I’m sure that I’ve just committed some form of heresy by typing the title of this entry.  If any of the 2 or 3 of you who read these posts take offense, please accept my apologies.

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet stands at her balcony pining for her love – and family enemy – Romeo.  She says,

‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

(So, how impressed are you that I typed that up from memory? Huh?  Not bad, right?  I can’t remember the act/scene/etc., but I remember the lines! I had an acting instructor in 1993 who made me do a “Juliet monologue” for our Shakespeare assignment.  I was pissed because I wanted to do something from a different play – an older, stronger woman.  So I said, “Fine.  Then get ready for the most overdone monologue – I’m doing the balcony scene!”  I nailed it, by the way. 🙂 )

So, Juliet tends to think that names don’t matter. But I disagree.  As does Anne Shirley, of Green Gables who says, “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.”   Well said, Anne!  Er…well said, Lucy Maud Montgomery!

The right name is essential! 

Authors – Do you just slap any old title on your novel and call it done? (“A Novel” by Me or “A Romance” by Me.) Someone should slap your editor if you’re allowed to do that.

Scholars – Do you title every paper, thesis, presentation, or dissertation “A Study of Stuff” and then head to happy hour?  (No, because there’s no colon in the title.  And there must be a colon.)

Parents – Do you call your kids “Boy” and “Girl”?  And what if you have more than one boy?  Do you name them “Boy 1” and “Boy 2”?  I mean, it’s very Suessian of you, but it’s not really practical, is it?

Names matter.

Thus, I come to the point of this entry.  (OMG, FINALLY!)

I need a new name for my website/blog.

“Frivolous Views” just doesn’t cut it for me.  I don’t think it’s suitable.  I mean, yeah, at one time it was all pretty frivolous.  But I pay for this site now.  I want to make it more viable and more interesting (and work up to 5 readers from the 2 or 3 I have now).

I guess I’m asking for your help.  And if I’m going to do that, I should give you more to go on.  What do I want this site to be/do/mean?

Well:

• I’d eventually like to post some book reviews.
• I’d like to post some movie reviews.
• I plan on recapping DWTS with my mother for season 14 – just for fun.
• I want to post things that are evocative and provocative – I want to start discussions.
• I want the site to be as politically neutral as possible – while I want to start discussions, I don’t want to incite riots.  And politics will do that.
• I want the site to be fun and interesting.
• Eventually, I will include some of my genealogy research.

I’m sure there’s more I could add, but I can’t think of anything.

So…what do you think?  What new name should I use to rechristen my site?

Alright, let’s be clear, I’m not asking for you to actually name the site. Ultimately, that responsibility is mine.  But perhaps you can give me some ideas or directions.

Remember an earlier post of mine – “If I were artsy-fartsy, I’d probably have a better blog“?  Yeah, reference that and you’ll understand why I’m asking for help. 🙂