What's In A Name?

"You don't look like a Caitlin."

It was suggested to me at a party this past weekend that my name did not appear to be my name. Cait seemed more appropriate, but still not quite right. We never got around to what they thought my name should be, but it made me think: "What's in a name?"

I've always like my name. It's unique. It's far more common than it used to be, however. In my two year master's program, there are three "Caitlin's" alone. All spelled the same way, which is unique in itself.

My mom, as the story goes, name me after a character found in the comics. "Katy Keene." She was a little bit before my time, but I've seen a comic here and there of her within my brother's extensive Archie comics collection.

My middle names come from my family predecessors. Emma from my father's side and Joyce from my mother's (a middle name which I share with her).

I've always enjoyed the flow of my name and worry that I'm going to eventually marry someone whose last name will throw everything out of whack. My mother assures me that the best choice is to retain my maiden name to avoid mounds of paperwork and future headaches.

I've always enjoyed what my name means. Where my brother's name references something that has no bearing in his life (Christopher means "Christ-bearer" and religion is not a subject that speaks to him.), my name, which may not entirely be descriptive, definitely represents an ideal I'd like to achieve.

Caitlin means "pure." It's a Gaelic/Irish form of K/Catherine. Emma means "universal" and is an old German name. Joyce means "joy" or "cheer." How lovely. "Pure universal joy." If there is a better ideal to live up to, I don't know it. My last name actually means "sheriff" or "leader" which I've always enjoyed. It gives me the sensation of power, even though I may not actually hold it.

So what's in a name?

What's in your names, dear readers?

Cait

Down Goes the NHL All-Star Oilers Game

Hello Sports Fans!

So the title of this little blog is slightly confusing ("Oilers" and "All-Star" all in one sentence? Ridiculous!) But not really. I've got another hockey themed blog for you all. Today, I'm going to discuss the All-Star Game, the Edmonton Oilers, and provide a link to my favourite NHL themed blog.

1) NHL All-Star Game
     Captains have been chose and aging Nicklas Lidstrom and young-gun Eric Staal have been chosen to lead their respective teams. I won't bore you with the topical "Will Sid the Kid participate?" tirade. Gone is the traditional format of East v. West. On January 28th, 2011, Staal and Lidstrom will be choosing their teams in a school yard type draft (if school yard teams were chosen on national television with talking heads analyzing who is most popular and who is the loser who will get chosen last).
     Oilers Ales Hemsky, concussion permitting, will be one of the guys chosen and I expect him to go closer to the end, or at least the end of the middle, of the pack. I'm extremely interested in seeing whether the superstar we all expect Hemsky to be will be able to show his face. Is Hemsky's problem the fact that he very rarely has players on his line to play to his potential, or is he just extremely hard to play with in general? Not that All-Star games have a history of genuinely showcasing all-star talent, but it'll be interesting to see who he plays with, and how well they click together.

2) The Edmonton Oilers
     I'm going to live in the past for a few paragraphs here. The Oilers lack a cohesive strategy for winning. They lack heart. They lack grit (they play exponentially better when they play tough). They lack the leadership the young guys need in the dressing room and on the ice. They lack someone who drives straight to the net to grab rebounds or redirect shots across or in front of the crease. We had all these things, once upon a time. These traits now stake their claim on the left wing of the Los Angeles Kings with #94 Ryan Smyth. 
     Yes, I know. I'm a little bit biased. Anyone who knows me knows I like the nickname Smitty (spelled without a 'y' in my case because I am not, after all, the real deal). They know all my jersey's bear the 94 on their backs. They know Captain Canada is my home boy. But honestly. Since Smyth was traded on February 27, 2007, our team has lacked heart, grit, leadership, and cohesion. No one has stepped into his skates, and the Oilers desperately need someone who can provide all those attributes. We all know Shawn Horcoff can't!

3) Down Goes Brown

     If you're interested in an extremely funny and glaringly accurate NHL blog to follow, I highly suggest "Down Goes Brown."Written by a Leafs fan who know the dire situation of his home team, he makes some pointed and comedic comments on all aspects of the game from suspensions, Gary Bettman, Chris Pronger, and sports commentators.

And that's the ball game!

Cait

Nothing at all...

Hello all,

You know, I sat down to write my blog for the week and discovered I had nothing I really wanted to talk about. My mother asked me if I'd written this week's blog ( at least I know someone is reading me!) and I said I had one more day to think about it. That day is up and I really have nothing.

I like lists. I'm going with a sort of stream of consciousness thing today to get over my inability to think of something to write. So here's a list of things I don't have anything to say about:

1) I'm going home for reading week!

Wioo! I was torn. My wonderful parents offered me all sorts of choices. New York, Quebec City, Vancouver, Vegas. I narrowed it down to Vancouver and Edmonton. The only thing holding me up was the fact that in one place (Edmonton) is my brother and newly minted fiance, friends, home. In Vancouver would be my parents. It was such a hard decision. It shocks me how such a simple decision can make my life come to an utter and complete standstill. Life literally stopped for about two hours while I made my decision. But I'm going home. So Wioo! (And Mom is flying home so I'll see her. Unfortunately there will not be any father-daughter time :(

2) Internships

The next chapter of my life is about to begin. I've got to decide where I want to spend my summer internship. With the federal public service? The Toronto Board of Trade? The Martin Prosperity Institute? Applications open January 25th, so I'll keep you informed. In the mean time, it's time to start updating the ol' resume.

3)

It's looking extremely wintery in Toronto today. Tons of snow, soft, white, fluffy. Makes it feel like home. Love it! I posted this photo to my facebook site. Unfortunately, I have no idea where this is (I StumbledUpon it), but I want to die on this bench in the middle of the winter.

Breathtaking!

Cait

A New Year

Well hello and welcome to 2011!

Well, two weeks went by super quickly. Too quickly. I wrote this while on the plane home yesterday while flying over Michigan. What better time to reflect on my holidays and prepare for the New Year?

1) There's nothing like coming home.
      Flying in to the Edmonton International Airport was an experience I'd never experienced before. Sure, I've made that landing at least a dozen times before, but this time was different. Special. I had tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn't stop smiling. I was home again. I enjoyed two weeks of family, friends, hockey in my home stadium, good steak, late night TV marathons (just because I could), brunch, lunch, and dinner outings, shopping at the world's biggest mall where every store was packed with Christmas shoppers, cuddling with my cat, remembering how funny my dogs are, seeing old musical theatre friends and deeply regretting my inability to participate in this year's production of "Kiss Me Kate!", and just plain living life to the fullest.

2) There's nothing like leaving home either.
      I had a 7:00am flight on Sunday morning. Taking off, I again had a little tear welled up in these eyes of mine. I'm going to miss most of everything above (Christmas shopper's excluded), but most of all it'll be family, friends, snow, real honest-to-God winter, hockey at Rexall Place, streets that I know like the back of my hand, driving, spending my birthday with my brother, and just being home.

3) Resolutions are not futile

      a.) Reach my goal weight
September through December was not a very productive time period for me on this front. It's time to get back into good habits (aka: cut back on alcohol and pub food and insert more fruits and veggies). I received some gym classes from my parents for Christmas (Items that were on my Christmas list, just so you don't think they're trying to send me a message!). I'm going to put them to good use.

      b.) Do more extra-curricular writing
I've been neglecting this blog. No more! I've promised friends that I'd write weekly and I intend to keep that promise. I also want to get back to my fiction stuff. I have a few ideas in my head that I hope I can really bring to fruition this year.

      c.) Study harder!
I know, I make this resolution every year, and it's pretty cliche for a university student, but I must face facts. I must work harder!

So I look forward to seeing you all weekly from here on out!

Happy New Year!

Cait