Contests are good. I love contests. I enter raffles and giveaways without even a second thought as to the prize or who will put me on their mailing list. I love contests.
I also never win.
Although once I did snag a Hanukkah quilt at a Jewish Temple's fundraiser but let me reiterate, I never win.
So as this proverbial storm blows us all around, I offer this contest: Give me a new last name.
I will be changing my last name, of course, but as I stated before, I'm not particularly proud of my maiden name.
It has to be a last name that all three of us agree upon. Aside from that, I'm open to any suggestions that won't get us busted at airport security. Sorry to all this offends but having Mohammed as my moniker, mmmmmm, not too excited about that.
Also, my family is French, Irish, and Hungarian. I don't feel the need to stick within those ethnic catagories either but it is a starting point.
I also would prefer to keep it positive...going with a Native American name wouldn't be bad but going with "She-who-got-royally-fucked" would probably be laying all my cards on the table a little too early in any social situation.
The greatest thing about this contest? The prize is the thrill of naming an ENTIRE FAMILY! You thought naming your own child was a big deal? Ha! Small potatoes.
In case you need some help, here are a list of some of my likes and dislikes:
Likes:
Johnny Depp
Russell Crowe
Liam Neeson
The Dalai Lama (notice how he comes FOURTH??? I will be reincarnated as a dung beetle)
Robert Downey Jr.
Barack Obama (skirting that terrorist watch list)
Doctor Who
Jaime Lee Curtis
Cate Blanchette
Pink (the person, not the color)
Jacques Cousteau
Any large marine mammal
Chocolate
Autumn
Bubblegum
Corgis
Dislikes:
98% of humanity
Tom Cruise
Any anorexic hollywood starlet under 25 years or 110 lbs
Any neocon (most of them don't qualify as a member of humanity)
cauliflower
So, there you go...what say you?
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8 comments:
How about "Rosmarus"? It means "sea horse" and is part of the Latin name for the walrus.
I suggest…. Isolano, it is Italian for islander. Debbie Isolano, it has a nice sound?
Phoebe Buffay (from Friends) always liked:
Regina Phalange - this one only works if your first name is Regina...But you could always hyphenate it.
OR
When it was time for her character to change her name after getting married, she changed it to "Princess Consuela Banana Hammock"
Always a thought...
Seriously however, when my (not so distant) relatives moved to this country, their name was spelled phonetically and the spelling therefore changed. It also began being pronounced differently. This might be a good springboard for helping decide.
I've got your new name. But first I have to make a couple of comments.
I was first "introduced" to you several years ago by my friend since third grade, Rebecca Hartong (altho I still call her Becky). You were the first "blog" I ever started reading (before I even knew what "blogs" were, actually). Since that time I've read you faithfully and, in turn, I've "introduced" you to a couple of my friends, who also read you semi-regularly. I have to say, we were all SHOCKED by this most recent news of yours. I think I speak for several of us when I say that you feel like someone we KNOW! I'm sure you've heard this before - from other blog readers - but I'm not a blog commenter ... I'd rather sit back and remain anonymous. Tonight I felt I finally had to SAY something to you.
I'm so sorry for what's happening to your family (or what you thought was your "family") - especially at this time of year - and these peculiar times. But I've been so proud of you in the past - with your FORWARD movement thru other hurdles in your life ... and I continue to be proud - and in AWE - of how decisively you are moving forward. I know you will continue to make your kids your number ONE priority thru all of this so that they will be able to heal and grow.
So ... on to MY choice for your new name ... I was thinking of things like Forward or Progress ... but those are dumb last names. I came up with Walker - which I was thinking was pretty good ... you walk ... and it's a kind of forward motion - which is what I was going for ... but it's a little "dull" ... Then - while I was pondering this dilemma in the kitchen, my daughter came in singing "Mom is the champion of the world ..." (I have no idea WHY she was singing this) and it hit me! Your new last name: Champion. What do you think? :-)
Now I just hope I can figure out how to post this blog without losing it ... I didn't do spell check or grammar check or anything so I apologize for mistakes ... Remember, I'm a newbie to commenting!
Hugs to you! And continue being a CHAMPION!
JE from Bemidji
My thoughts on this are that a rose by any other name... would smell just as sweet and still be a rose.
As a Mom, I am wondering how a totally new name will impact your youngest child. You live in a small community and kids can be evil to each other. There is stigma attached to divorce, but then also creating a name change? Will this naming precede a move or did you plan to stay where you are?
I have had friends who chose a new name for themselves, from the bizarre to the ancestral - and every person who gave herself a new name also moved out of the community they had lived in under their old name. Maybe it was the heckling from the church ladies or the paper wrapped rocks through the window (before email), but in all cases a move became a necessity.
It's also good to play with a new name like kids do, twist it up to test the irony. Maybe suggested names could be written down on scraps of paper and placed in a hat, to have one selected from many while wearing a blindfold.
So what image did you want to project to the world with the new name? That would be helpful in creating the name. And then deciding on a name that doesn't wear out the tongue or become as worn out as yesterday's colors. Maybe a twist on a common name (example) from mariner to Marinere? Or two names melded together into one that is meaningful? Hope this helps.
Since women get the chance to change their names when they get divorced right away for free, I would change my last name at that point. After that, my kids would change their last name when they are ready to. Since they are just a two and three years away from college, it won't be nearly as tramatic as if they were in grade school.
Also, it comes down to what is MORE tramatic, changing your name or being associated with your daddy in the slammer.
Thanks for clarifying!
Can you also clarify for us if you are changing your whole name or just the family/last name?
Will your fist name be Deb, Debbie, or ...? Will a middle initial be part of the new you or no?
The favorite names that you listed all have a rhythm to them. What flavor do you want to be? In-your-face- espresso? 80% dark chocolate with a burst of chili surprise? Make your first name into the introduction (De) and the second syllable (Bee) the last name?
Play with botanical Latin - Acer (maple), Malus (apple), or Mentha (mint)? Pick an anatomically derived term (Plexus) and refine that.
The first three names you listed under favs have 3 beats, while the Dalai has four (maybe that's why he's #4?) Do you want your first name to be stronger than the last name?
You are strong, creative, and intelligent. Definitely a complex character with a soft hearted core. So no Smith or Johnson last names... and unless you are gliding toward an androgynous identity, do you really want a name that would fast track you there? Nothing ambiguous. Nothing that rhymes with lutefisk... : P
She-who-runs-with Corgis
Dances with Corgis
Corgi Grrrl
Hey, I'm workin' on it... : )
Seabury
Newhouse
Keaton
Sieyes
Sewall
Trask
Toklas
Do you have access to a dictionary? Check out the biographical & geographic entries that are usually in the back. Thousands of names to pick from!
Or make what would usually be a first name your family name. : )
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