Image description: A picture of Kathleen in a rounded frame. She is walking along the sands of Fort Lauderdale beach, wearing a light beige dress with a heart print.

I’ve been quoting ads since the day my mom brought home a VHS of You’ve Got Mail. The television screen roared to life, and what I heard next was… enchanting. “You’ve got mail, and we’ve got music.” It was a commercial for the movie’s CD soundtrack. And that’s still a killer line. 

Much to my chagrin, I was not named after Meg Ryan’s character, Kathleen Kelly. At the time, I was named Kathleen Crapson. Over the years, it’s been fun to notice who doesn’t want to say “crap” when they say Crapson.

My preferred name is now Kathleen Crapson Lorrimer, signifying 10 years with my high school sweetheart, and the end of my character-building era.