the evening's deep contemplations

[kaigou]

Discussing the newest member of the horde, Zaizai, a 7mos old orange tabby.

Me: I think Zaizai's going to end up like the Monster. Low, and round.
CP: I suspect he's going to end up like Balto. Low, and dense.
Me: Balto is dense in more ways than one.
CP: Balto, does your head have a low specific gravity?


I wanted to name him Zai-Tian [在甜] as a play on honey/sweet, being an orange-tabby, but CP thought that sounded too much like zai-jian -- "goodbye" or "see you later". Desperation made me remember the nickname Zaizai, which means "little child" ... but first tone means "calamity" -- as in the kind created by mudslides, tornadoes, and small rampaging kittens. Naturally, the name's already been mangled by CP, into Zoomzoom. Pictures forthcoming.

ETA: I don't know why I bother naming animals, actually. Odetta became Bonehead, and Saimhain became Pigtail, Kiku became Squeaky (and sometimes, Squeaky Monster, and sometimes, just plain Monster), Sachiko became Flake (and sometimes, Coyote Girl), Balto became Little Red Nutball (and sometimes Goofball), and Baccano became Bakabaka. Now Zaizai is already Zoomzoom, but with a meow that sounds like an engine cranked against its bearings, he's rapidly becoming Creaky. Soon, I'm sure, to be Little Monster. Why do I even bother?

Comments

[hollyberries]

Is it a bad sign when I saw 'Zai-zai' and immediately thought about Vic Zhou? (It's the nickname Chinese fans use the most often.) And the Zai-tian reference really doesn't help. :P

In other news: CATS. *___*

[kaigou]

The actor was the second place I came across the nickname. (I think the first time was in one of the Chinese novels I'd read -- it was a doubling long-i sound, at least.) The shelter named the poor guy "Rusty," and if there's a worse name for a cat, I can't think of one -- not to mention, rust = bad, after my time as a mechanic!

Since we already have two Japanese-named critters (Kiku and Sachiko), one Hispanic-named (Baltazar), and one Italian (Baccano), I figured we needed a change... but Tianmi sounded too... off, somehow. And I didn't want to use a similar first consonant, because poor Balto is already confused enough when I call for Baccano. (For Balto, anything that starts with "buh" or ends with "ohhh" is him.) Thing is, I don't know enough about the cadence of name-picking, so I knew I'd need to go with an existing name, which meant I spent an afternoon flipping back and forth between actor/character names in d-wiki and my dictionary, trying to find something with a good meaning that would also not drive our local vet bonkers. In the end, I gave up and went with a doubling. Just plain easier, and I liked the double implication.

(I learned my lesson about not making it hard on vets, after having a beagle named Saimhain. She came to us only a few days before Halloween, so we gave her the gaelic word for the holiday... and then spent twelve years explaining to every new vet, "it's sah-ven, like seven but with an 'ah' sound." Nearly all her records had her name, followed by a how-to-say-it notation. Sheesh.)

Honestly, I don't know why I didn't stick to known, if old-fashioned names, like Odetta. Simple, straightforward, and never mispronounced. A'course, at 100lbs, ain't no one was gonna mispronounce her name. Something about impressive-sized dogs makes people pay attention.

[kaigou]

I should note that we almost named Kiku a name suggested by a Chinese friend, and when she said the name it was really very pretty. But when you say it as Americans would say it (totally uninflected, or worse, dipthong'd by Southern accent), it sounded... well, the first time I said the name, CP's response was, "I bet some penicillin would clear that right up."

Yet another example of why I often say, I live with this.

[taithe]

My family got a cat for the first time and after a couple months of name-mangling, we ended up with at least five different names for her, all of which are used on a regular basis.

Zaizai is pretty awesome. Is the Monster a fellow cat as well? It's alarming how quickly they become low and round.

[kaigou]

Yes, the Monster is a part-manx tabby, shaped about like a bowling ball. And maybe a little bigger than a bowling ball. Indoors, she's the Monster; outdoors, she's our self-propelled lawn ornament.

As for low and round... Baccano is about a 1 & 1/2 yrs old now, and he's still lean and slinky, but he weighs only a little less than Kiku the Monster. He's just pure muscle, but he's not stocky at all. Based on the way the newest addition is built -- with majorly short legs, bwahaha -- Zaizai looks like he's going to be a stocky little guy.

What's hysterical is that Zaizai keeps lying on the sofa and swatting at the dogs as they go past -- except with such short legs, he can't swat very far. So he has to lean into it, and as a result, keeps over-balancing and falling off the sofa.

[dragonhand]

Oh yes, that is hysterical. Kittens are wonderful. And annoying. And hilarious. And did I mention wonderful? ^__^ Congratulations on the new addition.

[kaigou]

Believe me, Baka's spent the past week thinking the addition is anything but wonderful. Now, of course, he seems to find reasons to be around the kitten a great deal. Awful suspicious, if you ask me.

(Not that Zai-zai is perturbed; his idea of fun is running around behind Baka, and if he can get close enough, LEAPING with front legs outstretched like he's heading in for a flying tackle-hug. Baka evades at the last second, but Zaizai continues to chase! Damn kid ain't got no nerve endings, I swear. If it moves, he'll demand love from it.)