Shari Graydon: Hello, my name is Shari Graydon. Well, that's the name everyone calls me. My birth certificate and passport actually identify me as Sharon, not Shari but when I was a kid, the only time I ever got called Sharon was when I was in deep trouble, as in "Sharon, get down here and clean up this room!" As a consequence, I've always introduced myself as Shari.

My last name, Graydon, portays the Irish roots of my father. I'm happy to have kept it for the entire 48 years and counting of my life. This does tend to lead to occasional confusion when people presume that my husband and I, ought to have the same last name but you know, it never would have occurred to me, to ask him to change his name, to match mine. He certainly knew better than to suggest that I give up my identity to assume his.