Name that Blog

What’s in a name, really? I mean, besides a bunch of letters or sounds strung together to make a word. Does a rose by any other name really smell as sweet?
Would the most famous love story in the world be as poignant if it was called Romeo and Gertrude? Why is what we call ourselves so important?”
― Julie Kagawa

You may wonder how this blog came to be called Two Blue Boots. The answer is a long story. The name did not come easily. I had to embark on a challenging quest to discover something unique, relevant, catchy and meaningful.

My first approach to blog-naming was to simply sit and wait – outside in nature. It was my fervent hope that perhaps some profound words would arrive on the wind and partake in some type of mystic dance with my intuition. I assumed that as I listened to the babbling of the brook and the buzz of the bees, mysterious words would be whispered into my ear by an ancient Indian Spirit (or the like) – universal words, symbolic of peace or joy. When days passed and there were no blog name revelations, I realized this passive plan was futile.

Next, I decided to take a closer look at the names of some of my favourite blogs. Perhaps this would help me to create a clever “play on words” – an artful alliteration – a playful pun. Clutter Free Classroom is one of my go-to teaching blogs. The title is self-explanatory. The words in the name are crisp and efficient sounding. The name brings up an image of a perfectly organized classroom with an efficient teacher at the helm. Read this blog and you’ll be a perfect teacher too!

Swissmiss is the popular blog belonging to Tina Roth Eisenberg. She is a designer who owns a studio in New York City. She reports on innovative products and new projects. Because Tina is formerly from Switzerland, her moniker is very appropriate.

A Cup of Jo is another famous blog compiled by Joanna Goddard. She is a former magazine writer and she blogs about everything from fashion and beauty to travel and relationships. When you read her blog, you have the feeling that you’re skimming through the pages of a magazine, while enjoying a cup of coffee. So her blog name is perfect.

Grumbles and Grunts is a well-known “Mommy” blog addressing the trials and tribulations of motherhood. I can only imagine how that blog name relates to the subject matter.

But after assessing all the blog names that I could find, I still couldn’t come up with something uniquely personal. I was starting to get discouraged.

I decided to embark on some online research. I discovered a handy tool called the SPIN X0 Blog Name Generator. The instructions seemed simple enough – just fill in the following blanks:

Name or Nickname: Woody (don’t ask)

What are you like? funny (sometimes)

Hobbies: yoga (is that a hobby?)

Things you like: flea markets (collecting junk)

Important Word: curiosity (being nosy)

Numbers: 54 (guess why I chose that number)

Next, I was instructed to click on a large yellow SPIN button and wait for the magic to happen. Within seconds, the Blog Name Generator had created 78 name suggestions. This is a small sampling of the possibilities: Dunny Funny, Teenie Flea, Curiousity Wood, Flenser Flea, and Wood Mud?? I was not impressed. I clicked the SPIN button again to hatch a fresh batch of options. Round 2 produced Woodcut Woody, Solid Flea, Funny Pinch, Yoga 54, and Broody Woody?? I sadly concluded that the Blog Name Generator was not helpful. What kind of readership would I possibly attract with the name Wood Mud or Funny Pinch? Pinches are not funny!

The answer was finally provided to me quite serendipitously, with the aid of Charlie Brown (resident yellow Lab). After wrestling one of my boots from his mouth and tossing it back into the closet, I had an epiphany. My electric-blue Doc Martin boots have been my trademark footwear for the past several years. The grade eight students taught me how to “rock my docks” by rolling down the top edges and leaving the laces lazily askew. They flash me the thumbs-up sign whenever I wear them.

The kindergarten students love my “shiny shoes” and ask if they can touch them. Perfect strangers stop me in the street to ask me about my boots. They want to know where I bought them and then will often proceed to share a story about their own favourite boots.

What could be a more perfect blog name than Two Blue Boots? The boots symbolize my sense of humour, my sense of style, and my sense of adventure. They represent the road I walk and the wonderful people I meet along the way. My boots will continue to have many tales to tell over the years, as I enjoy life “in the hills.”

So now you know the story. I told you it was a long one.