What's in a name?

First - do y'all know what Reddit is?  Ask a teenager, lol.  It's a sort of forum, but it can be live (as in happening real time) and it's sort of conversations.  I don't know how to explain it, you just have to go there and when you look up it will be tomorrow and you will be HOOKED.

Reddit.  It's this good.

I was wasting time yesterday evening, DEEEEEP in a Reddit hole, just reading reading reading.  Lying in bed with my phone while Jeff watched basketball in the living room.  I love Reddit, and the AMA section ("Ask Me Anything") is fantastic.  People who are in whatever industry will start one, saying 'ask me anything' and man - I've learned what to NOT pay for when arranging a funeral, I've learned what not to touch in a hotel room (everything), I've learned what vacuum a professional repair guy recommends.  This time, for whatever reason, I found an AMA about a guy who is an executive chef on a 'Super Yacht' cooking for bazillionaires.  It's fascinating to read these accounts of real life, and the internet is FUNNY - people are so clever with their questions and the answers!  Here is the link to this particular one Please, click on it so you can see/understand what I mean when I say I was deep deep down into a Reddit hole.

One of the things Reddit requires is submitted proof that you are who you say you are - that you aren't just pretending to work for a yacht or whatever.  So at about 3,000 questions and answers and comments  (more or less, I dunno I was DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE lol) this chef guy posts a picture of his 'proof' that he works on this boat.  He'd been posting pictures the whole time, absolutely amazing pictures of the boat, where they were docked, the incredible food he cooked....  anywhozle I clicked on this picture, like all the others, and here is his 'proof'

cute guy eh?  When this opened from Imgur (a photo app?) it opened HUGE on my phone.  I had to scroll side-to-side to even see his handwritten sign.  As soon as I opened the pic it centered on the top left corner of the pic.  Here:

I know it's hard to see, but you can clicky and bigger it.  Guess what it says.  CASEY.  My name.  (it's not a secret, my name is all over this blog).  That is weird in a creepy way.  Like a secret message to me.

RANDOM CREEPY SHIT

I am SO glad I'm writing this stuff down these days.  When I tell you weird things happen every day I ain't just whistlin' Dixie.  So this guy is a chef on a YACHT.  Boat, water, the sea, WATER.  And in a random picture, way way way down into a Reddit, is a tile decoration on a wall with my extremely weird odd name on it.  (A name that may be more common these days, btw, but in 1960 when I was born it was not even an option, especially not for a girl.  Names like Judy, Alice, Betty, Jenny, yes even Gladys, those were the types of names.  It still isn't a very common name.)  And it's part of the boat, belonging to the owner of this yacht - on the wall behind the person in the pic, if that picture had opened regular size on my phone I probably wouldn't have even seen it.  I showed Jeff - he just said 'your life is so fucking weird' and went back to basketball because he can't. even.

Here is the portion of the thread so you can do a search for where the picture is if you want: (that surf and turf looks so damned good)

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[–]elineu06[S] 360 points 1 year ago 

Here is me making a Caprice salad on a big boat [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/vKKALDP.jpg[/IMG]

Surf and Turf: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/bw7x2jY.jpg[/IMG]

Proof its me: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/PuXsaRE.jpg[/IMG]

I still have no idea what The Universe (that sexy bitch, no srsly what a weird, wonderful series of events, at least to ME) is telling me.  The Mega Millions lotto was up to $350 million on Tuesday.  I passed a Shell gas station right when the radio guy was talking about it and thought HEY!  Shell!  ocean, sea, water - and being a complete dork I went back and bought a $5 quick-pick.  I haven't checked it yet because I like day dreaming about winning the lottery and I don't want my dream to be over yet, lol.  That would be some shit right there tho, right?

******

You know I find those hairpins, and I have spent a lot of time trying to sort out who it could be leaving them for me.  The answer I settled on that makes sense to all of me is my Aunt Kay, and my dna mother Kaye (Kathryn).  Aunt Kay was actually mother's aunt, she was my great-aunt.  They were very close, and Aunt Kay took me in several times in Florida.  Babysitting or letting me live with her for weeks at a time while mother got her shit straightened out (again).  My mother died on my birthday.  My little brother (who nobody talks about, his name is Tony Henderson where are you?) was born on my birthday.  Odd coincidences TO BE SURE.  My legal name is Kathleen so I am named after them as well.

Anywhozle, my mother and her aunt were very close, even named practically the same name.

Dad had a bag of jewelry that he and mother had bought in Italy when they got married when he was in WWII.  I have some pictures and stuff, so I know they were really there.  All the girls (us 4 dna sisters) got some kind of a broach or pin, except me.  I got a locket - gold, with a scrolly 'K' on the front.  I don't think it was a FAMILY heirloom, I think it was maybe vintage or a flea market find for them overseas and it happened to have her initial on it.  Somehow dad ended up with this plastic bag of jewelry (ganked it most likely when leaving her) and I, because of my legal name (which nobody ever called me) ended up with this locket.

(why would you give something like that to an 8-year old for chrissakes?  I'm totally surprised I kept it and didn't lose it in with my barbies or whatever.  They gave me my social security card when I was like 8, or 10 also.  You should see my signature.  I had to sign it 'Kathy' because it had my legal name on it.  WHO AM I?  fucking narcs tried to change my birthday too I'M ON A TANGENT SORRY)

*pant pant*

OK - back to the point.  Mother, best friends with Aunt.  Same name, locket.  We back on track?

My niece is named Katie.  Except, her legal name is Erica Kate.  We all called her Katie until she went to Jr. Hi and wanted a more grown-up name and started calling herself 'Erica'.  I call her both because I'm aunty and I can do what I want.  She and I are very. very. close.  Like, she was like a daughter/little sister to me.  She has told me I'm her human - like, I'm her one person in the world.  We are best friends.  AUNT.  NIECE.  SAME INITIAL.  BEST FRIENDS.  Name that isn't really your name but IS really your name.  Two names.

I gave her that locket when she turned um...  16?  18? .

I just now texted her and she sent me this picture of the locket.

Aunt = Katherine
Mother = Kathryn
Me = Kathleen
My niece = Katie

I don't know.  It just gets weirder and weirder.