Monday, February 07, 2005
Blackout day
So I got to go home early, and Nicola and I just went to a movie. We are in the midst of baby preparations...actually, closer to the end of preparations. The finale could start at any moment, resulting in the inevitable "OH GOD! Life will never be the same" moments. "Going to a movie won't be too simple anymore!" etc. This anxiety drove us to see a solidly mediocre "The Wedding Date" with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney. Never knew a male prostitute could fall in love in 48 hours with a scrawny neurotic victim...who is empowered by the love of a man who lies/fucks for a living. Instead of "Fasten Seatbelts" signs, like airplanes, movie theaters should have "Suspend Your Disbelief" signs. I could use that reminder every once in a while.
Speaking of the baby: Lindsay Campbell Taggart is the strong frontrunner for the baby's name right now. An etiology:
Lindsay: English in origin, meaning "linden trees near the water." That is not so poetic, but the name just sounds right to me. Baby names are like that -- you don't have to have really great reasons to like them or hate them, do you? When you are brainstorming names with your partner, you can shitcan plenty of names just because...without any good reason. "I just don't like it" or "Nah" is sufficient grounds to strike a name forever.
Campbell: don't know what it means or its origin, but it is a family name for both Nicola and I. On her side, it is her mother's maiden name. On my side, it is my father and grandfather's middle name and goes back to my great-grandfather, the original Donald Campbell Taggart. It is fraught with more negative baggage for me...well, it used to be. I have had my issues with my father, and my grandfather is no prize either -- this is the guy who spent 30 minutes trying to talk me into smuggling him vodka as he lay in a nursing home bed. But hey -- it's an homage to the family, it doesn't carry any weight beyond that.
Taggart: my family name, obviously. I think Taggart is part of the Ross clan, going back to Scotland. I could be confusing this with the McLean clan from my mother's side, but I'm not sure. Wait, just did the research, and found that "The surname Taggart/Mac Taggart is from "Mac an tSagairt " in (Irish) Gaelic, meaning "son of the priest" or "a priest." Want more? Turn to the Taggart genealogy site. Yes, it's part of the Ross clan, and so much more! Also the detective in "Beverly Hills Cop," the last name of one of the nurse characters on "ER" and the title of one of Louis L'Amour's pulpy westerns. And there apparently is a band named Taggart -- see http://www.taggartrocks.com. Oh, and a nearby liquor store (if memory serves); that is terribly fitting.
This all reminds me that I should contact the Forbes relatives to get down that family history, and I should contact Campbell and find out about his family history before it is too late. He's in poor health and almost always an ornery dude, but it is information that should be gathered, right?
Break time...duty calls. Nicola is in full nesting mode, which is kinda cool, actually. I mean, isn't organizing the pill boxes and lotions and potions in the linen closet terribly important right before a new baby arrives? I am not poking fun -- it is interesting to watch, and our place could use a little fine tuning, so no big deal.
I really like the name...it flows very well and Lindsay is definitely a beautiful name.
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