THIS is how I wish I could write. Sigh. I love her. She no longer has Mitt Romney to kick around; I can’t believe I’ll miss him, but as fodder for Gail’s words, which are such lovely, folksy daggers, he just might be irreplaceable. Who else has strapped a dog* to the roof of their car? Who else has been reminded of it in the NYT every week for years? I don’t really know what cockles are, but Gail warms mine twice a week.
She’s taking on Lance Armstrong. She would like to know, now stripped of titles for riding a bicycle (something you never forget, as you know), what is the point of Lance Armstrong? Better than that even, she wonders why something like the U.S. Postal Service spent millions and millions of dollars sponsoring something like a sport, and a sport with bicycles. Why would any government agency provide sports sponsorship? It’s insane. Especially when that agency lost $16 billion dollars last year. She believes the mail-sending public has a right to know. Here’s the piece.
*I just got off the phone with Roz. We were talking about Mitt Romney, because I was talking about his dog, because I was talking about Gail. She asked me the dog’s name. I said ‘Seasmus’. Roz said, “say that again?” I said, “C-mus”. She fell over laughing, telling me it’s prounounced ‘shay-mus’. I did not laugh, because sometimes I say things wrong, and when it’s only in my head, nobody has to know. I was regretting even sharing the Gail Collins-dog-on-the-roof love with her. She just kept laughing. Then we had a discussion about the name Siobhan. I told her it was pronounced ‘Chiv-von’ and she got very quiet. “Really? I didn’t know that.”
LMAO….as soon as I read the Seamus part, the name Siobhan came to mind.
I will never forget that spelling as I remember so clearly watching Ryans’ Hope back in my university days and that was Marg Helgenbergers’ characters’ name in the show. I saw it in the credits at some point and couldn’t believe that was how it was spelled.
I have read books at times that have very odd names in them and I know that the way I am saying them in my head, is completely wrong but until I go looking for the correct way they are pronounced, I don’t really care.
Sinead is another Irish name that confuses people. It’s pronounced SHIN-AID, although actress Sinead Cusack (wife of Jeremy Irons) says she is often introduced as Cyanide. FYI, Seamus is Irish Gaelic for James; Siobhan for Joan; and Sinead for Jean.
There is a lovely young actress named Saoirse Ronan. That one really had me stumped, but I looked on Wikipedia and she says it is pronounced “Sirsha”.
I know many children are conceived in a cloud of alcohol, but it’s unfortunate when they’re named in one.
If I have another kid ::cough::, he shall be Bob.
HAD to comment on this.
I work with a girl named Mhairi, who you’d think would pronounce it “Mary”. As I learned over a very awkward telephone conversation, it’s actually a gaelic name (as are so many others listed here) that is pronounced “Vary”, with a very long “r” sound.
You are not alone, friend.
See, I read that and thought ‘mah-hairy’. I’m really not very good at this.
Mah-hairy!!! HA!
Oh my gawd chris, where do you always find these perfect photos?!
(laughing now, but I’m sure I’ll have nightmares later…)
When we named the kids, I’d pick 3 names, their Dad named them from my picks. Seamus was always on the list. 3 kids: not a Seamus to be found. I bet they’re grateful. Especially HER.
I am laughing very hard. And I’m still pronouncing it C-mus in my head……
He always thought of it as C-men. He figured kids would laugh harder.
After many years immersed in the world of Irish dance, I’m still learning about pronunciations (try your hand at Aoife, Roisin, Aislin, Niamh, Ciamh and Eoin – then work your way to feis, rince and oireachtas…).
Funny thing is, that there isn’t even always consensus amongst native gaelic speakers about pronunciation – it varies from region to region.
Always an adventure.
You may have noticed that my name is “Padraig”. It’s pronounced “Podrag”, which is Irish for “Patrick”, which is my given name, but I use Padraig for the internet, because I think it sounds neater.
My children are called Shelagh, which is Irish for Cecelia, and Sean, which is Irish for John.
My wife’s name was Kathleen, which in Irish is Caitlin, but she wasn’t ever called either, but Freda, which was my least favourite of her three names.
Then there was a colleague of mine named Patty, who married a guy called Terence.
Terence Cake. True story.
Incidentally… if the title of this particular blog is true, then you are living your dream.
Not a bad spot to be in, this early in your life.
I named my son Kieran. Nobody can spell it right and for the first couple of months my mother called him Karen. His great aunt refused to call him by anything except his middle name “Mikey”. But I am glad I didn’t spell it the Gaelic way. Who would get “Kieran” out of “Ciaran”? By the way, I see the hat and mistletoe have left the scene so I figured Webgod Jeff would dress up Lorraine as Cupid or at least PhotoShop her to look like Cupid.
We had a family friend who called my little sister “Gilligan” instead of Gillian for the first few years of her life. Not sure if she knew or remembered that one.
Still giggling over Sea-mus as my writer sister rarely makes a boo boo.
My given name is Kieron Bernard and the powers that be in 1958 changed it to Kieron Bernadette on the Birth certificate . They left the sex as male so who knows what they were thinking . I found this out when i was given the original birth certificate after my Dad passed . Of course no one calls me either of those names .
Okay, Bernadette….
(you just told the wrong crowd the wrong information….=)
I deserved that , lol .
(aren’t you supposed to use your powers for good? )
Ah, but she does, she does: good jokes…
Wasn’t one of the characters in “Prisilla: Queen of the Desert” called Bernadette?
One of my all time favourite movies. And yes, Terence Stamp, one of my favourite actors played Bernadette.
But Terence Stamp was so totally unlikeable in The Limey.