Monday Minute: Jean-Luc, Bobby and Me

Kmama is co-hosting the Monday Minute today along with our usual fabulous host,  Ian at The Daily Dose of Reality. So please be neighborly and drop by both of their joints.

The Monday Minute questions for today are...

Drumroll....

1. Who is your "what-if" person? ("what-if" as in "what if I'd married him instead?") - Oh....no. NO, no, no, no, NO. If I were to share my "what-if" person, I would get into SSSOOOOOOOOOOOOO much trouble from SSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people that I'm just NOT gonna go there. Sorry. So how about a Fantasy What-If? Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise.
   Yes, what if I was Mrs. Captain Jean-Luc Picard? We all know that it's lonely out in space (at least that's what Elton John says in Rocket Man), and Captain Picard could certainly use a strong, passionate, intelligent woman to be his rock, his shoulder to cry on, the wind beneath his wings. So to speak. I could be that woman, I could understand the stress of command, the excitement/fear of combat, the exhilaration of exploration. And anyway, bald turns me on.
2. What is your nickname? I have no nickname. Sometimes men and/or lesbians try to call me "Gretch". Which is so attractive. And leads to Gretch the Wretch. Or we could go with Stretchen Gretchen or Retchen Gretchen. Equally attractive. So...no nickname. Though my sweet Daddy used to call me Pinkle. Not sure why.
3. If you could choose how you die, how would you like to die? Many years ago, a friend of mine told me that if she could choose her own death, she would want to be the victim of a political assassination. Isn't that impressive? It was so loaded with drama! First of all, she'd have to be in some sort of position of authority, somehow making a difference in changing the world. She envisioned herself giving a powerful, moving speech, being taken out by an assassin's rifle, then dying in the arms of her many followers while thousands mourned. I'm afraid that my choice would be a bit more banal. I would like to die like Gaynell. Gaynell was Mama's best friend in her later years. When Mama died, Gaynell took a special motherly interest in me, and always called me and worried after me. When Gaynell was in her late 80's, she had a massive and debilitating stroke. She chose not to go on life support, but to just accept what she saw as God's will and go when it was her time. Her family brought her home, dressed her in her prettiest pink nightgown, put her in her bed, surrounded her with all her favorite things - classical music, flowers, pictures of family, scented candles, and waited for her to die. It took about a week. Every day, all of her friends came by and told her goodbye. Through an amazing and fortuitous coincidence (well, I think it was through the hand of God), I was in Austin that week, and was able to go by and say goodbye to her. We talked about how much we both missed Mama, and she told me she'd see her soon. We both cried and we said goodbye. She died softly in her sleep about three days later, surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. THAT'S the way to go.
4. If you could have named yourself, which name would you have picked? All my childhood, I hated my name. Too odd, too hard to spell, too foreign. You have to remember that this was at a time when everybody wanted to be named Susan or Linda. My parents told me that they almost named me Julie, but changed their minds. Which I was okay with until Bobby Sherman came out with "Julie, Do You Love Me?"...
   
   
   Bobby Sherman...sigh...And I spent many nights crying myself to sleep over the unjust tragedy that was "Gretchen". Because no one would EVER right a song about Gretchen. But now I like it. People usually remember it. Would I have named myself Gretchen? Nah, but I'm not really sure what I'd have chosen. In my childhood secret fantasy life, I used to think of myself as "Carly". Which I thought was sporty a sexy and sophisticated and confident. So, I guess that would be what I'd have named myself. Wait? I don't think there's a "Carly" song either. Well, I'll get back to you . Any ideas?
5. Who were you named after or for what reason did your parents choose your name? According to Mama, Daddy came up with it. And it wasn't until after she fell in love with the name that he admitted that he'd had an old girlfriend named Gretchen. Hah! So I guess I was kind of named after Daddy's old girlfriend. But since Gretchen is German for Margaret, I like to think that I was named after my precious Aunt Margaret.

Alright, that's it for Monday. Run over and say hi to Ian.

Comments

[Pseudo]

My parents let my older sister (who was four at the time) name me. Seriously. At least that's what my mom says. However, my name also happens to be the same thing my mom named all her dolls growing up. Go figure.

[Michele]

My daddy named me. That's why it's spelled with only one "l". He didn't know it needed 2. Only time I didn't like it was that first day of roll call at school. Not one teacher got it right. They all called me Michael.

[MommyLisa]

I had to pick "radio" names when I worked in radio. Always for one reason or another I could not be my own name. My brother, Mother and I picked my last one - Julie Davis - then my brother figured out why we subconciously named me Julie - called me at the station and started singing..."My name's not Lisa, My name is Julie..." There are no good Lisa songs either. Mona Lisa? Or that Pauly Shore "Lisa Lisa the girl I a-Dore? Don't think so.

[Erica@Pines Lake Redhead]

Hey Pinkle - I totally agree with you on Capt Jean-Luc Picard. He's on my list of "sexy bald guys."

As for names, my parents had narrowed my name down to Heather or Leslie. Then I came out with red hair and was named for Eric the Red. And there aren't any good nicknames for Erica. Trust me.

[~J]

I can't lie..your what if guy is one in a mill!

[Kmama]

What an amazing answer on #3. And I totally laughed at your answer for #1. Awesome.

[Mama Badger]

No more complaining about names. I'm one of the 1,000's of Jennifers born in 1974. Ugh. And I'm most likely the only one who is named after a relative (how freaking horrible is that???)

Awww, it's nice that you want to be Jean Luc's gravity out there in space.

[VandyJ]

Go unusual names! I also hated mine when I was younger, but like it now.

[Sprite's Keeper]

I hated my name if only for the fact that every other girl in the class was named Jennifer. :-)

[SuziCate]

Trust me you don't want to be a Susan...there were always three or four of us in every class during school. Gretchen is much sexier and more mysterious!

[Lawyer Mom]

Oh wow. I am now praying for a Gaynell ending.

And Gretchen? Your name is lovely.

[Erin]

I love a good death - you described it so well, and surely not a coincidence that you were there. My other half's mother did hers in a similar way - it was on a Saturday afternoon, and everyone in the family happened to be at the house (for various reasons).

Jean-Luc is a great choice- and your name is just lovely.

Great post!!