Q is for Ramona Quimby

More often than not, when I introduce myself to someone, he/she will ask if I was named after Ramona Quimby. I'll admit it makes me feel a bit bad ass to respond with "No, I was named after The Ramones,"but sharing a name with Miss Q hasn't been a bad deal either.

Having my name in common with Ramona Quimby drew me to these books and surely can be partly credited with my love of reading. Discovering there was not one but multiple books with a character who shared my name was fascinating to the young me.

I related to Ramona Q in many ways. While she had an older sister and I am an only child, I understood her desire for her parents' love and attention, and her good intentions that didn't necessarily always go as she hoped.

I spent many a weekend morning propped up in my bed reading these books, laughing out loud at Ramona's silliness. In her, I found a kindred spirit.

I pick up used copies of these books so I can lend them out, but mostly because I like seeing the different version and imaging how many times they've been passed around. I recently found this vintage copy at Goodwill for 70 cents!

I've been called Ramona the Brave and Ramona the Pest, and occasionally even Ramona Quimby, but it never bothers me. I actually considered Ramona the Brave as a roller derby name!

Ramona Quimby was the first literary character I connected to. I have her to thank for a lifetime of being comfortable with a unique name and my love of reading!

Ramona by The Ramones

Ramones laces in my roller skates

I was named after this song so it obviously has always been special to me. My father and his father are both Edwards and it was assumed that as the first grandchild, I’d be a boy and therefore another Edward. My mother tells me that as the end of her pregnancy approached, she had a sudden thought one day: What if it’s a girl?! Apparently Edwina was a possible choice but fortunately my parents were into the 70’s rock & roll scene and had recently purchased The Ramone’s Rocket To Russia on vinyl. It just so happens to include a song called Ramona and so here I am!

I've always liked having a unique name. I have a last name that people often have trouble spelling and pronouncing so I've been able to go by my just first name a lot in my life and I've enjoyed that. Once when I was a child, I wandered away from my mom in a store and as she was calling out "Ramona, where are you?" an adult voice answered from a few aisles away "I'm over here!" What a surprise that was to me because I'd never encountered anyone else with my name (besides Ramona Quimby of course)! I've come across a few other Ramonas in my life, most often on the telephone or more commonly I meet someone who has a relative with the name. Most of the time those women go by Mona but I've never had any desire to shorten my name or go by a nickname. I do have a couple of friends who have decided on their own to call me a nickname and in those cases I like it because it's something special I share only with those people I'm close to.

I absolutely love listening to this song. It will always cheer me up and give me confidence because whenever I hear it I think Oh yeah, I forgot this awesome thing about me! I also love telling people I was named after The Ramones. I think it's pretty bad ass!