translation woes

I don't feel so bad about my foreign language mishaps when I see things like this:
Maybe Mom and Quintin will find an awesome sign in Paris that we can submit. Oh please, let it be so.

sneak preview

I have been diligently reading through my 16 books for the Tournament of Books (coming soon!) but have resisted posting about any of them so that my votes aren't obvious from the outset. That said, I simply must say this:

The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks is the best book ever.

Maybe not the best book I've ever read, but certainly the best one I have read in at least 6 months and maybe more. I might even give it 5 stars when I get around to rating it. I can only think of two people who wouldn't love the book: my dad (who would think it was silly) and my 9-year old nephew (who sometimes thinks girls have cooties). I might have to put this on an early Christmas gift list in case I opt for all books again this Christmas. In fact, I might just buy this for everyone on my list.

So much for not giving away my pick, right? Well, I still have five or so books to go...

hi, grandpa

We took Jonah for a long overdue visit to see his great-grandfather this afternoon. I was trying to take a picture of the boys, and this is what I got (edited for emphasis): Josh looking at the camera, Jonah and grandpa looking at each other. Three times in a row.
I guess they had a lot to catch up on.

update

In response to the other day's mayhem, I checked my credit this morning. Let me tell you, it was surprisingly dull. I pulled out my trusty personal finance textbook and read the credit section. I knew I didn't want to pay $15 for the "free" credit report responsible for the catchy and annoying songs, but I didn't know where to go. In fact, I was a bit daunted.

Turns out, www.annualcreditreport.com allows you to check your credit with all 3 agencies once every 12 months for free. Since it was recommended by professor, I felt good checking it out.

It took all of 10 minutes and was very uneventful. This is a good thing, of course, but it was a bit anticlimactic. I was expecting something else, I guess.

Good to know I don't have an alter ego out buying cars and defaulting on loans.

repossessed

So the repo guy came to our house yesterday to repossess my '97 Mustang.

Ok, guys, who bought me a Mustang as a surprise and hasn't been paying the bill? Go ahead and tell me. I promise to act surprised when you give it to me.

(P.S. We checked with the man and he didn't have any important personal information. Just a name and an address. Hopefully this means someone with the same name is in trouble, not someone pretending to be me.)

alpaca in blue

Katie gave Jonah the best parka/sweater/shirt/wool thingy for Christmas this year, all the way from Peru! We had to wait until a cool day to try it out, and he loves it! My favorite part is the llama.
Thanks, Katie!

the last name game

I was reading Normal Mormon Husbands yesterday and came across an older post about baby names and how to choose a safe one. It basically rates names based on ease of spelling, pronunciation, background, etc. Curious how your name scores? Read the full run-down here or actually play the game here. For the record, I don't think a perfect score indicates a perfect name. Some of my favorite people have names that are more creative, for example, than this scale will allow. I would be wary, however, if your future child's name scores below a 40. Wonder how our names did? Josh = 73, Kimberly = 68, Jonah = 78. The highest scoring name I've seen so far was Truman, and I like that less than my name, so it must not be a perfect test.

All that background aside, this morning during breakfast, I casually mentioned that when I took Josh's name after we got married it was a bit of a downgrade. He was obviously upset, but then I explained to him the unwritten point system for future last names. It got me thinking what the actual test could be. I think it would go something like this. Update: I think you should start with 100 points and subtract for negatives. So here goes:

New! The "double trouble" test: Double letters = headache for spelling. Stephanie and Becca both had this problem, because it seems everyone assumes you stutter if you repeat a letter (I actually had to start giving my phone number as 13 35 instead of 1-3-3-5 for the same reason growing up).
Multiple sets of doubles: -10 points
Double letters: -5 points
Singletons only: -0 points

New! The "schoolyard bully" test: I have seen enough last names working at BYU and ASU that give me pause. What would life be like with the last name Lusty? Even if it has a different pronunciation, how many people would get it wrong?
Even grown women snicker and/or hesitate at your name: -10 points
Kids thought it was funny until high school (Johnny Fish could be Fishface, for example): -5 points
No such problem: -0 points

The "lunch line" test: Do you get to stand at the front of the line for lunch?
A-G: definitely the front, -0 points
H-N: smack dab in the middle, -5 points
O-T: first half of the last, -10 points
U-Z: not so bad on backwards day, -7 points

The "is that with an s?" test: If your name ends in "s" that gets left off or is often thought to end in "s" even though it doesn't, it's pretty annoying. Even people you've known for years can continue to make the mistake, and boy is that awkward.
No ambiguity: -0 points
Ends in "s" but sounds like it should (i.e. Saunders): -3 points
No "s" but some people try to put one there: -7 points
Ends in "s" that everyone drops: -10 points

The "are you related to the other Sister Smith?" test: Too common? That's a deduction.
You're the only family you know: -0 points
It's a common name, but you haven't had this problem: -5 points
2 or 3 families in your area share the name, but no relation: -10 points

On the flip side, there's the "how do you spell your name, again?" test: If your name is too foreign, too long, or too tricky, it can cause issues as well.
Spelled like it sounds: -0 points
If you see it once, you'll know how to spell it for life: -3 points
Easy enough unless you're making reservations on the phone: -5 points
Trips people up unless they speak a Romance language: -7 points
Even your best friend can't spell it: 0 points

Similar, but different still is the "Johnston test": Is your name similar to a common name with just one letter difference? That can be tricky for years after you've introduced yourself.
Nope, no confusion: -0 points
Similar, but the pronunciation clears it up: -5 points
Aaargh! That's totally me: -10 points

The "Sirhan Sirhan" test: This really only applies to a girl who happens to take a last name that is eerily similar to her own or to kids whose parents thought it'd be cute (it's not).
Different first and last name: -0 points
First and last name rhyme or have alliteration: -5 points
You are now someone famous (if Scarlett married an O'Hara, for example): -7 points
Same first and last name, or freakishly close (i.e. John Johnson): -10 points

I've only come up with eight (with some help), but I feel like there should be a few more. If not, then some of the tests need to be weighted so the total points still add up to 100. What do you think? What are the more important points? What have I missed?

a quick break

Since my last post and my next post are quite long, here's something short and sweet:

spanish royalty have earned my undying love

When I was in Spain, I fell in love with the royal family. At the time, the prince's wife was expecting their first child. Now, they have two beautiful girls. For those of you as enamored as I am, or who are curious why, here are the top 5 things I love about the royal family:

5. Prince Felipe's daughters. Not only are they cute little princesses, but there is some talk about changing the laws so that his oldest daughter would be queen even if a boy joins the family later. If you don't know why I like that, you must not know me too well...

4. Prince Felipe's wife is a normal person. She was a television journalist for CNN prior to becoming Her Highness. In an interview, she once reported how strange it was to walk into a bookshop and find a picture book detailing her life and background to introduce her to the children of Spain. I thought that was funny. I can't imagine what it would be like to see my parents as cartoon characters. Oh, and she had her wedding dress made by a Spanish designer. That sort of thing is very important to the people.

3. In November 2007, during a heated exchange at a political conference, King Juan Carlos interrupted Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and asked him, "¿Por qué no te callas?" ("Why don't you shut up?"). Chávez had been interrupting the Spanish Prime Minister at the time, and I liked the king's sticking up for his own man.

2. The King and Queen are fluent in several languages a piece. Not surprising, but cool.

1. Juan Carlos pulled off what many Spaniards consider the greatest trick in their country's history. The nasty, evil, no-good dictator Franco had picked Juan Carlos as his successor and fully believed that Juan Carlos would continue to rule the country as Franco had prepared. Juan Carlos (from Wikipedia) "often performed official and ceremonial state functions alongside the dictator, much to the anger of hardline republicans and more moderate liberals, who had hoped that Franco's death would bring in an era of reform. During those years, Juan Carlos publicly supported Franco's regime. However, as the years progressed, Juan Carlos began meeting with political opposition leaders and exiles, who were fighting to bring liberal reform to the country. He also had secret conversations with his father over the phone. Franco, for his part, remained largely oblivious to the prince's actions and denied allegations that Juan Carlos was in any way disloyal to his vision of the regime." Once Franco died, the king institued reforms, was instated legally (as opposed to 'just because Franco said so') and changed the monarchy to be reigning but not ruling. Basically, he tricked the bad guy, helped fix the country, and gave up a lot of power to improve his country. What's not to like? Oh, and it's not a bad looking family

eat me

Go make these cookies. Right now. (Click on the picture for the recipe.) Warning: they are infinitely better the first day, so I've been saving dough rather than making the whole batch at once. They are still good the second day, but not as chewy.