And the winner is... Daffodil!
Two days ago, I posted four Craigslist messages around the country, asking if any expecting parents would let me name their baby.
I got one answer, from H, in Chicago, who said that instead of a baby, she'd like me to name her kitten.
We traded a few emails, I did a sort of consultation to learn what she named her previous pets, and what hopes and dreams she has for this feline.
She'd like it to be "playful, as we are getting her to provide a friend (not a breeding friend) for Drexel [their current cat]. So this new kitty will represent hope and companionship." She likes feminine names, but a little off-beat or interesting. Based on that, I wrote back with a few ideas, including: Colette, Celeste, Trina, Daffodil, Daphne, Esme, Smaranda, Vivienne, Nazrina, Belina, Gigi, Annabel and Sydney.
She loved Daffodil, and her husband agreed! (The picture above is of a random kitten sniffing flowers, but I'll put a picture of the real Daffodil as soon as they send me one.)
Gained: I named a kitten, and a kitten gained a name.
I'm heading out now to work on my dissertation in a cafe. (Wow, just reread that, and I am the living cliche of a literature grad student. So be it!) I'll write about today's asking once it happens... ciao.
UPDATE: I'm sitting at Wired Cafe and Bistro, awaiting a grilled salmon sandwich. To my right, a jazzy trio with a flat alto singer. To my left, Mr. A, reading the NYT online. A halfnote away from a lovely Friday night.
When I got here, however, an hour or so before the band started, the cafe was playing some very cool French music. I didn't recognize anything, which isn't saying much, but it was the kind of stuff I'd love to get my hands on. Combine that with my recent iPod purchase, and you can guess what I asked for.
"Hi."
"Hi," the spindly man behind the cash register crooned. Definitely French.
"Was the music playing before from an iPod, or a CD?"
"A CD," he intoned.
"I really liked it. Is there any way I could borrow it for a minute? I'd love to take the name down, or maybe even copy it to my laptop?"
"It's a mix I made," he whispered.
"Oh! Do you mind if I made a copy, or at least saw what the songs are? It's just that I haven't heard such cool music in a long time."
"I don't mind making you a copy."
"Really!? But if it's easier, I can just do it now, so it's not an imposition." I pointed the laptop on my table. I seriously didn't mean to make him waste his time. I was just thinking of borrowing it for 30 seconds, to copy the title and/or songs, with is permission.
"No, I'll make you a copy. Just give me your name, and come back next week." Maybe it was his only CD with the music, or he had other stuff on the CD. Either way, I am grateful!
Gained: un tres cool mix, next week, I hope.
UPDATE: I'm sitting at Wired Cafe and Bistro, awaiting a grilled salmon sandwich. To my right, a jazzy trio with a flat alto singer. To my left, Mr. A, reading the NYT online. A halfnote away from a lovely Friday night.
When I got here, however, an hour or so before the band started, the cafe was playing some very cool French music. I didn't recognize anything, which isn't saying much, but it was the kind of stuff I'd love to get my hands on. Combine that with my recent iPod purchase, and you can guess what I asked for.
"Hi."
"Hi," the spindly man behind the cash register crooned. Definitely French.
"Was the music playing before from an iPod, or a CD?"
"A CD," he intoned.
"I really liked it. Is there any way I could borrow it for a minute? I'd love to take the name down, or maybe even copy it to my laptop?"
"It's a mix I made," he whispered.
"Oh! Do you mind if I made a copy, or at least saw what the songs are? It's just that I haven't heard such cool music in a long time."
"I don't mind making you a copy."
"Really!? But if it's easier, I can just do it now, so it's not an imposition." I pointed the laptop on my table. I seriously didn't mean to make him waste his time. I was just thinking of borrowing it for 30 seconds, to copy the title and/or songs, with is permission.
"No, I'll make you a copy. Just give me your name, and come back next week." Maybe it was his only CD with the music, or he had other stuff on the CD. Either way, I am grateful!
Gained: un tres cool mix, next week, I hope.
hi roxy! i came to your blog from salon's broadsheet and you're now trapped in my aggregator! love this blog!
ReplyDeletemy parents taught me to always ask for what i wanted, so i've been appalled throughout my life at people who won't even make small changes to their personal environment to make themselves more comfortable.
i wrote you a shout out on my blog, so please come check it out if you have a spare moment, or want to take a break from cafe grad-school.
like at my favorite cafe (where i work, too!) there's a table with a shaky leg. if it happens to be in the spot where i want to sit, i'll switch that table out with a solid one. it doesn't hurt anyone and it makes me more comfortable. why not?
i can't tell you, though, how many times i've seen people sit at that table when the cafe is nearly empty and simply endure the shakiness and the coffee spills. they adjust their own bodies to the environment rather than adjust the environment to themselves.
and it's not just women who do this.
weird. the application switched the paragraphs of my comment around.
ReplyDeleteI could use a middle name for my baby girl. It's not a first name, but it's a start. ;) You do have a way with words. IGC
ReplyDeleteHi Claire!
ReplyDeleteI checked out your website, and I love your take on things, and your writing. I will post a link to your page with the next fitting opportunity!
And IGC, that would be an honor! I love the first name you chose, so I'll think of some middle names and send them your way... or share them at your baby shower!
xo,
R