What's in a Name?

Where, you ask, did your children get all those bizarre sea-creatury names? Well, I'll tell you.

It began, of course, with Mollusc. Real name: Molly. Kind of a no-brainer. She's always loved critters and the name just fit. It suits her way better than, say, Mollykins, or Mollywollydooleyalladay, though she is sometimes referred to as such (the latter, not the former.) She also responds to Molluscum Contagiosa (a kind of wart, as it turns out - not flattering, but entertaining.)

Sluggie was next. Her nickname has absolutely nothing to do with her real name. When Sluggie was born, she had backfat. I kid you not. Back. Fat. A big strip of chub across her back. As dh noted, she was shaped like a Slug - high in the middle and tapered at both ends. This fit nicely with Mollusc's name and had the added benefit of appearing in "Atlas Shrugged" as Dagny Taggart's nickname, thanks to Francisco D'Anconia. Definition: SLUG — Heavy fire in locomotive firebox. (we're back to pyromania, aren't we?)

Next up, Fishy. Some of you might know he was named after my dad, Gordon. Well one thing leads to another, you know. Ever hear of Gorton™ Fish Sticks? There you are. Also known as Gogo (he's always busy, plus that's how he used to refer to himself when he was wee, and also how his friend Nolan (aka Nono) would refer to him.) He also goes by Gobi Fish (we used to have a saltwater tank), Gogi, and Mulgogi (Korean for fish.) This continues the sea creature theme rather nicely, IMO.

Last but not least. OK, well she is the least size and age-wise, but anyway. . . The Prawn. Like Sluggie, Prawnie's name has no relation to her actual moniker. Dh dubbed her The Prawn pretty much right after birth because she would curl up like a wee prawn (or maye a jumbo prawn if we're talking actual size) whenever she slept. Again, this was in keeping with the sea creature theme, so it stuck. People here knew her for months as The Prawn before finding out she had a real name, LOL!

As a kid, I used to get so tired of all the Candy jokes when I met new people. "Oh, you must be sweet, then!" (yeah, never heard THAT one before) or "Can I eat you?" (um, don't say that nowadays!) And one guy told me "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." What kind of man says that to a little girl? A dirty old man, that's who. And we were SDA's back then (so was HE!) and liquor was taboo so where he got off saying that is beyond me. Wanker. Now comments like those don't bother me, but I really did get sick of it as a kid. Kind of like the "Do you not know how that happens?"* comments. Which I've only gotten once, and then from FIL, and I still fired off a sassy comeback that left him speechless, LOL! Oh, and my nicknames as a kid: Tubbits (started life as "Two bits") and *cringe* Thunderbits. Apparently I was a gassy baby. :-P

*I was gonna link that blog but lost it. Anyone know the url? Great blog!

John's name was a point of contention between his mother and father. She had planned to name him Sean Patrick, but I guess they gave her a general anasthetic during birth and when she came to, he had been named John, and given his grandfather's name as a middle name. And then MIL found out that John was Uncle Jack's real name and she was REALLY POed cuz she hated Uncle Jack. Ack.

And now, for good measure, here's my Pirate Name. What's yours?

My pirate name is:

Bloody Mary Read

Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. Even through many pirates have a reputation for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You've got taste and education. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

On a totally unrelated note, I think my kids are getting into "The Dark is Rising" sequence just a bit too much.


Yes, there are the signs of wood, water, fire, stone, etc. and now, the Sign of Balogna.


Last but not least, this is where I find Trillian at least 3 times a day when I pop in to brush my teeth, put away Prawn's clothes, or whatever. It's another kitty photo, so I'm giving you due warning in order to enable you to avert your eyes. What can I say? I'm a girl, and I like kitty pics. :-) Plus, this is the only way my sis ever gets to see our freshest rescue baby. Until Saturday, anyway. My sister is coming on Saturday! Woo hoo!!!!!

Ew, looking at this reminds me that I need to Rid-o-Rust™ the tub again. Water in MI is hard and ironic. *snort* I crack myself up. :-P It smells like camping.