Sex in Space

I stumbled across this article and it was kind of interesting:

http://www.space.com/news/space_pregnancy_001218_wg.html

Research done with mice shows that it is possible to conceive in space, but that the likelihood of survival is slightly less.

What would it be like to be born in Space? "Where were you born?" "Space." "Huh?"

How relevant is this issue? Probably very. Or at least someday it will be. Someday it's going to matter for the whole human race. Hmm.

Nightmare

I often find myself having nightmares. Probably this is because my bladder is a whole lot smaller than usual and so my body tries to wake me up before wetting the bed. I guess that's a good thing.

Last night I dreamed that Danny's grandma proposed to me. I didn't want to marry her. I wanted to tell her that I could only get married in the temple. She got down on one knee and gave me this hideous pave-diamond-golf-ball looking ring. I put it on my right hand's ring finger (my real wedding/engagement rings were still on my left hand. Weird) because I didn't want to be mean. Then I tried to take her for a walk to downtown Salt Lake so I could explain to her about the temple outside of the Salt Lake temple. I never got there in my dream. I woke up before I could explain to her that I couldn't marry her because she's a woman.

It was a terrifying nightmare. When I told Danny, he thought it was really hilarious. It actually is hilarious, this side of sleep.

What are we going to name Jane?

Okay, that's kind of silly. We always refer to her as "Jane". That name is pretty much not going to budge.

And...to be honest, her middle name is probably not going to budge either. We like "Jane Elizabeth". It means "God is gracious, God is my oath." Good name.

My brother Joe told us that we should consider doing a statistical analysis of the frequency of names in both of our families, so that is what I did. These names are JUST for direct ancestors, so grandparents, both first and middle names. Not siblings' names. It goes back about 5 generations on each side. Also, I omitted a few of the Scandinavian "middle" names - they really aren't middle names at all. "Jens Petersen Jensen" or something like that. I didn't count Petersen because that's just not a possibility for a middle name.

If there is no middle name listed, it's because it only got 1 vote.

Note that Jane Elizabeth is the third most popular choice, if you switch first and middle names!

MOST COMMON FIRST AND MIDDLE NAMES FROM BOTH CHALLIS AND VASICEK FAMILIES' ANCESTORS:
1. John John (sheesh. We're definitely not naming somebody "John John"!)
2. James Edward
3. William William (or William William!)
4. Daniel
5. Thomas

1. Mary Ann
2. Ann Marie
3. Elizabeth Jane
4. Sarah Elizabeth
5. Elizabeth Kristine

MOST COMMON FIRST AND MIDDLE NAMES FROM CHALLIS FAMILY'S ANCESTORS:
1. John John
2. Daniel
3. George
4. Thomas
5. William

1. Mary Ann
2. Anna Jane
3. Elizabeth Maria
4. Margaret
5. Sarah

MOST COMMON FIRST AND MIDDLE NAMES FROM VASICEK FAMILY'S ANCESTORS:
1. John
2. James
3.Charles
4. Hans
5. Joseph

1. Ann Marie
2. Mary Ann
3. Nancy Elizabeth
4. Eliza Kristine
5. Mette

Family names that I absolutely LOVE:
(not sure how to combine these, but I love all of them!)
Sophronia - except that Danny absolutely vetoes this name. I can live with the compromise of Sophie; that's what we'd call her anyway. Sophia or Sophie.

Isabella - this name is entirely from Danny's side of the family, but it's beautiful. You could call her Bella for short.

Sarah - the problem with naming a daughter "Sarah" is that I'd have to name another one "Dorothea" or my other sister will feel totally discriminated against!

Anna - Danny and I both agree that we want a daughter named either Anne or Anna. It's so often put as a middle name, but it's such a great first name!

Priscilla - I know that somebody else in the family really likes the name "Mary Priscilla." I like "Anna Priscilla." This is definitely a middle name.

Top Favorite Names for our Future Kids
(as of 5/16/09)
1. Daniel Edward - it's a tradition for the first son in Danny's family to be "Dan" or "Daniel" or "Danny". I don't know what we'll call him. "Dan" is...my father in law! How could I call a baby that? We'll just see.
2. Fredrick William - we love this name! Fred or Freddy for short.
3. James - my issue is that if we have a daughter named "Jane" and a son named "James" - that may be confusing.
4. John - and we definitely will have to have either "James" or "John", but not both because I don't like the name "Peter" that much.
5. Isaiah - both Danny and I like this name.

1. Jane Elizabeth - our favorite name, by far.
2. Eve Marie - our second favorite name, by far. It's kind of suspense-less, having already picked out this name for our second baby girl. Danny and I both really love it. We would call her Eve Marie, by both names. That's a tradition in Danny's family - Ruth Ann, Mary Lynn, etc. I like the sound of this name a lot.
3. Cora Madeline - this name is so beautiful! It's after one of my great grandmother's on my grandma Vasicek's side. We would probably call her "Coraline" for short. Yeah, we did see the Tim Burton film, and thought it was awesome; but we had actually picked out this name before we saw it.
4. Anne - or possibly "Anna". Anna Isabella, Anna Priscilla, Anna Sophia...I don't know.
5. Isabella or Sophia - these are tied for how much I like them. The first would be "Bella", the second "Sophie."

Why Ogden Nash is my favorite poet

Ogden Nash is definitely one of my all-time favorite poets. Here are some of his best works that crack me up:

The Perfect Husband
He tells you when you've got on
too much lipstick
And helps you with your girdle
when your hips stick.

The Shrimp
A shrimp who sought his lady shrimp
Could catch no glimpse
Not even a glimp.
At times, translucence
Is rather a nuisance.

The Turtle
The turtle lives 'twixt plated decks
Which practically conceal its sex.
I think it clever of the turtle
In such a fix to be so fertile.

The Cuckoo
Cuckoos lead Bohemian lives,
They fail as husbands and as wives,
Therefore they cynically disparage
Everybody else's marriage.

The Firefly
The firefly's flame
Is something for which science has no name
I can think of nothing eerier
Than flying around with an unidentified glow on a
person's posteerier.

The Guppy
Whales have calves,
Cats have kittens,
Bears have cubs,
Bats have bittens,
Swans have cygnets,
Seals have puppies,
But guppies just have little guppies.

The Hippopotamus
Behold the hippopotamus!
We laugh at how he looks to us,
And yet in moments dank and grim,
I wonder how we look to him.

Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!
We really look all right to us,
As you no doubt delight the eye
Of other hippopotami.

The Lion
Oh, weep for Mr. and Mrs. Bryan!
He was eaten by a lion;
Following which, the lion's lioness
Up and swallowed Bryan's Bryaness.

The Romantic Age
This one is entering her teens,
Ripe for sentimental scenes,
Has picked a gangling unripe male,
Sees herself in bridal veil,
Presses lips and tosses head,
Declares she's not too young to wed,
Informs you pertly you forget
Romeo and Juliet.
Do not argue, do not shout;
Remind her how that one turned out.

Samson Agonistes
I test my bath before I sit,
And I'm always moved to wonderment
That what chills the finger not a bit
Is so frigid upon the fundament.

Lather as you Go
Beneath this slab
John Brown is stowed.
He watched the ads
And not the road.

Celery
Celery, raw
Develops the jaw,
But celery, stewed,
Is more quietly chewed.


...and here's the one that was me and Danny's favorite:


A Word to Husbands
To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;
Whenever you’re right, shut up.