Ahhh, Friday. Not a day too soon. I have finished the first major run-through of my Proverbs manuscript. Now I go back, tightening and polishing and inserting. Particularly, going to tauten up a bunch of Hebrew and its documentation next, Lord willing. Wish I was about five people. Maybe ten. Which segues nicely into...
- I went to school with a girl named Melody Ball, who had a sister... named Crystal. Wellsir, a British web site searched for and found what they feel are "unfortunate" baby names. Actually, I think most of them are pretty cute. My favorites include: Barb Dwyer, Terry Bull, Mary Christmas, Doug Hole, and Dr. Sumey. And there are more.
- Here are 31 pretty amazing Lego structures.
- Australia. Does it get any stranger than Australia? I think not.
- And now a first Europe Is Going to Gehenna, and Lawyers are Taking It There alert. Reader CR notes that Switzerland is about to vote about appointing lawyers for animals.
- The second such alert: there is some fear that new legislation in Britain will mean that clergy who refuse to "marry" "gays" can be sued. Oh, England.
- ...and from "Oh, England" to O Canada. For nearly 100 years, our friends to the north have sung in their national anthem, "True patriot love in all thy sons' command." A discussion is now starting as to whether to gender-neuter the lyrics. To this non-Canadian, it appears it could be a perfect storm. The solution proposed seems very conservative in form, though nuts in motivation: return to the original poet's wording, "True patriot love thou dost in us command."
- Have trouble remembering the rhyme about the number of days in months? If so, reader Chris Harwood has a solution.
- Global Warming Kills. Well, not global warming, because that's a hoax. Belief in global warming kills. Here's the tragic proof.
- President Obama et al continue in grim (death-wish?) determination to ram healthare socialism/fascism, no matter what stupid American citizens or elected representatives say. Some Dems say they will not vote unless abortion subsidies are off the table. To me, this is interesting. It would be the easiest thing in the world for the principals to say "You got it!", make a cosmetic change or two, and get their votes — knowing they'll just throw it back in once the monstrosity passes. Would the balkers be so easily-bought? They're Democrats! Yet the principals, so far, won't do it. Why? Can it simply be that they are so in the hip-pocket of the multimillion dollar abortion industry that even a cynical, tactical feint is out of the question?
- Meanwhile, President Obama works hard to coax the lemmings off the cliff, promising them a "brisk swim on a sunny day" as a reward. He can't imagine why they won't sacrifice their careers in the interests of saving face for The One and his agenda.
- My BSIL reads about the new Ole Miss mascot and asks... is it a trap?
- Hm; don't much like the sound of this.
- The Fun Title of the Week comes from the Telegraph, and it is: Oldest example of written English discovered in church. How is that "fun"? Well, my mind instantly wandered in the direction of what the text would be. "Merciful God, must I sing that same verse again?" You may come up with your own.
- Here is an actual shot of feeding time at the Phillips home.
- Okay, not really. But it's close.
- In vampire-related news: the big surprise is not that a self-described vampire is running for governor of Florida. No, the surprise is that he's running as a Republican. Yeah, that should work. Elsewhere: Tim Burton is set to produce Abraham Lincoln, vampire slayer. I don't think Joss Whedon will be writing. (There's even a trailer.) The last item is neither funny nor whimsical: a 44-year-old "vampire" with problematic legal history links up with a 16-year-old runaway "vampire" girl. What's up with all this? Lack of the Gospel in some twisted, needy lives.
- Tone-change alert in three... two... one....
- Om nom nom. I feel deprived.
- If any part of your mind doubts that Hollywood has issues coming up with fresh ideas, read this. Can "Pong: the Motion Picture" be far behind?
- As if to underscore my point... Gilligan's Island: the Motion Picture. (My BSIL had mentioned this to me, before I saw the article.) So, I'm thinking: Jim Carrey as Gilligan? Jack Black as The Skipper? And who would be Thurston Howell, III? Johnny Depp? Michael Richards (Kramer) as The Professor?
- Would you like to see a nice little demo of how seamlessly green screen figures in to some of what we see? Here y'go.
- Well, this is a real time-saver. Good to know up-front, going in.
- Last week, we saw a frustrated cat. This week — success!
- Not so good in the frog world, though. Oopsie.
- A common spiteful meme about John Wayne is that he was a draft-dodger. Here is an article that sets the record straighter, and indicates he actually sought active service.
- Bringing me to this:
Posts
44 comments:
My aunts on my mother's side (her sisters) were:
Eupha Agnes, Bythia Glenn, Bertha Elois. Eupha Agnes was named after two Pentecostal women preachers, Eupha and Agnes, from the 30s who traveled throughout Arkansas.
My friend from high school had a little brother named Lucan. From that 70s Saturday morning show: "Bigfoot and wildboy."
Yes, you are bound to get a spate of these, but confining myself to names actually known to me, such as Virginia Hamm and Kat Wacker, I will leave aside the obviously facetious Eileen Dover, not to mention her brother Ben.
Ah, the old knuckle method. My dad taught me that when I was a kid. Because, like he used to tell me, "Thirty days has September, All the rest I can't remember..."
... and what did that cat score? It looks like a bat!
I had an Uncle Ink, short for Indkynois England. He was named for three states. He never could find a coffee mug with his name on it.
Seenow, there's the untold tragedy of those with unique, or slightly-uniquely-spelled (i.e. Robbert, D'an, Phillis, Margret), names.
That video with all the cats is dizzying, and I worry about her body's fate if she ever passes away unexpectedly...
I think there will be no worry at all.
< /macabre humor >
My grandfather's name was Nokomis, and his father's name was Powhatan. My dad tried to name me "Powhatan John Williams," but my mother refused. So I became "John Bradley Williams" instead, which is far less interesting.
My grandgather hated his name, by the way. He said it was a girl's name. Everyone called him "Bud".
So there you go. More useless information about me than you ever needed to know.
I went to HS with a Cannon Ball. And he was, uh... rather stout until he went off to ROTC or something.
Went to college with a hippy who named her son Forest. Okay. Last name, Grove.
Then there were our teachers - twins, North and South American Storms. No kidding.
Love the Lego buildings, BTW. Architect DH will be drooling. Especially love the reflection of the Taj Mahal in the water.
And - best image ever - the Obama MOUTH!
Australia is definitely the land of weird and scary natural phenomena.
And also tasty, battered and fried alongside some good old Aussie chips with salt and vinegar. Oh great, now I'm hungry.
Julie, what on earth kind of college was that?!
Honest to goodness names of friends of my mom and dad.
Chris Cross
William Will (Bill Will)
Iona Hiney
Brad,
I loved reading your post! I always ask my contemporaries how they decided on the name of their child. Unfortunately, most of the time there is no story, they just liked the name. But on occasion, you do get a bit of a story or at least a glimmer into the parents character. The naming of children in the Bible always fascinated me because the names meant something and the children inevitably lived up to their names (well not always, but in many of the historical acccounts).
Dan:
I was thinking the same thing about the abortion issue just yesterday. I was mulling over nearly the exact same thought. It is such an easy fix later by either official policy or by merely paying for the abortions anyways. I think this is true especially if there is no language specifically prohibiting coverage for abortions. Seems like an easy compromise for the dems, but it just goes to show how pro-abortion the democrats platform really is.
Rachael:
I was just in Australia and didn't see any raining fish on the menu, unfortunately. However, I did notice kangaroo chops but couldn't bring myself to eat it. I thought it was like eating the bald eagle. I was quickly corrected by some Australians who said kangaroos were rodents that sometimes required the hire of professionals to exterminate. (to which I asked why they didn't have hunting like they do in Texas...which led to a whole other conversation).
I went to grade school with a Sunday Gertle, and had a college roommate named Rainbow, who had a sister named Tiger (she later changed her name to Toni). I thought my name (Merrilee Joy) was unusual! Certainly no personalized mugs or pencils here. But how about my husband's name? Enoch. It's been around almost as long as Adam. Still no mugs. (sigh.)
I once met a fellow named Forrest Stump.
@Rachael,
Western Washington University, the home of Fairhaven College - known for it's design-your-own major, hempfest, drum circles, hairy legs, and Outback Farm... among other things.
You can take courses with names like "Introduction to Mycology" (or Shrooms), "Imaginative Writing" (probably concurrent with Mycology), "Visioning Sustainable Futures", "Personal Narratives" (talking about ourselves), "50 Random Acts of Theater", and "Sensing in Motion".
By the way, let me just note: the topic of names lends itself to great hilarity. Most or all of us have heard of doctors whose actual names have a funny interaction with their specialty.
I say that to say this: if you're debating a name that's more off-color than "Iona Hiney" (which was hilarious), just please don't.
Probably didn't need saying, but there y'go.
- I knew a kid in elementary school whose name was Warren Piece. And believe me, there's no way his parents knew about the classic work of literature. I'm sure they just thought it had a nice ring to it. I also knew a guy named Wayne Bruce (people called him Batman, for obvious reasons) and his younger brother was named Bruce Bruce. My guidance counselor was named Sandra Butts, but for some inexplicable reason, she went by "Sandy."
- My dad wanted to name me Shenendoah, which my mom thankfully vetoed. The nickname "Shane" would have been pretty cool, though.
- That pic of the leaves looks like something from Andy Goldsworthy, who does some cool outdoor art.
- BTW, the trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is actually the trailer for the book released this week, not for the possible Tim Burton film adaptation. I know, I know, why do books have trailers? And yet they do.
My college fraternity had fun with the profile pics one year; one that comes to mind was Amanda B. Reckondwith.
Being in possession of a carefully crafted and waxed handlebar 'stache at the time, mine chosen moniker was Sniply Widelash.
Seemed funny at the time.....
guess you had to be there....
the topic of names lends itself to great hilarity. Most or all of us have heard of doctors whose actual names have a funny interaction with their specialty.
The oral surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth was named Dr. Pick.
Dan, did you notice that the vampire who is running for office in FL is the same guy who ran off with the 16-yr-old?
Yeah.
Oh, no. Didn't make the connection.
Now I double don't-get his picking GOP.
I actually knew a "Mary Christmas." Only her parents didn't saddle her with that - it was her married name! Guess she really loved him. I have friends with the last name "Jolly," and I thought they should name their daughter "Holly," 'cause that way if she should happen to grow up and marry a guy named "Christmas"...
That said, my favorite "what-if" names are "Justin Case" and "Noah Vale."
Original video of cat and bat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=friOZYOdfpk
very cool. I googled the file name and found the original video on digg.
Oh, and Polly Esther Sheets.
Dan, as a cat owner, do you feel any uneasiness as you consider that this woman probably started with just one cat and never envisioned what we have seen here?
al sends
I don't know for sure if it's true or not, but I think it is. It's said that the son of the founder of Learjet, John Lear, named his daughter Crystal Chanda Lear.
My dad used to sell pharmaceuticals and knew an orthopedist named Dr. Bonebreak and another doctor named Dr. Hurt. There's a Dr. Wisdom in town in dentistry. Finally, my son was delivered by Dr. Gross, which seems somewhat appropriate for that gory event.
Tom Thirsty and Jesse Waterdown (nephew and uncle, respectively) lived in my grandparents' hometown in NE OK 50 or 60 years ago. They did carpentry work together.
Kangaroos are delicious. I ate some kangaroo when I was Down Under back in 1999. This was after petting a Kangaroo and her little Joey in the Brisbane National Park. (Cute things).
They are very tasty and tender. I recommend trying it.
I went to school with a kid name Larry Kisser. That was unfortunate, but my brother was in his brother's class: Guy Kisser. I always wondered if his parents hated him.
My mom went to school with Noah Guy.
zostay,
Mr. Lear named his third daughter Shanda. The "Crystal" part is an embellishment.
My friend's cousin is named Teri Yockey.
My aunt working in L&D at the hospital witnessed a couple, both professors, name their daughter Grin Ann Barrett because they "liked the word play."
CR:
Really? Because the Australians told me to stick with the beef.
Dan,
There's an article just posted on foxnews. CA is considering legislation to register animal abusers like sex offenders.
Oh yes!! Let me tell you the story of my near martydom because it involves a doctor with a funny name.
I spent a few weeks in India four years ago, and on the last day there, I finally got to eat some beef. (Buffalo, actually). First bite...not so yummy. Actually, quite cold and raw. By the time I landed in Louisiana, I didn't feel so good.
I shrugged it off as jet lag. I came home, kissed the wife and kids, and plopped onto the couch for a nap. I remember waking up to see what time it was, and the next thing I knew, I was "asleep" again. I thought, "Hmmmm...this ain't right." I called for the wife to bring a thermometer. It was a digital one, and by squinting one eye, I could read the numbers. When it stopped climbing at 106.1, I knew I was in trouble.
Alas, to shorten this hilarious story, I will skip the scene of my wife forcing me into a cold tub and me sincerely pleading for her just to shoot me instead. I shuffled into the emergency room an hour later and said, "Hey, I just got back from India, and I'm running a 106 temp (insert nervous chuckles). Think you can help me?" The woman looked terrified as this was during the bird flu scare. I smiled and said, "Want me to wear a mask and hide in the corner yelling 'Unclean! Unclean!" She said quite seriously, "Would you mind?"
So finally, I'm lying on my back hoping to die, and in walks the doctor. He said, "Hi, I'm Dr. Pepper. I'll be examining you tonight." Due to the high fever, my vision was a little blurry, so I had to sit up and get my eyeballs about one inch from the nametag to confirm that this was indeed his name. I looked at the name-tag, then to him and thought, "I'm just gonna let this one go." And I did. I never smiled or mentioned it.
End of short version.
Oh my, that is some story.
What'd they do for you? Did you die?
When I was looking for a dentist in my new city (years ago), I encountered a Dr Payne.
I figured that with a name like his, he would likely be the most careful, gentle dentist in the world. Alas, he was not taking any new patients.
Dr. Good was murderous...
That whole Col. Reb mascot thing is funny. My wife and I met while in our high school which is called Nathan Bedford Forrest HS. The mascot - "Johnny Reb" - was modeled after the good colonel. Who was Nathan Bedford Forrest, you ask? A Confederate general who was the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
Go rebels!
Last I heard, Forrest is an "F" school. That explains a lot about me.
Sir Aaron,
Yes, it was very tasty, good and tender. The buddy of mine that I went with agreed. Of course we went to a very nice restaurant. One restaurant in Sydney that's way up and turns and all so you could see the beautiful city lights at night. Don't remember the name.
The name thing just reminded me it's almost time for another Name of the Year bracket. Last year's winners (Juvyline Cubangbang and Barkevious Mingo) were good, but I'm partial to the 2008 champions Destiny Frankenstein and Spaceman Africa.
My favorite name from the article is Max Power, only because it was the subject of the classic Homer to the Max. My wife was not surprised when I followed that link and quickly started singing: " Max Power, he's the man who's name you'd love to touch! But you mustn't touch! His name sounds good in your ear, but when you say it, you mustn't fear! 'Cause his name can be said by anyone!"
There are three ways to do things. The right way, the wrong way, and the Max Power way.
Isn't that the wrong way?
Yes, but faster!
It's also because of that episode that I sometimes follow my signature with three exclamation points and a pirate flag.
Jonathan "The Impaler" Sharkey showed up on a google alert for me this week. Our family is trying to help our friend, homeschool dad, Todd Sharkey, get elected to Congress. I'm really nervous that someone is going to get the two mixed up and Todd will find himself associated with "The Impaler" with the plastic sword and cheap textile robe. PR nightmare.
I went to school with a Dave Davies and a Robin Robins. For a long time I thought they were related. I also knew a family that named their kids Cir and M'lady.
Ha!
I met a guy whose wife was pregnant. He claimed if they had a boy they were going to name him "Senator".
I had a lump removed from my neck by a surgeon called Butcher. Since the scalpel was very sharp and my neck is very precious to me, I decided not to make any comment.
Dan,
They pumped me full of antibotics and water to keep me hydrated. Yes, I lived. I had ecoli poisoning, they believe. That was a relief. I was horrified the entire time that I had spread this disease to my infant son and wife. Can you believe that I can say, "Thank the Lord I had ecoli!!"
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