (PREACHY).....it's one syllable, soft c. I mean how difficult can it be?

What's fun is I have the same name as my mother in law, and my hubby is the third...so our credit reports get all mixed up (thank goodness we all have good credit!).

Even more fun is that there are three of us at the same Gynecologist office....me, my mother-in-law, and someone we haven't met. Now wouldn't that be fun to get mixed up records! I'd be getting hormones for menopause and my MIL would get told she's pregnant! What a hoot!

[minimac.livejournal.com]

The more Susan Dennis', the merrier, eh? ;)

[suifu.livejournal.com]

Chyron :)

[susandennis]

Whew! Thanks!! I looked everywhere and couldn't find it.