Friday, April 18, 2008

What's in a Name?


The boy's name Sebastian \s(e)-bas-tian, seb(a)-stian\ is pronounced se-BASS-tian and is of Greek origin, meaning "venerable ". The original form of this name referred to those from a particular city or region of Asia Minor, whose Greek name was from the Latin imperial title "Augustus". Shakespeare gave the name to the twin brother of Viola in "Twelfth Night". British use since the 1940s may have been influenced by a character in Evelyn Waugh's popular "Brideshead Revisited". My parents choose it because it wasn’t overly common, wasn’t religious, and had strong literary credentials. They are weird.

The boy's name Thomas \th(o)-mas\ is pronounced TAH-mas. It is of Aramaic origin, and its meaning is "twin". My parents choose it because it was my great grandfathers (my father’s mother’s dad) name. He only had girls and wasn’t able to pass his name on, so it came to me.

The name Hamilton \ha-mil-ton, ham(i)-lton\ is pronounced HAM-ul-tun. It is of Old English origin, originally Hambleton, and its meaning is "flat-topped hill". It is the place name and surname of one of the great noble families in Scotland.

My family tree on both sides is well documented. On both the Hamilton Thomas side and the Tirado (my mother’s maiden name) Eubanks side, are known for over ten generations. Although they both assure me that there is nothing for me to live up to -- only that I am content in what I choose to be.

What does all this mean? Well, if you take all of the definitions, lump them together, you quickly find out that I am an old hill with two bumps. Nice, eh?

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Baby Dreams

We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

The Tempest Act 4, scene 1, 157–158

My dreams are my own, but powerful. They consist of shapes, colors, faces, and movement; elegance in simplicity to understand the complexity of my world. Soon they will become more elaborate, with plots and subtext. For now, I’m happy to dream peacefully while people gently kiss my forehead and tell me I’m adorable.