31 weeks: tom, dick or harry?

Jeff here and we had so many great girl names. Really cute ones. Can't tell you them. They've been put on ice, in case we need them next time.

Boy names are tough. I feel the need to avoid the newer, trendier names for boys. They end up too cutesy and effeminate. Parker, Forrest, Cole, River. They sound like characters from a soap opera. My sister recommended Quinn and Gray. I reminded her it's a boy.

Crazier than the soap opera names are the Hollywood names. Apple, Suri, Pilot Inspektor (Jason Lee's kid), Rebel, Rocket and Racer (Robert Rodriguez's boys). Stars seem to need their children to be different and special. After all, they're a reflection of their different, special parents.

Names like Jack and Max are good. Maybe too good for their own good. So popular, soon there'll be ten Jacks in every class. And people are naming their dogs Max at this point.

I like more traditional names. Problem with them is that you probably already know someone who has that name. I like Ben but Theresa doesn't, all because she knew a Ben in Junior High who was a jerk. See what I mean?
I like Hank, but I have a nephew named Henry. He's not a jerk, but you can't pile up names in the family.
I love Will, but my brother Ken hogged that name too. He's always had good taste.
We like Sid, but we have a niece named Sydney.
I really like Sam, but Theresa's best friend's husband is named Sam. Not sure why that dumps it out. He's not in our family. But it does.

Naming our son after a favorite artist, writer or historical figure is appealing too. Pablo Picasso, Gustav Klimt, Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse (curse you, Ken!), Dashiell Hammett, Jimmy Stewart. Franklin, Abraham, Thomas, Benjamin. Ernest is good. Ernest would give us Hemingway, Guevera, and the Ernies from Sesame Street AND It's a Wonderful Life! A lot of power in Ernie.

I like one-syllable names that end in K for some reason. Nick, Jake, Mac, Hank, Luke. A pleasant harshness in that quick, hard K.
Jake Jarka would be good. Sounds so improbable, like a fictional character.
Nick Jarka sounds like a 1930's gumshoe. But in a good way. Nick Jarka... gun for hire. Then, if he's a senator, he can be Nicholas Jarka. The name works with either profession. If my boy becomes a private detective or a US senator, he's covered.

The double J sound is intriguing too. Jake Jarka. Django Jarka. Jack Jarka. Gene Jarka. Jim Jarka. John Jarka.

This poor kid. We'll do better with his sister.