Tuesday, October 24, 2006

What's In A Name ... Space, Mace & Grace

Growing up as one who hated the TV, I often found myself entertaining myself in a variety of ways...furthermore, even as a kid, I have always had a miserable time falling asleep. I'm not one who 'goes' to sleep. I have to 'fall' asleep. I have to be doing something until I just go. It doesn't matter how tired I may be, as soon as I lay down...BOING! I'm suddenly second or third winded. So, in bed, I will read, draw, write...often with one foot sticking out from under the covers shaking left to right with a vigor that threatens to make the ceiling come down. I've done that since I was a kid, too. When I have read all there is to read in the house & my mind needs to go blank, I'll try to find sleep by making lists. This list-making thing is also a carry-over from my childhood. Oh, the things we do for sleep. (sing-song in my head, like the old 70's song...the thing we do for love)

So...What's In A Name?
These are the letters in my name...
AAA EEE III O BCGHKLLLMNNPPPRS
That's a lot of letters, but each can be used only as many times as it appears above for each word...and this is the list I came up with last night, as I was fading to the paralysis called sleep.
shrimp, primp & limp
apple pies & pralines
manners & banners
places, laces & races
bark, spark, larks, parks
pranks, banks, slank & sank
clasp, hasp & rasp
implies, pries, lies
scallion & onions
rallies & relies
meager & eager
shape & mishapen
hell, shell, repels
slap, happen
maples, oaks, pines & elms
shopper, hopper & chopper
scream, cream & redeem
shrank, crank, plank & prank

linger, singer& ringer
ginger, singe & hinge

cleanse, lense & sense
sleek, meek & shriek
slim, limbs, & grim
prone, cone, bone & lone
skin, prim, sin & brim
reign, lane, mane & gain
millions, billions & gabillions
glimpse, limps, chimps & hemp
shock, locks & rocks
lapse, chasm, brash & crash
slipper, shipper, dipper
pains, gains, slain & plain
space, mace & grace
sigh, high & nigh
palace & malice
spring sprang, ring, rang, sing, sang...
hills, pills, chills...
sleep, peace, again, amen... blink.

24 comments:

mist1 said...

I want you on my Scrabble team.

singleton said...

how many times, how many rhymes...i've done the same thing. Must be the middle name. It just lends itself...throws in the necessary sylllables....But if I were counting, you've stayed awake longer than I could ever dream of! Sleep tight tonight sweet Sib, fall fast!

Nihilistic said...

I so wish I could just fall asleep without having to lay there and stare at the ceiling...

slaghammer said...

I have the same problem. I have to read myself to sleep and I always have one leg sticking out from under the covers. As a kid it was old encyclopedias and nature books, cover to cover, year after year. In a clinch, over-analyzing the ingredients on toothpaste tubes or shaving cream cans would do, anything to distract me long enough to fade away. I don’t read ingredients labels anymore, too scary.

JustRun said...

Wow. That's amazing. I haven't had a problem going to sleep since I started running regularly. There are, however, times when I can't stay asleep because I wake up thinking about lists. It's usually a grocery or to-do list though. :)

M@ said...

SkinnyLady,

Nice writing. You just put me to sleep.

Actually, list-making is one of the earliest forms of American journalism and was the basis for the earliest science of simple classification.

I sometimes make lists of words I should define and even people I might kill, but most commonly I'll make one called "agenda" that enumerates my most urgent priorities.

i.e.

1. Do taxes (2003, 2004, 2005).
2. Go to work today.
3. Remember to feed self.
4. Take garbage out; stinking up hallway....

That sort of thing.

Behind Blue Eyes said...

Have you ever read The Book of Lists? It's one of my favorite books...a lot of fun.

Linka72 said...

Hi skinnylittleblonde, this in Linka72..Belly may have found my blog..I might have to go "underground" for a while and delete the Hate Blog..I'll leave clues..Thanks for reading my blog though!!

Deepak Gopi said...

Hi:)
Nice list.
Cell,Hell,Tell....

Anne said...

I think i'll change my name to something longer so i can make a list too, maybe give myself a title. LOL. I mailed you some candy, Skinny. You should get it around Monday-ish. :)

skinnylittleblonde said...

Mist1~I love scrabble, but DH will never play me :(

Singleton~ You know it...the middle name gives me almost the entire center section of the alphabet, without it I would be left only with words like...hip, hop, hog & pig. I'd never fall asleep! ;)

Nihilistic~ I'd stay up for hrs if I just stared at the ceiling

Slag~ I am of the beleif that you & I are long-lost siblings :) I have read & re-read so many books, pamphlets & packages...I should be a genius.

Justrun~ Perhaps I should exercise more...yoga & kick-boxing aren't as exhaustive as running, especially the miles you trek!

Matt~ Glad I could help you get some shut eye.

Behind Blue Eyes~ I beleive that book is published each year with new lists & yes, I have read many of them. You are right, it is interesting, entertaining & some parts even amazing!

Linka72~ I'm keeping my eyes peeled & ears to the ground ;)

Deepak ~ Thanks for the add-on to my list! :) Although I have no 'T,' so I'll never tell

Anne~ I'm so excited & can't wait & I'll send you some cinnamon toothpicks...with a warning...they are HOT!

shola said...

Oooh, how about each, Reach, beach, and peach?

Word nerd police, arrest us both.

skinnylittleblonde said...

Oh, photo blog girl, LOL ... I love it...being from Florida & now living in Georgia...How Could I have missed that?! That is me...beach reach peach!

Anonymous said...

Same problem with me. I simply cant lie on the bed and go to sleep. I sit in front of my computer till I can no longer keep my eyes open and then Only I would head for the bed.

Me said...

That was simply passionate. Well done!

Me said...

(Being an insomniac myself I relate with you on may levels, especially the restless leg syndrome, which is a medical problem with medical cures. But that would take you away from your lists. I tend to spend my falling away time thinking about writing. It's the only time I get.)

sammyray said...

Wow ... amazing list. I can't believe that many words came out of your name.

I tried that with my name. The only word I could find was dumbass. Then I went to sleep with a gun in my mouth.

Kilroy_60 said...

This is ingenious! It's creative and entertaining. A perfect intro for a first time visitor.

I was pleased to find your comments in my "Things I Found In The Blogosphere" blog. Did you have a look at my main blog? I'll make it easy for you...
Fear and Loathing - The Gonzo Papers

I'm having my one year blogiversary this Sunday. To commemorate it, I'm conducting a Commentathon.

I'd be interested in seeing what you insights you may have for me. I found several posts here I would comment on; I would prefer to follow your lead though.

If you are so inclined, I would be pleased to engage in a link exchange. And will comment if you choose to do so on this post and that one.

I'll look forward to hear from you.

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I once heard of a fellow who could not fall asleep. Seems just as he would drop off then would come a jerking and he would awake. I think he eventually died.
That would be my ideal of HELL!!

Thanks for saving smokie. You are an angel of the night.

Peace

skinnylittleblonde said...

Indianboy ~ oh, I know that feeling. that is often what I do before I climb into bed...then, I begin the ritual of ways to actually fall asleep...reading, foot shaking etc.

Orhan ~ TY. I love you adjectives although, I didn't know I had restless leg syndrome...in fact, I saw a commercial for meds for that & I wondered wtf is that? something new name for a new med theyv'e come up with? lol

SammyRay- Says Ray May Ram Yams

Kilroy~ Thanks for visiting & I'm glad you enjoyed. Glod luck on accumulating comments. I have your one blog linked already(because I like it)so no 'exchange' is neccesary. :) Link if you like...

Goatman ~ Interestingly enough, I just learned that there is a very rare genetic disease, extreme insomnia and the people eventually do die...suffering from paranoia, psychosis, dymentia & major organ failure. I once went with no sleep from my waking on a Wednesday morning to sleeping on Monday night. It would be safe to say that I had altered perceptions (no drugs were involved)
Beyond all that, thanks for bopping by! :)

Anne said...

Hmmm.... Wonder Y all or most of us here seem to be insomniacs? Is it a blogger thing??

singleton said...

I spy another word....
PEACE!

skinnylittleblonde said...

Anne ~ LOL...it sure doesn't seem to be very rare!

Singleton~ I so love you! ...'sleep,peace, please' were the three words that first came to my mind when I thought I should begin a list. I also found 'seek help'...LOL. Original list is pages with columns of words. My full name has 15 in it.

Baron Ectar said...

When I was a kid I would play with a flashlight and be a hell of a terror to my twin sister. Needless to say - most of my allowance was spent on batteries and getting the crap beat out of me by my sister!