Evangeline...

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    Tuesday, December 6, 2011

    Intelligent Women with Interesting Names

    We'll get to those smart ladies in a minute. There's always a lead-up, you know?

    Poor Monkey got hit with a whammy this weekend. He is still recovering from an awful case of stomach flu. We went to Urgent Care on Sunday when he couldn’t keep anything down and couldn’t stop crying. At first they told us to prepare for a trip to the hospital in case it was appendicitis, but thankfully it turned out to be a virus. They gave him a magic dissolves-on-contact pill that not only allowed him to keep those vital liquids down, but also made him inexplicably chatty. He went from a moaning lump under a blanket to a pale but animated boy, detailing the war between medicine and sickness going on in his body. Kory and I laughed and cringed at his added sound effects, especially the explosions.

    During all of this, my phone died. I mean really died. For the last time. Kory tried to resuscitate it, but this time there was no Lazarus moment for the old Blackberry.

    We’ve both had our Blackberry Storms for a few years now and have talked about upgrading, but we tend to put off those expenditures until they’re absolutely necessary. Yes, until no amount of prayer, techno wizardry, or duct tape will do the trick.

    I’m not sure why this is the case because Kory loves gadgets. But, you see, I also love boots, and it could be that my boot budget is stomping the gadget budget. Gadget budget. That’s fun to say. Go, go Gadget Budget!

    Ahem.

    Knowing his wife could not go long without a phone—and, more importantly, knowing she’d be late to or forget every appointment without one—Kory started shopping for a new mobile right away. He sent me a few links and asked my opinion. When he couldn’t get more out of me than, “The iPhone is pretty,” he took matters into his own hands.

    I walked through the office on the way to the bathroom, and he gave me a look that either meant, “Don’t go in there” or “I’ve done something out of character.” Naturally, I froze and lifted one eyebrow.

    “I bought us new phones.”

    I said, “Oh, you got one, too? Did you get the really fancy one you were talking about?”

    “I got us both iPhones. Yes, I got you the white one.”

    Squeal!

    I can’t wait to interact with my intelligent assistant, Siri, who comes with the new iPhone. I’m hoping she’ll be something like Siri Mitchell, one of my favorite authors. The next time I get stuck on a plot point in a novel, I’ll just ask Siri for help. I can’t lose! Siri and I are gonna write some awesome stuff. Well, the real Siri Mitchell already rights awesome stuff, but her namesake and I, we’re gonna make waves.

    Despite the whole virtual assistant thing, I thought naming my new iPhone Siri was a little on the nose. Since it’s white and sparkly, I briefly toyed with naming it Edward, but then I decided to act my age.


    All the snow/ice/winter names went through my head, especially since we’ve just had a cold snap. But then I hit on the perfect name. I’m calling my new phone Persephone, after the albino heroine in Leanna Renee Hieber's Strangely Beautiful series. Isn’t that perfect?

    If, right now, you’re scratching your head and wondering who in their right mind names their iPhone Persephone, then clearly you’re reading the wrong blog.

    Come on, I know I’m not the only one who names my phone, my van, my credit card debt. What’s the strangest thing you’ve named? And no, this is not the forum for divulging nicknamed body parts. Yes, we all do it, but my mother reads this blog, so we’re gonna pretend we don’t. Deal?

    12 comments:

    Daphne said...

    Percy! All white Percy!

    I named our house "Wildwind". Full of wild boys, a wild dog, and windy winds sliding off of Mt. Herman, virtually unobstructed as they whip into my backyard.

    Amy (ArtsyBookishGal) said...

    I always liked the named "Persephone," the poor nymph who was kidnapped by the Hades to be his unwilling bride. I name things, too. Mostly people I don't know. I call them by the names I think they should have, like our neighbor "Melvin." Who knows what his name is? Actually, most old men tend to be "Melvin" and old women are "Edna." I named my car "Betty Cherry" because one of the kids in my youth group wrote a story about a red truck inhabited with the spirit of a deceased hooker, and the truck's name was "Betty Cherry."

    I miss youth ministry. I could write a great book on that girl alone!

    Linda B said...

    We name our vehicles and our computers. And when I had the large tumor removed from my finger in March, the doctor named it "Chuck."

    Brandi Boddie said...

    Evangeline, that's so cool that you gave your phone a name! I have a name for my car (Sunny Boy), if that makes you feel like you're in good company, lol!

    Persephone is a pretty name. I always wished I had an old-fashioned Victorian name like Alexandra or Lydia Sophia. As a matter of fact, Lydia Sophia is the name of the steampunk heroine I created for my short story.

    Kay Day said...

    My daughter and her friend named my head Cheryl.
    I'm not sure what the strangest thing I've named is. I name things and then forget their names.

    BTW, I put the feather purse on my wish list! :D

    Daphne said...

    hey! I posted yesterday! where did it go?

    Percy! White beautiful Percy!!

    And I named my house Wildwind.
    Stole it from All My Children.
    But it suits my wild and windy house, except that my house is small.

    Beth K. Vogt said...

    Ah, E, I am so thankful I have you in my life.
    Right now, naming rights belong to my almost 11-year-old daughter. She bought my new Garmin "Carmin."
    Cute, huh? It rhymes and it's a bit of a double entendre, which I love.
    I, however, do give my closest friends nicknames.
    ;o)

    Sarah said...

    I love your writing! It's refreshing and makes me smile! :)
    As for naming things...our suv is the Enterprise, complete with a "Make it So!" license plate holder. Every time my husband wants me to overtake another car on the highway he says, "Number One, Engage!" *rolls eyes* :)
    Blessings!
    Sarah

    Evangeline Denmark said...

    Daphne, Wildwind make me think of Anne of Green Gables. I love it!
    Amy, I'd love to meet the teen who thought up Betty Cherry too! And I name people as well. In fact, as a teen I worked at Baskin Robbins and one man came in every week for a double scoop of pistachio almond. You'd think I'd call him Mr. Pistachio but I called him Oscar. One day I told him I called him Oscar and he started calling me Minerva.
    Linda--Chuck? I'm speechless
    Brandi, while Lydia Sophia is a cool name, especially for a steampunk heroine, I think Brandi suits your sweet nature. Besides if you weren't Brandi you couldn't be one of my Brandies!
    Kay, has your head Cheryl met Linda's tumor Chuck? *pauses to close eyes, shake head, and re-establish reality*
    Beth, I have a name for my GPS, but it's not nearly as sweet as Carmin. Perhaps I should consult your daughter.

    Evangeline Denmark said...

    Daphne, Wildwind make me think of Anne of Green Gables. I love it!
    Amy, I'd love to meet the teen who thought up Betty Cherry too! And I name people as well. In fact, as a teen I worked at Baskin Robbins and one man came in every week for a double scoop of pistachio almond. You'd think I'd call him Mr. Pistachio but I called him Oscar. One day I told him I called him Oscar and he started calling me Minerva.
    Linda--Chuck? I'm speechless
    Brandi, while Lydia Sophia is a cool name, especially for a steampunk heroine, I think Brandi suits your sweet nature. Besides if you weren't Brandi you couldn't be one of my Brandies!
    Kay, has your head Cheryl met Linda's tumor Chuck? *pauses to close eyes, shake head, and re-establish reality*
    Beth, I have a name for my GPS, but it's not nearly as sweet as Carmin. Perhaps I should consult your daughter.

    crownring said...

    Hi E!

    I named my 2001 yellow Ford Escape "Fred". With the gray bumper reminding me of Fred Flintstone's 5 o'clock shadow, it seemed natural. My husband drives a newer Escape that we call "Red" because "Red" is red! Sometimes we have sightly comfusing discussions about whether we're going out in Fred or Red. I also once had a Ford Granada that I called "Gertie".

    Naming things seems to run in the family. My late mother once suggested that we name the family farm "Windy Acres", due to the fair amount of wind we got during the day. Probably just as well we decided to forego the idea; it would have likely become "Windy Achers" as my dad LOVED to talk and both of my parents suffered with arthritis. LOL...........

    efbruce said...

    As I am a musician I go along with other musicians in naming my instruments. My first viola, which had a weak and somewhat effeminate voice, went by Andre the Gay Viola. My current viola goes by Charles- named after a young man I went to high school with who was very short (this viola is also small) but had a huge and commanding baritone voice and thought he was God's gift to the ladies. To note, most people who see my Charles comment about his nice dark color and lovely sound, especially in the lower registers. They don't usually know that I had to rip apart his case on the sides so that his fat butt could fit in there! Sometimes I think Charles and I have too much in common. Lastly, I have Charlene, my blonde country girl of a violin, bought so that I could work on my fiddling. When I think too much about it, I usually imagine poor Charles hitting on little Charlene and getting the brush off as she states she prefers cellos.