Poll Results

Do you like your own name?
yes 76%
no 23%

Fewer people voted on this poll than have voted on any others. But, of the people who did vote, the majority did like their own name. I wonder how many of those people who do like their name would say it was one of their favorite words in the English language?

My name is unusual but, over the years, I have come to love it. It has taken some time. Growing up, it was a real pain to have a name that no teacher could pronounce, and many seemed unmotivated to try. Many a teacher spent an entire school year referring to me as Ma-REE-ka or MER-i-ka. Even after three years of working together, my boss (and friend) calls me Mar-ka. As a result, it is now very easy for me to tell when somebody avoids saying my name.

Originally my parents were going to name me Carmen. Then, one day my father read about a Filipino boy in the newspaper. This boy's name was Mariko. My parents decided to change the o to an a and my life as Marika began. My love of this name grew after meeting Nathan. He has told me repeatedly how much he loves my name and how special it is. It helps to have other people sing the praises of your name!

I have this wonderful book about names called The Secret Universe of Names. In it, there are page-long descriptions that sum up the characteristics of people with certain consonant combinations in their names. For example, BRN names like Bernie(!), Brianna(!), Brian, Bernice, Byron etc. are 'The Eloquent'. The description describes behaviors exhibited by these kinds of people, their attitudes, desires, careers, feelings, and ambitions. Each page includes the profile of one famous person and three positive and three negative words words these people are characterized by. In the case of the BRN names, they are considered to be comfortable, affectionate, philosophical, as well as reticent, preachy, and stubborn.

When I read the description of people with MRK, I thought it was one of the most accurate descriptions of myself that I have ever read. MRKs are known as 'The Strong-Willed' and their descriptors are generous, motivated, stable, and impatient, hardheaded, and possessive.

I am fascinated by this stuff!

Here are the positive descriptors for the some of my more faithful readers:

DD names (Dede)- 'The Diffident' ... kind, supportive, and obliging

SR names (Sarah)- 'The Versatile' ... multi-talented, caring, and strong-minded

MG names (Megan)- 'The Motivated'... direct, unpretentious, and well-meaning

SHR names (Shera)- 'The Surprising'... giving, vigorous, and spontaneous

ERN names (Erin)- 'The Resolute'... unassuming, sympathetic, and demure

DN names (Danica)- 'The Daring'... idealistic, faithful, and devoted

LRN names (Lauren)- 'The Compliant'... childlike, attentive, and loving

LNR names (Leonard)- 'The Vital'... demonstrative, unconventional, and dynamic

KRN names (Karen)- 'The Modest'... confident, focused, and persevering

RCH names (Rachel)- 'The Imaginative'... versatile, contemplative, practical

RK names (Raquel)- 'The Debonair'... bold, intelligent, and quick-thinking

NN names (Nan)- 'The Cherished'... loving, inspiring, and steady

TR names (Terry)- 'The Brisk'... energetic, approachable, and humorous

S names (Sue)- 'The Unexplained'... tenacious, capable, and objective

AND names (Andrea)- 'The Cynic'... strong, introspective, and aware

LND names (Lindsay)- 'The Comforting'... creative, composed, and giving

and some others that I think people might be interested in (insert wink here)...

JM names- 'The Sterling'... stable, bright, talented

LN names- 'The Caretaker'... simple, confident, and encouraging

CHRS names- 'The Enthusiastic'... playful, altruistic, and affectionate

Poll Results

How do you know me?

I don't (i.e. we've never met) 1 (4%)

I'm in your family 4 (18%)

I'm in Nathan's family 3 (13%)

I'm a friend of yours 12 (54%)

I'm a friend of Nathan's 2 (9%)

I'm a friend of a friend 2 (9%)

I go to church with you 2 (9%)

Thanks for reading!

Poll Results

What do you most hope to find when you check this blog?

(you can choose more than one answer)

pictures 90%

quotes of the day 27%

book reviews 22%

personal stories 95%

recipes 18%

literacy information 13%

other 0%

I'm very interested in knowing why people check my blog. I know why I check my friends' blogs- I love to feel connected to their lives and know what they are doing/thinking about. But most of my blogging friends are people I also talk to regularly (either in person, on the phone, or over e-mail). So we communicate in other ways as well. There are some blogs I check that belong to people that I don't know. I'm not as regular about checking those as I am about checking my friends' blogs, but I still check them frequently. I usually like those blogs because the person writes about books, the person is a teacher or literacy coach, the person who writes the blog is HILARIOUS, or the person is a friend of a friend (although I don't check many of these).

It's interesting to read that people like the personal stories on my blog the most. For me, these are the most difficult to write. Blogging, especially about personal things, can make me feel extremely vulnerable. I plan to write more about this and my mixed emotions about blogging in a later post...

I'm glad so many people like my pictures! I am having more and more fun taking and posting pictures and since I use this blog as a record of my life, it has taken the place of scrapbooking for me and so it becomes essential to me that I include the pictures I take on the blog.

The most interesting thing about this particular poll was that so few people voted for the quotes of the day. I also don't get many comments about the quotes of the day on the actual blog, yet those are the posts that are mentioned the most to me in personal conversations. At my family reunion, my uncle mentioned the quotes "from my kids" as being the single reason he checked my blog. Interesting.

I am intrigued by my readers and plan to ask more poll questions to get to know YOU. So, please vote and, as always, write a comment!!

Poll Results

Is it ever okay to spy on your child?

Absolutely not! No, never. 0%

Only if my child has done something to lose my trust. 11%

It's okay to take a peek now and then. 61%

Yes! As long as the child lives under my roof, I have every right to know. 27%

I have to admit that I was a bit surprised at these poll results. I guess spying on your kids is not as big a moral dilemma as I thought! As I mentioned in a previous post, a recent book that I read addressed this issue and made it seem as though spying on your teenager was quite questionable.

Now, I personally fall into the category that 'as long as the child lives under my roof...' I should get to know it all. But I thought I was the exception and I'm glad to see that I'm not. Nathan thinks that it's only okay to spy if the child has done something to lose trust. It's good we're talking about this now, so when our newborn comes into the world (No, I'm not making any kind of special announcement. Geez, guys!), we'll be prepared!

I figure we'll be comprising by me taking a peek now and then.

Moral Dilemma: The Poll Results

I have a friend who has recently returned to college. To save a little money on textbooks, she buys her books online. She ordered a textbook for her math class after reading a description that included the statement, "may contain some of the answers." Thinking this meant that some of the problems had been worked out in the book itself by a previous student, she wasn't concerned. When the textbook arrived, it was the teacher's edition.

To buy another book costs money.

Approaching the professor means that the professor might wonder about every assignment she completes (even if she doesn't use the book).

She's an honest girl but math isn't her favorite subject.

What should she do?

Poll Results:

Immediately get rid of the teacher's edition and buy a new textbook- 0%

Explain to the professor and find out if you can use it-25%

Buy a student edition, but keep the teacher's edition as a "resource"- 66%

Keep it and use it and hope the professor doesn't notice- 8%

Nerd/Free Spirit Poll

The results are in, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't sure if she is a nerd or a free spirit. Forty-one percent of the 17 people who voted consider themselves a nerd. Thirty-five are free spirits and twenty-three percent are like me and are not sure. I'm not sure where the other one percent went but I double checked four times and that's what the computer calculated. Thanks for participating! :)