Several friends of mine are currently expecting their first children, some closer than others. Two of the couples already know the baby's gender; with the third I believe it's still too early to tell (even if they want to know). Only one of the three, as far as I know, has settled on a name.
This got me thinking about the process of pinning a name to someone, so if you're interested in my mental ramblings, by all means, read on....
I'm not a parent in the classic, biological sense of the word. On the other hand, I *am* an avid gamer and occasional scribbler. In addition, I served as Herald for my SCA group in college. I've got a shelf full of baby name books, and I've been through the naming agonies many times myself. I've named characters, and helped people come up with in-period persona names... still, the idea of coming up with a name to stick on a real person, a baby, is daunting.
Think about it a moment... there's the initial question of picking a name (or names-- will he or she have a middle name?) from the hundreds of thousands available.
You've got a few things to help narrow it down... gender, if you know. Finding something euphonious with your last name. Something that doesn't create a really embarassing initials. You may want something that reflects your family heritage. If you're "lucky" you may have no choice at all-- family, ethnic, or religious traditions may narrow things down very quickly indeed (tho' of course, you can always choose to throw tradition out the window).
But then, you're on your own, and it's going to be *nothing* like naming a character, or a grownup who can offer opinions of his or her own. When I develop a character, the name is generally the *last* thing I choose. When I get to that point, I've already got a good idea of what my nameless person will look like and what his/her/its personality will be.
A baby, on the other hand... I couldn't imagine having to name someone before you even got to meet him or her. Looking in the mirror and at your spouse might give you *some* idea of what the child will look like, but you won't know for years what his or her personality might be like or any of the other things that can affect a name.
Then again... how much of that will be affected by the name? If you name a girl Mabel, will she grow up to be a quiet, mousy wallflower (who will hate you for most of her young life for naming her Mabel in the first place)? Will Rebecca chase boys? (Is referring to her as "Girl" for the rest of her life starting to look really appealing right about now?)
And... how long *can* you wait? When do they typically issue the birth certificate, and what do they do if you don't have a name all picked out already? Granted, the kid can always get its name legally changed later, but he or she is going to be stuck with it for its formative years.... so many responsibilities. Good luck, parents-to-be.
A colleague of mine just pointed me at this... Honda's got a new Accord out in the UK, and *their* advertisers are considerably more creative (not to mention *nuts*-- 606 takes!?!) than what we've got on this side of the pond. The ad called "The Cog" was released in early April. It's two minutes long, and a fascinating tribute to patience and creativity, a little madness, and precision engineering.
See "The Cog" ad at Honda UK, or a slightly larger version here. (The latter site also has links to articles about the ad, and where to find the Quicktime version. (Otherwise, it requires Flash 6.)
No CGI. No mock-ups. No edits. All genuine Honda Accord parts, and one perfect take. Go look!
Because someone (who shall, in the grand tradition of these things, remain nameless) recently said that I should "post more," and because I have just the sort of friends who would appreciate this, I will now pause to bring you a message from this quality neighborhood superstore... and believe me, when I say *super*store, I mean-- well, you'll see.
VillainSupply.com, Your Online Source For Everything EVIL™
I particularly like the bumper stickers.
Don't make a point of trying to go to bed early in order to be up and perky by an earlier time than usual. That trick never works.
(I will refrain from amusing you with what *I* consider a normal bedtime and a normal waking time... the easiest explanation is that I'm a night owl and I work part-time shifts. I keep a perfectly reasonable schedule... were I living on the opposite coast.) So, I went to bed early (for me) so that I could get up a little earlier (again, for me) to visit with my sister a little before work.
HA.
It being early (for me), I wasn't at all tired, so I got into bed and decided to read for awhile. Right. Finished my book about four hours later, *still* wasn't particularly tired. At least I was lying down, if not actually sleeping. Decided to do a bit of crossword (for some reason, although I enjoy it immensely, the New York Times Sunday crossword can generally put me out like a light within a half hour).
Finally felt a little sleepy (note, this was now about my normal bedtime, even a little after-- so much for "going to bed early"). Turned off the light, dutifully fell asleep... and was awake again about 15 minutes later for no reason at all. This continued, back and forth (get up, get something to drink, go back to bed, lie in the dark smooshing my pillow into a comfortable position, drift off, wake up, lather, rinse, repeat) until, oh... 6:30 am? It wasn't even that I was particularly tired. I was downright perky when my eyes weren't closed. I just felt that I *should* be sleeping, particularly if I wanted to be worth anything the following day.
I'd finally gotten honest-to-goodness tired and sleepy and drifted off in a semi-permanent fashion when, about an hour or so later, the road crew started up. You know, the one cutting into the pavement about 150 feet outside my window? ARGH ARGH ARGH.
And so here I sit "the following day," wooly-brained, a little trembly, stomach slightly upset, hoping I have some yerba mate tucked away in my bag somewhere-- the classic and familiar signs of an all-nighter-- because I tried to be a good girl and go to bed early.
That trick never works.
The gods of deep sleprivation are punishing me.