Thoughts on names....

What is in a name....?

Some names I heard tonight made me think...whoa...what were his parents thinking-- or did they? I really need to start writing these names down.

Do our names in any way help to shape us into the people we are?

As many may know, I tend to 'go long' on names that stand out to me, that are different, unusual.

Which, yes, I know, is not a nice thing to do, yet that does not stop me. I am getting better, but....

One thing I wonder: You hear many names while watching sports. Names that stand out. Coco Crisp: This makes me want cereal. Okay, so what I wonder is....Would the centerfielder of the "Boston Red Sox" be discussed as much if his name did not have a "ring" to it. His numbers are decent, and, well, his team did win the World Series. But he had lost his starting job by then.

So, would he be as well-known if he were not nicknamed after a breakfast cereal?

You never realize....

You never realize how much a person is a part of you, until you are apart.

I was stupid for a number of years.

I had said many prayers for God to bring me someone who would love me for me, and help me to grow into a better person.

Luckily God answered my prayers. I did not realize it at first, and thankfully my husband did not give up on me.

He completes my heart, life just seems to be incomplete when he is not around.

He is now up in Michigan for his nephews high school graduation. I am down in Florida with my step-daughter.

I miss him dearly and can not wait to pick him, and my oldest step-daughter up at the airport tomorrow.

I can not wait.....to feel complete again....

I miss ya babe!

Beast over Man....

And my mother thinks the two cats, and two dogs in her house have control over her....

Okay, I confess, it kind of bothers me....

It has now been three weeks since the Kentucky Derby. As I was looking for pictures of Big Brown after his second big win, the Preakness, I saw one of the pictures of Eight Belles down on the track. It reminded me of something about the picture that has bothered me.

Maybe I am the only one who sees it the way I do. To me, as I look at the jockey, Gabriel Saez, starting to walk away, it looks like he has no care at all for the downed filly, not even looking down at her with concern. The beautiful filly gave it her all and came in second in the Kentucky Derby. Gave it her all, her life, and that is a pretty high price to pay. It saddens me to think that she gave so much to that race and on her back was a jockey that had no concern for her at all. It is sad. I may be naive, but I thought jockeys had more of a love for horses than shows here...as he just walks away....

I know appearances can be deceiving but, I can not help the way the picture looks. Had he been looking down at her as he walked away, I might not be left with the these thoughts....

Beverage and a condiment....

"O.J. Mayo"

What were his parents thinking? Were they overcome with thirst and hunger? The desire to have some Orange Juice and a sandwich with Mayonnaise? Oh, what were they thinking? It would be hard enough to face life with a last name the same as the nickname for a condiment, but why would you give your child the nickname of a breakfast beverage on top of that?

Heavens, the situation is worse than I thought. My husband proofs my entries for me and he very wisely said that I may want to give a clue as to who "O.J. Mayo" is for family and friends who may read this. So I looked him up on "Wikipedia" and....the former USC college basketball player, who will be entering the 2008 NBA Draft is actually named "Ovinton J'Anthony Mayo".

Parents of the future I strongly encourage you to think....think long and hard.... about what you name your child!

I think I now understand why he opts to go by the name of a beverage and condiment....

Okay, I confess....

Okay, I confess, I am known for being overly judgmental of names.

You have to admit that some names you see these days you kind of think their parents enjoyed a game of "Boggle" when they were trying to come up with names for their children.

Let's face it, parents can be cruel. They are not the ones who have to go through life saying, "I'm Callix Crabbe". To me that sounds like a name straight out of "Sponge Bob".

Often, when we are watching baseball, my husband will look over at me and say, "Whatcha got on that name?"

I think I am going to start sharing some of the names that, well, catch my attention.

You sure do see some interesting names, especially in baseball. Coco Crisp for one-- I kind of like it, but I am left wanting some cereal.

So...What do you think?....Cocoa Crisp....or Callix Crabbe....Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Cereal or Sponge Bob's neighbor?

Names that make you go, "Hmmmm...."

Don't let a title fool ya....

Okay, the title of the website does not clue you in, but you have to check out this website: http://icanhascheezburger.com/ The pictures are just too funny!

Love is in the air....

Well, it is that time of year in Florida again: "Love Bug" season! It's something we encounter twice a year.

Tonight I was trying to describe them on the phone to my friend Karen, in Michigan, and, well, I defer to "Wikipedia". I think they are much more knowledgeable than I, especially since what I had known of their creation seems to be an "Urban Legend". So, Karen, here is a little of what they say about "Love Bugs":

The love bug (also known as march fly, honeymoon fly, telephone bug, kissybug and double-headed bug) (scientific name Plecia nearctica) is a small flying insect common to the southern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast. During the semi-annual love bug flights or "seasons", the insects are commonly found spattered on the hoods and windshields of automobiles. The body of the love bug is acidic and can affect the paint on vehicles if not washed off. Love bugs seem to be attracted to lighter colored objects (white fence posts are usually blackened with them during the peak season), but can accumulate anywhere.

The love bug was first described in 1940 by D. E. Hardy of Galveston, Texas. At that time, he reported the incidence of love bugs to be widespread, but most common in Texas and Louisiana. By the end of the 20th century, however, the species had spread heavily to all areas bordering the Gulf of Mexico, as well as Georgia, South Carolina, and other parts of Central America. L. A. Hetrick, writing in 1970, found it very widespread in Florida and described its flights as reaching altitudes of 300 m to 450 m and extending several kilometers over the Gulf.

I have always wondered...

How is it that you know that the one you are with is the one. It really isn't something you can explain, more like a sense that washes over you. I used to be envious of my cousins who are happily married, jealous even, because they had something that I wanted. Something that I never dreamt that I would ever have in my life. That certain someone who completes your heart, makes you feel whole. Where you do not question whether or not you are loved, you know it. You feel it to the very core of your being.

My husband is a wonderful man. He has loved me for a very long time, he knew who the one was. Me, I am a slow learner, and thankfully he did not give up on me. He often kids me about the many, many emails we exchanged, and how apparently I did laundry 24/7. I wish I knew exactly when I realized that he was my one, but I can't. Maybe inside there was a part of me that knew it, but I was a chicken. He is a very well educated man, and me, well, did I mention I am a slow learner.

My wish is for everyone to feel the special love that completes your heart, to have someone so amazingly special to share life with. I am a very lucky woman, and I hope that my husband knows how very, very much I love him. I often sit at my desk at work and just look at his photo and smile with happiness. I am amazed. I never new that love was such a strong feeling. Love is an amazing thing. You love many people in your life: Your family, your friends, even pets. But the love you feel, when you find "the one", will just knock your socks off!

I live in Florida now, and I really have no use for socks!

But I no longer wonder....

Beauty taken from us.....

It has become a ritual for us to go and watch the Kentucky Derby. It is really a great thing to see. I have always thought that horses were truly beautiful and graceful creatures.

I am now fortunate enough to live in the heart of horse country. I can often sit here at the computer and hear a horse whinny from one of the farms across the road. Some of the horses that run in the derby actually have been trained at some point here in Ocala.

I am a very sentimental person, and sometimes I could cry at the drop of a dime. I remember watching "Black Beauty" and crying at the ending. I was heartbroken for Barbaro who had to be put down. Imagine how I felt after this year's Kentucky Derby when a strong, proud' real-life black beauty, a filly named "Eight Belles", ran her heart out and came in second. A really strong finish, where you could see her trying so hard to catch back up to the winner "Big Brown" who had overtaken her lead. What heart!

Shortly after, she collapsed onto the track with two broken ankles. They said she would have been in such pain the way they were broken that she was euthanized on the track.

It breaks my heart to read about it, and my heart goes out to her trainer and owners. It is hard when beauty is taken from us too soon....

Beautiful People or Good Looking People...

As I get ready for work, I often have the CBS Morning Show on in the background. The other day they had a teaser about "People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People", and they posed the question...."Are they really beautiful people, or just good looking people?". This has had the rusty wheels turning in my head. I still don't quite know how to write what it is I want to say.
To me there really is a difference between the two. You can be a gorgeous knock-out, and still be an ugly person because of what is inside of you.

I really think that the beauty a person has within, far outshines the beauty of what is on the outside.

My husband often says that he really does not want to know all that much about an actor, a singer, or our mailman. More and more I come to understand why he feels this way. The Beautiful People of the world often are quite ugly on the inside. Such as the famous actor who was mad because he could not get a call through to Australia, so he threw the phone at the hotel concierge. Something lke that helps answer the question posed..."Are they really beautiful people, or just good looking?"