Bikes as convenience / Yvonne and Mom = awkwardness!

Lillian called me at 9 to say that she was already on her way to the hospital to visit Grandma; no big deal! When I properly got up at 10:30, I called Mom to see what her plans were. I knew that she was planning to visit Grandma with Jon (thanks to Lillian's intelligence), so that didn't surprise me. Since I needed my sanity, I declined lunch at the townhouse. While I was still home, I blocked Chris C. / Jason A. / Amanda C. - it's all good. Went to pick Jon up (talked about Friday's sushi night), and then went to the hospital. Uncle Reuben and Auntie Christine were there, and Grandma seemed better. She drank some milk, and had more energy even if she thought she was at the townhouse! ("Where did Jon go? Someone has to cook rice!")

The doctor gave out some more info about the tumor: size, prognosis, and options. (it's the worst kind of tumor you can get - and it's already 7 x 6 x 6 - she does indeed have less than three months to live!) We told Grandma that Steph gets back tomorrow, and Jon mistakenly told her that Steph was in a meeting! That must be the longest meeting EVER, haha! Yvonne, William, and Andrea showed up later: Jon and I served as buffers. I didn't mind talking to them at all, of course; I asked Andrea whether she'd been to Dairy Queen lately, and she has! Mom and Yvonne seemed civil when discussing care options and such, but it was still awkward. The physiotherapist showed up again to exercise Grandma, who'd been moved to the other bed in the room - at least she can get some sun! When we got back, she was sitting in a wheelchair by the window. After the lards drove me home, I threw away the melted chocolate bar and noted that Nathan W. had added me to Facebook. NICE!


Random NPC in Reindeer: "Man, having a bike would be so convenient." Is this a possible EARTHBOUND reference by Tomato and the other translators? Not that I ever used the bike in that game...

Wheelchairs, Werther's, FFIV, Chinese Eric, and more!

Decided to visit Big G briefly today; she was engaged in cleaning her new wheelchair when I got there, and refused apples / oranges / even her beloved Werther's Originals candy! I got her to have one by unwrapping it first, because I wasn't going to feed it to her if I didn't have to! That visit made me sad, but at least I visited her! She also pretty much refused milk... *sigh*

Got home and FINALLY finished FINAL FANTASY IV ADVANCE again! Since I need a break from the FINAL FANTASY universe in general, I'll go play MOTHER / EARTHBOUND games instead! Chris Lam is emailing me some AWANA-related stuff yet again; whoops! Called Chinese Eric after FORREST GUMP finished on TV, and we managed to pack a lot into a ten-minute conversation: 160-Pound Scrotum Guy, TLC's weird TV shows, Jon and Harmony bringing baby Ayler to church for the first time yesterday, hanging out, relatives and family friends in town ("can I go now?!"), HOARDERS, hoodies, weekend plans, calling tomorrow night, eating dinner / doing stuff on the computer, Russia, and more. That was awesome! :D


DONE THE GAME AGAIN!

Spanish Banks Awana BBQ? HAHAHAHA!

For some reason, I got an email from Chris about the year-end Awana BBQ at Spanish Banks. WEIRD! I'm not going to that one, since I didn't even help out this year, and I'd feel bad about it. I haven't been getting any Awana emails all year - as it should be - and I get this one! HAHAHA! I've also been doing some heavy thinking: he's being SILLY if he thinks our friendship is over, but what Josh says does have weight to it as well. Time to think isn't all bad!

Josh, NO SLEEP, skin, G as Q, church reluctance

Josh buzzed me on AIM last night to say that he saw my postings in Random Thought. Then I got virtually no sleep, getting up at 5:30 and then 6:30 after going to bed at 1. If this is my subconscious getting under my skin to GO TO CHURCH, I GET IT. Now just shut up so the next couple of weeks can be quiet and free. :P (seriously, I think I'll need something stronger like orange vodka screwdrivers!)

Also talked to Chris W. and Chrissy about stupid idiots who type "g" as a "q" - it's damn fucking annoying, even if it IS black slang! Called Eric to make sure he knew I was (reluctantly) up for church, but got his mom Veronica on the phone instead. Said hi to her, and then got him on the phone. I made sure to ask whether he was doing anything after church that I should know about; apparently, he's having lunch with a bunch of Daniel people. Since I have a metric fuckton of candy in my fridge to give out (and I really should empty the fridge), I decided to go anyway. He said that I could get my own lunch... well, there goes that $100 bill!

Jer's peanut butter and chocolate / 2-0 WIN over the Blues! / DISNEY!

Had a Jer's peanut butter chocolate bar while I was awaiting the start of the game tonight. Talked to James for a bit, which is always nice. The Canucks won 2-0 over the Blues, with both goals coming in the third; Chris Higgins even got an empty-net goal, so YAY!

Your DISNEY YOU, DISNEY GUY, DISNEY BEST FRIEND, DISNEY ADMIRER!!! *girls* by the_light_darkeness
Name
Age
You are	Wendy (Peter Pan)
You are with	Prince (Cinderella)
Your best friend	Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
Your secret admirer	Doctor Finklestein (Nightmare Before Christmas)

Swarming bugs / CODY HODGSON TRADED?! / Blue Dragons! / Chrystal

Had a dream with black bugs swarming EVERYWHERE... UGH! Today is trade deadline day - CODY HODGSON TRADED TO BUFFALO?! WTF?! (Nathan had the same reaction... it'll make Saturday's game more interesting) Called Chrystal at work to see when she wanted to get together: this Saturday afternoon before Awana AND the hockey game works better, especially if I think she doesn't want to get home in the dark or whatever! After I sent the same blue dragon to Chinese Eric (of course!) / James (he needed cheering) / Janet / Chris H. / Jamie last night, I got a surprise LJ virtual gift of a blue dragon from QFemale (aka Eliza) this morning - NICE! Yes, I do have this blue dragon icon... putting it beside the picture of the virtual gift for comparison purposes.

Doorknobs / Finished Hard Mode MOTHER 3, finally!

Completed MOTHER 3 on Hard Mode, finally! Next up is probably STAR OCEAN, thanks to Chris C. and his talking about it being fun! I also think that I'm content and things are truly back to normal. Replied to Mandy's email, too.





Hey, I finally got the doorknob at the very end of the game!

GOLDEN SUN / Farting Dalaam guy / Onett jail NOT a washroom!

Vickie N. unfriended me from Facebook, which is pretty good - I had long since stopped paying attention to her status updates anyway! I was going to play some GBA title called GOLDEN SUN, but looked it up on Wikipedia (as per Chris W.'s advice), and found that it involves puzzles. Since I do remember the first LUFIA game with a lot of those (I failed), I won't play it... maybe MOTHER 3 on HARD MODE for the challenge! Or maybe STAR OCEAN, if Chris C. keeps going on about it!


This is a jail in the Onett police station, not a washroom!




Here's a farting guy in Dalaam!

Personal Skype outlets / Baseball park snacks

Kenny, Chris, Adam, Tyler, Tocara / Kaitlin, Steven, David, Kyle, and I talked on Skype about Adam's four-year-old, Kenny's active baby nephew Adrian, game stuff, spicy food, Malaysian stuff, "fish tacos," "trolling" jokes, blogging, NG lungpower, robots, LEAGUE OF LEGENDS, freaking out my cousins with mini-peppers and spices, pronunciation of "General Tso's chicken," "loud Asians," tanks, rusty / moldy dildoes ("What the hell did I just come back to?!"), Hien, getting drunk, Katarina, inside jokes, and more. Good times, although I definitely wouldn't say certain things in real life! But Skype is okay, as it gives me an outlet! Found out that William's deleted his profile again; oh well.

You Are a Hot Dog

You are fun-loving and quick to tell a story or joke. You always know how to have a good time. You never quite feel settled. You have the spirit of an adventurer. You are imaginative and very visual. You can play out whole movies in your head. There's so much in this world that interests you. You like to dabble in a little of everything.

What Baseball Park Snack Are You?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

25 Weird Celebrity Baby Names

25 Weird Celebrity Baby Names

In celebration of the birth of Bingham Bellamy to proud parents Kate Hudson and Muse's Matt Bellamy, here's a gallery of rock offspring with, shall we say, interesting names.

Who: Zuma Rossdale
Parents: Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale.
Why? Well, it's better than 'Puma,' we suppose...

Who: Zowie Bowie
Parents: Angie and David Bowie.
Why? It was the 70's... He later changed his name to 'Duncan.' Take that, ma and pa.

Who: Audio Science Clayton
Parents: Former Warpaint drummer and actress Shannyn Sossamon and author Dallas Clayton
Why? When your parents are called 'Shannyn' and 'Dallas,' you're not going to be called 'Brian,' are you?

Who: Rolan Bolan
Parents: Marc Bolan and Gloria Jones
Why? Because 'Mo Mowlan Bolan' was taken...

Who: Pixie Geldof
Parents: Bob Geldof and Paula Yates
Why? Next to Peaches and FiFi Trixiebelle, 'Pixie' is kinda dull...

Who: Peaches Geldof
Parents: Bob Geldof and Paula Yates
Why? Next to Pixie and FiFi Trixibelle, 'Peaches' is... Oh, you get the point.

Who: Otis Ferry
Parents: Bryan Ferry and Lucy Helmore
Why? So we could all say, "Oh Otis, you pro-hunting idiot," one day.

Who: Moon Unit Zappa
Parents: Gail and Frank Zappa
Why Perfect name for the voice behind Valley Girl. She has a sibling called Dweezil.

Who: Lennon Gallagher
Parents: Liam Gallagher and Nicole Appleton
Why? A Beatles obsession gone too far...

Who: Everly Bear Kiedis
Parents: Anthony Kiedis and Heather Christie
Why? It's like they played the 'what's your porn star name?' game and it stuck.
(Is he serious with that mustache?)

Who: Seven Sirius
Parents: Erykah Badu and Outkast's Andre 3000
Why? Possibly a superstitious reference to a lucky number or just, you know, two hippies naming a baby.

Who: Bronx Mowgli Wentz
Parents: Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson
Why? It means 'male hair straighners' in Arabic.

Who: Bluebelle Madonna
Parents: Geri Halliwell and Sasha Gervasi
Why? The kid got off lightly, considering Geri's dog is called 'Harry Halliwell.'

Who: Apple Martin
Parents: Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow
Why? Possibly to encourage a future of adult alcoholism. "Hi, I'm Apple Martin. Can I have an apple martini, please?"

Who: Bingham Bellamy
Parents: Matt Bellamy and Kate Hudson
Why? Apparently, the name has 'family connections.' That was the dog's name, wasn't it?

Who: Blue Angel Evans
Parents: The Edge and Aislinn O'Sullivan
Why? Named after his favourite Roy Orbison song, and was nearly called 'Ooby Dooby Evans.'

Who: Egypt Daoud Ibarr Dean
Parents: Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats
Why? Prepped for a life-time of bar pick-up lines, in the style of "Hi, have you ever been to Egypt, baby?"

Who: Dylan Jagger Lee
Parents: Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson
Why? Nearly as bad as 'Lennon Gallagher'...

Who: Bandit Lee Way
Parents: Gerard Way and LynZ
Why? Clearly got confused between 'Naming characters in The Umbrella Academy' and 'naming my actual child.'

Who: Storm Brieann Sixx
Parents: Nikki Sixx and Brandi Brandt
Why? 'Stormbrie-ann' is the most popular brand of cheese in La Rochelle (possibly).

Who: Eja D'Angelo
Parents: Shania Twain and Mutt Lange
Why? There's not much hope if your dad is called 'Mutt,' is there?

Who: Lux Gillespie
Parents: Bobby Gillepsie and Katy England
Why? Due to a love of either The Cramps or soap.

Who: Omri Greenwood
Parents: Jonny Greenwood and Sharona Katan
Why? It's probably something to do with trees, isn't it?

Who: Jonas Rocket
Parents: Tom Delonge and Jennifer Delonge
Why? He hearts the Jonas Brothers. Who knew?

Who: Sparrow James Midnight Madden
Parents: Joel Madden and Nicole Ritchie
Why? This is what happens when you play a word association game when drunk in order to name your kid.

Trolling, TEAM FORTRESS, Wisconsin, Chris, NO SEA SALT / MALT VINEGAR!

Paid my phone bill as soon as I got it in the mail, since I'm responsible like that! Decided to join Kenny and his friends in a gaming / trolling Skype conference call because I could without complaints! Talked about Christmas music, TEAM FORTRESS, penis, vagina, DETACHABLE PENIS, drugs, height, Italian last names, my last name's pronunciation, Yahoo IDs, Wisconsin, Hotmail passwords, Hien, fried chicken, hand sanitizer, singing videos, adding Chris to FB, going crazy, and more. I'm not buying sea salt / malt vinegar chips again because THEY'RE TOO SALTY... yeah, you'd think I'd know that by the name! Finally finished the dungeons / space adventures and revenge projects - not sure what to do now, and also am not sure what I did before these things took over my life in late November / early December! o_O

Bad Baby Names, Part 11: Even More Bad Names From You!

Part 11: Even More Bad Names From You!


In this edition, we put on our sleuthin' hat and take a closer look at some of the amazing names submitted by readers. Can we separate fact from fiction? Will we be able to determine what is joke and what is real? Can Batman escape the Penguin in time? There's only one way to find out!

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My former roommate had a girlfriend named Luv Seamon. Actually, her full name was Luv Joy Seamon.

Confirmed! Looks like she went to Emory.

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I worked in Human Resources for a company with stores in the south. I did come across some interesting names, and I swear these are true.

One girl was named DeVodka. I always wondered if it came up in conversation like "How did you let yourself get pregnant?" "Well I guess it was de vodka" "Hey, sounds like a nice name!"

Also, there was a Velveeta too. Maybe she had a sister named Brie?

I'm having trouble finding a Velveeta, but considering how many emails I got from people personally attesting to having met a Velveeta, I'd say it's true. (And if it weren't for the processed cheese-food angle, it's sort of pretty in its own way.)

I can, however, totally confirm the existence of Mrs. Devodka Warren of North Carolina.

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When I was in college, I worked for two years for the District of Columbia Department of Public Welfare in the Public Assistance Division as a summer employee. My supervisor's name was Quo Vadis Jones. Mrs. Jones was a middle-aged married woman who supervised about 40 social workers who administered Aid to Dependent Children programs. I do not know what her maiden name was, but it would be interesting to know. Her name prompted me to go out and read the book of that name.

I couldn't locate this Quo Vadis Jones, but I did find ANOTHER Quo Vadis Jones. Mrs. Jones was a native of Hannibal, Mo., (yes, she lived in a town that was also named after something anciently Roman), and worked as the cafeteria manager at Pettibone School for 20 years. She passed away in 2000 at the age of 91, leaving behind a goodly sized family, including 15 great-grandchildren and a great-great grandchild.

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#1: The other horror someone I know told me of was a lady a friend's mom knew growing up. Nancy Ann. That's okay, right?

Nancy Ann Seancey. And she never went by just Nancy, as if Nancy Seancey wouldn't be bad enough. Nancy-ancy-ancy.

#2: The mayor of Providence, RI, was Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, until recently. (indictment / trial / conviction) And his ex-wife's name (as I have heard) was Nancy Ann. I wonder if she just went by Mrs. Buddy, or if she enjoyed being Nancy Ann Cianci.

"Seancey" and "Seancy" are pretty uncommon last names, but it is possible there is a Nancy Ann Seancey out there. There definitely is at least one Nancy Cianci out there, but she is not the former wife of Providence mayor Buddy Cianci, who was found guilty of one count of racketeering conspiracy in June 2002.

Thanks to reader Marjorie for confirming / adding to Cianci lore I hit in the course of my research: namely that

a) Buddy assaulted his then-wife Sheila's alleged lover in 1984 with (according to the Providence Journal) "a lit cigarette, a fireplace log, and an ashtray," forcing his resignation. He was re-elected in 1990.

b) Local tales say the lit cigarette wound was to a VERY private male area;


c) (Unsubstantiated) Rumors also say Mayor Buddy's attack ended with him peeing on his foe;

d) The NYC Fringe Festival production of 'Buddy Cianci: The Musical' was lacking in all things, including pee lore. And quality.

OK, enough with my fascination with corrupt city officials. Back to the names!

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I had a friend who did his pediatrics residency at a largely indigent hospital in Memphis, and kept a list of his favourite baby names. I wish I could remember more of them, but the funniest family was the White family, with children Purest and Snowy. I seem to recall a third child, Bright or something like that.

There were the usual stupid-spelling names like Antwaan, and the best all-round stupid name of something along the lines of Tom Jones Junior III, whose father was Tom Jones Junior II, grandfather was Tom Jones Junior and great-grandfather was Tom Jones.

I liked the anagrammatic twins Lakeesha and Lasheeka.

I couldn't find Purest, Snowy, and Bright (even after I checked the laundry detergent aisle!), but I did find a lot of people have cats named Snowy and Bright. (no Purests, though) Nor could I find the twins or Tom Jones Junior III; however, I did find someone named Robert Trent Jones Junior II who designed a golf course at a resort on Hainan island, China. His cousin, maybe?

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I have some friends, Larry and Wanda. Their boys are Dary from the last two letters of each, and Larwan from the first three letters of each...

Searches for 'Dary' turn up a lot of pages in Czech. If anyone knows what it means, let me (and Larry and Wanda) know.

Update! Jennifer (Zhenia) Olson of the University of Toronto Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures writes:

"Dary" in Czech is the plural form of "dar." A "dar" can be a gift, a handout, or a talent for something.

I did actually find some information on Dary and Larwan themselves: Their dad helped start an all-deaf students soccer team when they were kids, and Larwan plays for Gallaudet. Dary is a high-achieving student who got to meet the governor's wife.

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I have a distant relative [Tom] whose father's name is Pershing. When said Tom and his wife had a child, they named her Pershelle Adrienne. Pershelle. This tiny, blond girl. We were all hoping they'd call her Adrienne, but no. "Love, Tom, Sharon, and Pershelle." I hope she insists on going by Perry or something once she can speak.

Not confirmed, but Pershell is often a last name.

And then, some.. special.. names around campus / work:

Ashtia [Ashtia Jewell.]
Confirmed! And she's done musical comedy!

Caysie / Kacie

Arwen
Either her parents are Tolkien fans or she's a Liv Tyler fan.

Kayti / Caity
According to Google, there are over a thousand 'Katyi's.

Bard [He's faculty. w00t. Bard Suvakrop. Being an opera singer, I guess it's okay to have a name like Bard.]
Actually, it's Suverkrop. He's a bass.

Tobin Moss [No, HE doesn't have a hobbit name.]

Golder [also faculty]

Jennipher and Stefanie [sisters]
According to Google, there are slightly more 'Jenniphers' than Katyis, but not by much.


Laynard [except he's actually Alan. and goes by Laynard.]
I've found some Laynards, mostly as a last name or a misspelling of "lanyard."


Brunetta
Not an uncommon Italian last name, described as "extremely rare" as a first name by a French baby naming site.

Zaq [actually Zachary, not Zaiquiri.]

Sloane-Rachael
Confirmed! and she's.... another one into musical theater! (I'm detecting a pattern. Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be theatre geeks.)

Edrie [faculty]

Shahaadah
Disqualified! 'Shahaadah' is the first pillar of Islam, where you testify Allah is God and Mohammad his true prophet. So obviously, for a Muslim, this is a beautiful and meaningful name. (like a Christian being named "Faith") But for a white guy from Ottawa - very, very silly.

Update! We've heard back from our operative at Shenandoah University who reports Shahaadah is a Christian, complete with WWJD bracelet. So we can put this one back in the WTF column.

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Your website is a piece of work! I howled. I wet my pants laughing. If they gave Pulitzers for funny websites, you'd be the hands-down favorite. The names are bad enough, but your comments are what really make the site. Where does this stuff come from? Are you on drugs? Do you sleep under a pyramid? I'm sending your site's URL to all my emapcipated female friends AND my three children, one of whom has already produced Kestrel Rain who, oddly enough, does sound a bit like a hawk when she screeches.

Answers: Hell no, and sometimes. Thanks.

Meanwhile, I can confirm another Kestrel Rain, this one a boy - maybe they could marry! Actually, Kestrel is his middle name. His first name is Cadao. Searches for "Cadao" turn up many sites in Vietnamese, which I don't speak. If you've got any information, drop me a line.

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My grandmother's first name was Birdelle. Apparently her mother let the doctor name her, and that's what he picked. (I really don't know which part of that sentence is worse.) ...

Incidentally, I have heard of exactly one other instance of this name. Turns out my husband had a great-aunt named Birdelle, so it wasn't completely made up as I had always assumed.

Nope, Birdelle is a real name. I can't track down its origin, but judging from ages and dates, it appears to have waned in popularity around the turn of the last century.

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I heard the daughter of the man behind Lear aviation was named Shanda Lear.

True! For once, it's not an urban legend. Ms. Lear is a multi-talented woman; her Web site details her life as an entertainer, motivational teacher, business woman, and lactation consultant. She has a new CD out called Dancin' and Romancin' where she sings some old romantic standards. (And before you ask, yes, she has done an album of "flying themed" songs.)

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The principal at Cherry Hill High School was named Richard Head, I would have loved to have gone to that school. "My principal is a Dick Head, really!!"

I can't find any former Cherry Hill High School principals named Richard Head, but there are plenty of other Richard Heads out there: I found 51 Richard Heads listed in 24 states. (not counting past Richard Heads, such as Richard Head Welles, father of Orson)

The Dick Head capital of the U.S. is Tennessee. It has 7.

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I used to teach 4th graders. Best names: twins named "Daryl" and "LaDaryl," and a boy called "Loinsworth." I am not making this up!

I can't confirm Daryl and LaDaryl being twins, but I've found families with both names. I can't find evidence of anyone crazy enough to give their kids the first name Loinsworth, but it is a real last name. Someone, somewhere, got an idea in their head, and that's when the evil started.

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When I was working in the Career Services of my undergraduate University, we of course had files on everyone who had come in looking for work. (which was just about everyone at some point) We were privy to a lot of really odd names. Anyway, when I was working through a day of 'pre interviews' ... I suddenly realized I was faced with a bad bad name to try to call out in a crowded room: Kynda Boring. Giving her the benefit of a doubt, I called out with the pronunciation "Kin-da," and left the last name off. She corrected me as she came into the interview room, "No, it's pronounced 'Kind-a'." Ooooook, I just left it at that and suppressed my internal laughter and did the interview. I was filing paperwork later in the day and came across her name in the files, and lo and behold, there's a twin sister there. Her name was ..... Michelle.

Can't find Kynda Boring, but in searching, I found many Michelle Borings, my favorite being one who plays (played) on a softball team with Sunny Bush and a Kenyotta.

To be fair, I've met not one, but multiple people with the last name Boring, and know they take enough crap to know, generally, not to call their kids Kynda.

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Some names from my daughter's classmates:

Summerlee (ick)

Casara (casserole??)

Kyrie (yup, as in Elaison)

Nacole (pronounced NAY-cole)

And my all-time very favorite ----

NIKI RICARDO!!!!!!!!!!! BWAHAHAHHAAA!

Confirmed used as first names: Summerlee, Nacole.

Kyrie, as in "Kyrie Eleison," Greek for "Lord have mercy," which is invoked in Catholic and especially Eastern rites, seems to be slowly gaining popularity, whether the parents know what it means or not. (Somehow, I blame Kylie Minogue for this.)

I also found Casara. She's the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, Canada's volunteer emergency aviation squad. Good for her!

Unconfirmed (to my great shame): Niki Ricardo.

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#1: When I worked as a paralegal, I had to review some really old contracts. There was a family named Christmas, with several children, including a daughter named Mary. Mary grew up and went on to get married. Her married name: Mary Christmas Holliday.

#2 I'd like to point out that parents can be atrocious with normal names, too. I knew an accountant in Chicago a few years back named Mary Chris Smith.

Partly confirmed! Mary Chris Smith is working with the SLA! (That's the Showmen's League of America, a carnival / circus organization, not the Symbionese Liberation Army.) This may or may not be the same Mary Chris Smith who graduated Ole Miss in 1986. (Mary, if you're out there, the alumni association's looking for you!)

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I know of a lady who named her darling little child Mikayleigh. The girl is now 4, and her name is still longer than she is tall.

Also, in my line of work (I'm a 911 dispatcher), I occasionally see interesting names pop up on my screen. My most memorable? "LaPleasure." I am not making this up.

Mikayleigh = confirmed!

LaPleasure = also a beach in Ghana, and (surprise!) a porn index.

Bad Baby Names, Part IV: Babies or Blotter Acid?

Part IV: Babies or Blotter Acid?


Wren for a girl... What do you think?

Why not Mockingbird? Vulture? Lark? Raptor? Blue-footed Boobie?

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Hi, I would like some opinions on these two boy names for girls? I really like them.
Brandyn - I am really liking this name. Curious about different spellings? Brandon, Brandin? Branden?

Jayson - Also curious about different spellings? Jacen? Jaycen? Jaysen? Tyler?

This was actually written by Dr. Evil's father in a mad attempt to back up his claim that he invented the question mark. He used it for all punctuation, whether it was a question or not, until the authorities caught up with him. In his madness, he also thought T-Y-L-E-R was pronounced "Jason."

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How do you pronounce these names, and what do they mean?

Calaya

Fainne

Salome

Calaya = JAY-son

Fainne = JAY-son

Salome = cray-ZEE lay-DEE

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I heard the name Zavary today for a boy. I love it! What do you all think? I also heard the name Toka for a girl. What do you think of that name?

Hey, Toka! Wanna go for a smoke-a? How about some cocoa? She really likes mocha! Let's buy an artichoka! She lives la vida loca!

Zavary - sounds like Col. Klink discussing a gravy.

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These are some of my favorite boys and girls names, and I would sooo much appreciate any comments you have!!! Thanks! (or just pick out your faves from my list if you don't want to comment on them all!)

Girls:

Ariana (aw ree AH nuh)

Aubriana (aw bree AH nuh)

Ambria (am BREE uh)

Avery (AY vree)

Brinley (BRIN lee)

Charity (CHAIR it ee)

Demi (DEM ee)

Desirae (des er AY)

OK, I'll cut this off right here. This lady's crazy. She clearly sits around all day thinking up adorable names that work very well on cats. Scads and scads of them. Then she spells them phonetically VERY carefully, yet can't make a cohesive sentence on her own.

Havana (huh VAN uh)

Jade (JAYD)

Jerica (JAIR ick uh)

Kamrei (KAM ree)

Karis (kuh REESE)

Kaylana (kay LAW nuh)

Here, she gets mean. She dishes out some names that aren't even close to names, then insists they get pronounced in ways unlike they're spelled. I'll cut to the end.

Phoenix (FEE nicks)

Rhianyn (ree ANN in)

Shailyn (SHAY linn)

Siena (see EHN uh)

Trinity (TRIN it ee)

Valerie (VAL ehr ee)

Valerie? What the hell kind of name is that? Freak!

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I love the name Savannah pronounced sah-van-ah and sah-vah-na, but I like the 2nd one more. Since Savannah is so popular as the first pronunciation, I'd like to get a new spelling for it pronounced sah-vah-nah. I don't really like Savahnah, and can't think of really anything else. Any help?

Ask, and ye shall receive! (Again, someone makes the mistake that if they want to name their kid a popular name, they should misspell it to make them "special." [sound of forehead slap.]) Some of the many, many suggestions:

Sevahna, Sivahna, Savahna, Sevanah, Savanah, Savonna, Sivonna, Sevonna, Sevonah, Savonah, Sivonah, Savaunnah, Savaunah, Sivaunna, Sevaunah, Sevanah, Sivanna, Savana, Sovanna, Sabhanna, Sivaughna, Syvahnah.

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A foray into the mouth of madness. Let's go slowly:

Aiken

Please tell me your last name's Payne.

Breckin

Breckin the law! Breckin the laaaaaaaaaw!

Chance

(forehead slap)

Maxigan (I think I like this one)

Yeah, well, I think I love you. But what am I so afraid of? I think that I'm unsure of this love there is no cure for.

Attica

Or Sing-Sing. Or Tehatchapi. Or San Quentin. Or Alcatraz.

Callahan - I think it could work for a boy or girl, but they had it listed as girl.

Will she be a rogue cop tracking down a serial killer using a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, capable of blowing your head clean off? Well, will she, punk?

Kerrigan

Middle name: Comma. Last name: Nancy.

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I know a little boy (4 years old) called Orion. He has a little sister called Venus. I think it is original without being at all silly, like some 'unique' names can be.

Yeah. Silly. I'm feeling my ability to gauge silly and non-silly slipping fast.

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I'd like opinions, please. How does Summer Banner sound? I really love the name Summer, but don't know if it goes with our last name.

I like Runner Mummer Funner Tanner Dumber Gunner Bunter Punter. For a boy.

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My daughter-in-law would like to name the baby River Sunshine. That's the first and middle names. I think he's going to be teased in school.

Are you kidding? Boys love being called Sunshine. And it goes so well with the last name "Stankowski."

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We named our son Ty. People always ask, is it Tyler, or Tyrone, or Tyrus? No - just Ty. We have a long last name (Troutman), so we wanted to be sure that his name wasn't too long.

"Oh no! My fishing line's got loose!" (Woosh) "That's OK, Timmy, you just need to fasten the line better with a double-hitch knot!" "Wow! Thanks, Ty Trout Man!"

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My boyfriend and I put a lot of thought into our child's name, and the end result was great! Boy: Skyler Alexander Girl: Trinity Lauren

Everyone I have told seem to like them because they are different, but I don't really care what the rest of the world thinks of my baby's name because it is my baby!!!

Yes, but it's not YOUR name. You can't play with my toy! It's mine! Mine, mine, mine, mine! MOOOOOOOM! They're making fun of my pretentious designer baby naaaaaaaaame!

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I'm expecting triplets in April, and we've picked out the girls' names: Alexana Chenaur and Kia Nicasey. My husband wants to name the boy Richard Allen. I think it's a bit boring, and prefer Shaden Elijah. Last name Zane. What do you think? I prefer unusual, but not too far out.

Chenaur - She can grow up into a half-man, half-bull who roams the labirynth!

Update! Eagle-eyed reader Susan pointed out something I missed in my Chenaur-induced dementia. The proposed boy's name would be said "Shade Insane."

But then, aren't all the names here?

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My husband and I have already decided to name our son Cinsere. It's unique, and it will be the first name in our family that is non-traditional. Many of our family members disagree with our decision, but we have decided and nothing is going to change our minds. We appreciate their opinions, but it is our choice.

And again the spectre of mule-headedness raises its mule head. So why'd you ask for the family members' opinions if you don't actually give a crap what they say? Funny, that's not very (snicker) "cinsere."

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As a person of Scottish descent, I am just curious - are all you ladies naming your daughters Mackenzie (or Mykenzie, or Makenzy, etc.) out of some loyalty to Scotland? Or perhaps just a love for haggis? Just curious.

Do you honestly think someone naming their daughter Makenzy could find Scotland on a map?

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My name is Cheri, and my husband's name is Chris. Our firstborn is named after his father, Christopher. If I have a girl, her name will be Chloe Lynn. If it is a boy, I like the name (Shaun) Douglas, but I would like to spell it Chaun so that all our names start with "Ch." I noticed that it is not a listed spelling for that name. What do you think?

See, this is what Martha Stewart hath wrought. She's made people obssessed with having matched sets of things, even if it means scarring your kids.

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Cool Boy Names: Ruger, Hunter, Colt

Un-Cool Boy Names: Nigel, Gareth, Lance

Cool: Obssession with names that paint a picture of blood-soaked death.

Uncool: Foppish Brits what don't hunt and kill.

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I would like to know what is wrong with the name Lance? My son's name is Lance and he is very proud of it!

Is a name something one is proud of? I'm proud of achievements, not of being bold enough to have a name. Hell, it's a bolder move to NOT have a name.
But then again, with this person for a parent, Lance should be proud of any accomplishment he can find.

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What does anyone think about Phoenix Robert for a boy or Kamryn Taylor for a girl?

I think it's giving me heartburn.

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I have an unusual name (Abigail), and I've never had any problems.

Um. Yeah.

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I've looked at all these comments about people who hate certain spellings, pronunciations, and strategic placings. I just don't know what to think. When my wife and I had our first daughter, I was lucky enough to name her after a word I fell in love with from middle school. Terra was the word, but I chose not to go with the spelling, and "Tara" didn't appeal to me. I chose Taira, and my wife chose Rose for her middle name. "A flower of the earth."

My second daughter, blessed be, was a bit tougher. Many months went by, and finally, at Thanksgiving dinner, my mother suggested a name from Pippi Longstocking. With a few changes, we came up with Onika Marie. ... It's what special about these names that keep them alive. Would we ever think about changing their names? Not in a heartbeat. That'll be their decision in the future. We're just a guiding light.

"A flower of the earth." As opposed to those flowers that grow out in space. God, I hate Wiccans sometimes.

Oh yeah, and special names keep the kids alive, apparently.

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I am having a girl in March. The name is going to be Kali. Can't decide on middle name.

Isn't Kali some sort of Hindu underworld deity? A+ on research!

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I am thinkimg of naming my girl Oleo. But my husband has a different idea and wants to name her Rodana! What do you think?

Look at that name. Oleo. Look at it and try not to think of cookies. Try really hard. (I think this is a focused visualization technique used by Weight Watchers.)

Of course, if you're older or Southern, naming your kid Oleo is the same as naming them Land o'Lakes or Parkay, so there's no way to avoid your food issues, even if you wanted to.

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To the parent who is naming their son Rebecca ~ that is so horrible! What if their son growing up isn't all the brawny and muscular, too!! Think of what he would think! Um, wrong!!

P.S. I am 19

To the person writing about a boy named Rebecca - You're not reading at your grade level! That person never said that! And would it have made a difference if boy Rebecca were all femmy and gay, too!! Um, no!!

P.S. I could tell you're 19

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My fiance and I named our firstborn Cam'ron, I thougt at the time it was pretty unique, but the name was actually pretty common last May. Just different spellings.

Oh dear God, they've discovered random punctuation to go with random lettering. Any minute now, they're going to bust out the umlauts, and I've going to go into hiding.

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... and finally:

I wanted to name my girl Heaven, but I have been getting a lot of mixed reactions to it. Is it too weird?

No one liked my choice of "Solace" for my second daughter. I loved it for its meaning (comfort). It has grown on the rest of my family, though, and even strangers tell me what a beautiful unique name it is.

Really? Is that what "solace" meant? I thought it was part of a turkey for some reason. OK, that's it. I officially declare all nouns off-limits. No Heaven, no Destiny, no Solace. Too much pressure. You just know Heaven will be a miserable bitch, Destiny a welfare queen, and Solace in desparate need of Ritalin. No nouns. Not ever. No Hunter, no Colt, no Trinity, no Summer. No River, no Phoenix. No Attica, no Chance, no December. No Aria, no Legend, no goddamn Dakota. Have you ever been to either of the Dakotas? Yeah, there's a reason. It's the same reason no one names their kids Iowa, Nebraska, Idaho, or Wyoming.

Commonly confused words, lowest MARIO score, and charmers

Matthew M. unfriended me on Facebook, but that's okay. Chris found this hilarious CRACKED article about 8 words you're confusing with other words - SO HILARIOUS AND TRUE!


Almost the lowest-scoring MARIO game ever: The current record for lowest score when completing the original Super Mario Brothers is 600 points; five end-of-level flags at their lowest level for 100 points apiece, and one Goomba bounced (100 points) to avoid two coins (100 points each).

You Are an Earth Charmer

You are charming in a steady, subtle, and thoughtful way. Your charms are effective, but they take time. You can't help but be keenly aware of the environment around you. You are attentive and perceptive. You are full of wonder and curiosity. You feel a strong connection to the world. You are a highly sensitive person. You are both impressionable and responsive.

What Kind of Charmer Are You?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

Vanilla pistachio soap = dislike!

When Teunis finally got up, we discussed showers / programming languages / downtime / steampunk / being a social butterfly like Jon / needing his head clear of English since it confuses him (not like I'm going to listen to AM 1320 or AM 1470 in Chinese anytime soon!) / going to the "magical" Burnaby Village Museum AGAIN (with Wolfie this time) / fixing Kaili's laptop AGAIN. Meh, as long as I don't have to hear crazy things, it's all good! Hien deleted her profile again, and I can only imagine what THIS means! When Teunis got home, we discussed the usual things like gum and smoking (along with Wolfie / Jasmine / others) - all I can say is that it's going to be one of THOSE times! Chris W. told me that if I were in the Borg, I'd be the queen of many worlds - YES!

Note to self: Don't get Bath & Body Works vanilla pistachio soap again. Turns out I don't like it as much as I thought I would.

Bottled water, bathroom fans, cream cheese, jazz, dream traps, and Georgia

Teunis and I discussed a bunch of stuff when he got home last night: my bottled water being "evil" (that doesn't mean I'm against fresh food!), his pepper steak / meat cravings (at least he gave me some for my noodles), Monsanto corn / ground-up pesticide conspiracy theories, tomatoes apparently not being anywhere much prior to the 80s, corn and tomato being poisonous, expensive parts for Kaili's laptop, and Christon's Jazz Fest Canada Day / Jeremy email. Eric likes the idea - if only Christon didn't invite Mr. Creep! We also talked about hot and sour soup, his Foremost blueberry yogurt having (double) modified corn starch in it (but my Greek yogurt doesn't!), Superstore, The Laughing Cow cheese slices, bagels, cream cheese, lunch supplies, "scoffing," Yaohan Osaka Supermarket's new hours starting July 4 (till 11 PM!), 3D phones, Mike and Chris from Hundred Mile House, health, snacks, and more.

Today, I'm going to do laundry and replace the bathroom towel on the floor with the dark blue one from the Bay! Dreamed again that I was trapped in my blankets and that the electricity here was out... WTF? I also talked to James briefly on YM, heh. Of course I will be there for him, and he can always talk to me later! Got a weird phone call from Georgia: 404-891-6935, anyone? Got up briefly in the morning to find that SOMEONE hadn't bothered to turn the bathroom fan on after he took a shower... COME ON. HOW HARD IS THAT?!

You Are Intuitive

You are a comforting and calming influence. Others turn to you in times of trouble. You are extremely consistent. You know that good habits create amazing results. People often say you would make a great therapist. You are an excellent listener, and you never judge. You believe that people need to rely on someone in this crazy world. And you're happy for that person to be you.

The Storybook Tree Test

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

"Why are there ads in your yearbook?!" "There's nothing wrong with 24 pages!"

Before I left for the Awana BBQ, Teunis and I discussed Andrew having to work at 5 AM / gum / timing / Kaili and scheduling / geeky Washington Ren Faires, spaceships / QUAKE / DOOM / his brother Alex moving up north to Fort St. John with his family / his stepdad Jim feeling better. When Benedict picked me up, we discussed leaders / the iffy weather / Billy W. / Danny / Grace / Martin / Brighouse Elementary construction / funny jobs as your old teacher's replacement / the stale job market (grad in forestry is flipping hot dogs at Costco?!) / hockey news / Philadelphia and Chicago staking it all on draft picks / the Canucks getting some black guy. At church, I figured I should have brought a jacket since it was cool out. Since there was no real program aside from eating and having fun, I discussed various things with Chris / Victor / Cynthia (Burnaby North grad with yearbook!) / Julie / Hilary / Margaret / Danny / Elaine / Sarah / Auntie Vivian / Jessica / Lawrence / Alan / Stanley / Eric T. / Golden / Sylver / Phoebe / Zoe / Antony / Steven / David.

I had a "WHAT?!" reaction to the news that Julie wants to name her future son Phoenix, to which Margaret just pointed to me as proof that it shouldn't be a name. We had spicy veggies, and Hilary didn't seem to like them - everyone had some chips / hot dogs / chicken wings / graham crackers / marshmallows / chocolate chips / Smores, though! Stanley had an iPhone shirt on, haha. There were various jokes in Chinese, but everyone was having (immature) fun! Everyone was looking at Cynthia's yearbook - we saw William, Steven, Rick (Jennifer's son looks MANLY now?!), and others in there as well. Stanley didn't like the idea of there being 24 pages of ads (even though they PAY some costs) in the yearbook, so polled everyone as to whether there were ads in THEIRS! There's a VBS orientation tomorrow, but since I never said I was going to help, I won't go.

Saw my grandma at church, so offered her graham crackers and some marshmallows; she took the crackers, but seemed ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED at the marshmallows, hahaha. Some of us checked out the painting going on upstairs - Cordia and Uncle Rex were helping with some white ocean waves! (I talked to Jeremy Y. and his parents, too - said hi to Vivian / had fruit) Eventually, Auntie Vivian kindly drove me home since nobody was going to Richmond - we talked about ordering things from Awana, my family, and other things.

Background noise, gay marriage, two Christons and math (dream), Ben, eye makeup

When Teunis got home last night, I strongly recommended that he look in the freezer - of course, I had my usual background noise on which included DRAGON WARRIOR videos! We discussed self-esteem, signs, smoking, marijuana, cocaine, New York legalizing gay marriage, Sony / hackers, reminders of good things, frustration, laws, the durian gelato (which he thanked me for), Kaili and dinner / THOR / licorice / Loki, corn syrup, Thai food, Jordan, and more. I called Steph to tell her about medicine and prescribed birth control, too. Apparently, William unfriended me AGAIN - make up your mind!

I had a weird dream in which there were two versions of Christon - one in a wheelchair - and a bunch of people were at a high school reunion in a theatre. We were viewing these old movies of the old graduating classes throughout the years, including a Valentine's Day event where all the girls were going to get something, but they had to find all these greetings scattered through the school. There were fast-forward aging vignettes, orange math textbooks, school supplies, and other things in these movies. Afterwards, this girl with blonde hair wanted me to go up and down the stairs with her in a fun way, even though my CP still affected me in the dream! Later, we all went to Phibbs Bus Exchange on the bus, and talked.

When I got up, I fielded an email from Chris about supposed "dark clouds" all over Richmond and Vancouver (the Awana BBQ will be at church instead), so I had to email him back to say that there weren't dark clouds in MY corner of Richmond, and also joked that he must attract the rain for some reason while driving from here to Vancouver! Since this was a group email, I also asked Ben to call me since I'd given him my number via FB wall post just a bit ago. Then Sarah emailed me to say that it was her fault, as she kept forgetting to email him my address. I told her to do it before she forgot - Ben then emailed me to say that he didn't have my phone number, so asked what was up. I emailed him my phone number, so he called me to say he'd pick me up at about 3:30, and that Sarah would probably arrange something for the ride home since he couldn't drop me off later. That definitely works!

You Are Real

You are an expansive and open-minded person. Most importantly, you are open to the idea that you are wrong. You only know how to live authentically. You're not the type of person who can fake it. There's a lot that you can endure. You have an inner toughness. You are a very warm and welcoming person. You have a kind and compassionate heart.

The Eye Makeup Test

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

Your audio sensitivity is NUTS! / Benedict! / Scott, Quan, and choirs (dream)

When Teunis got home last night, we discussed his extreme sensitivity to noise / no "filter" / traffic noises / being kicked in the crotch / video games / plans with Kaili (of course...) / FINAL FANTASY / WOW / BIOSHOCK / confusion / Jordan / Mormon missions / Tom Yum noodles / weekend plans / slurping / "the camel's nose is already in the tent" (which Nathan appreciated) / Indonesian food (which made me think of Chris W.) / Thai food / seaweed / non-abrupt ends to chats (WTF?) / the bitch Jasmine. Sarah Chau said that Benedict could give me a ride to and from Saturday's Awana BBQ, which is pretty good!

After I got over being subconsciously awakened at 6:30-7 AM, I had a dream with David M. / Julie C. / Michelle C. / Mike K. / other people I knew. We were all going around a building looking for evil people, and saw my dad being totally fake to Scott M. and one of his friends who just came over. I told Quan that Dad really didn't like Scott, then Steph wanted me to help her with Grandma watching TV. Grandma insisted she didn't need it, but I helped anyway. Julie invited me to come hear their choir sing, so I went up to another floor to do so. Sean S., Conor S., and other little kids were there; I had a good time just talking to them, and then the dream just ended at around 9:30.

You Are Not Very Renaissance

You are sure of what you like and who you are. You haven't changed much over your life. You have a depth that is completely unmatched. You like to understand things completely. You are a perfectionist. You notice and are fussy about every little detail. You aren't afraid of adventure, but you don't seek it out. You'd rather tend to your own garden.

Are You a Renaissance Man or Woman?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Just from reading this quiz, I can tell that Teunis and his geeky friends would be TOTALLY Renaisaance people!

Complete silence is a MUST-HAVE!

Called Auntie Rebecca yesterday afternoon to advise her that I wouldn't be able to make it to Awana; I'm sure she'll save the awards for me, haha! Had sticky rice wraps and green beans for something to eat while I laughed at Chris Lam's "letters of the alphabet" FAILS as posted by Sabrina, hahaha. Teunis left at 4:45, making noises about doughnuts / Congee Noodle House / Fabricland / Zellers / Jordan sewing his own clothes / going walkabout in a park. Talked to James for a bit, too. When my alarm went off this morning, I was far too tired to even contemplate going to church, so I called Eric to let him know. (I had gone to bed at 12:45 AM, but didn't have complete silence as I could hear something being played from the other room)

Your Dad Was the Provider

When you were growing up, your dad did his best to make sure you had everything you needed. You may not have seen your dad as much as you would have liked, but it was only because he was busy working. Your dad always did what it took to make ends meet, and he got a lot of satisfaction from working hard. Your dad believed in doing the right thing, even if it meant he was exhausted at the end of the day.

What Kind of Dad Did You Have?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!