What's the first thing that comes to mind when I say....

[pbray]

[Poll #1053571]


In other news, class continues to be interesting. Last night was Physical Evidence, and next week is Interviews & Interrogation techniques. I can already see applications for this at the day job :-)

Comments

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

Really, what came to mind when I saw "Aetna" was "Athena", because "Aetna" didn't mean anything in particular to me, so I transposed it into something that did. :)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Hmm, Athena would actually work in this context. Wanders off to ponder....

[dynastic-queen.livejournal.com]

Other: a volcano in Italy that's supposed to be spelled Etna (NOT being a smartass, honest! :)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

:-) Many dictionaries list Aetna as an alternate spelling for Etna, and it can be found on antique maps as Aetna was the name used in Roman times.

Personally I prefer the "Ae" to "E" but I suspect that the name itself is too strongly tied to insurance and will need to be scrapped.

[dynastic-queen.livejournal.com]

Yes, a shame, because I like the "Ae" spelling much better. It has more uumph, if you will. :)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

We should be able to rearrange universe to suit ourselves! The heck with standardized spellings.

[allaboutm-e.livejournal.com]

It helps if one has a good local pizza joint names "Aetna." :)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

:-)

[scbutler.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised there were so few volcano answers, because the way the question's written, that's the first thing that should come to mind. Reading the entire question, my second thought was that the question was rigged.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Well I was hoping for more volcano/fewer insurance answers. I know that's my personal skew since I was born in Hartford, Connecticut, insurance capital of the world, but was wondering what associations others had with the name.

I really like it for the name of a town, but suspect I'll wind up changing it. Ah well. Why obsess over plot or character arcs when I can tie myself into knots about the name of a town?

[elizabeth-welsh.livejournal.com]

How about Aerna. It's a small difference, but seems townish in a mystical sort of way

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Not quite what I need--I'm going for a classical Greek/Roman feel. I may use Athena as mizkit had suggested.

[chichiri-no-da.livejournal.com]

I had absolutely nothing come to mind when I heard that name. I'd never heard of the volcano in Italy, and I have no idea why it would be associated with insurance, lol. So I helpfully picked ticky-box. :P

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Ticky-boxes are our friends!

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

I confess, I'm one of the volcano people. Does that make me a hopeless geek?
Today one of the vets who was leaving our tender care told me he was going to Hogansburg, NY. Another said, "Where's that?"
I said, "That's where the Lost Dauphin was hidden."
"See?" said the vet who was going there. "She really does know everything."

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Ooh, cool story about the Lost Dauphin. Wonder if they've ever thought about running DNA tests.

[jjschwabach.livejournal.com]

I don't know... Eliazar Williams was the name he went by. He was adopted by Native Americans and didn't remember anything. Supposedly, one day he was swimming with his brothers, and hit his head, knocking himself out. They saved him from drowning, and he announced that he had a vision involving a high-ceilinged room, and lots of people in silk, music... he apparently gave a very good description of French Court life -- something no 12 year old Onieda kid in the 18th c. should have been able to do. His family contacted newspapers, I guess, and several people came out to cross-examine him. Some people agreed that he was indeed describing the French Court as if he had seen it himself. Others described him as "obviously Indian" and dismissed it as an outright lie or a hallucination brought on by the injury.

Is my brain full of trivia, or what?

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

"Isn't it supposed to be spelled Etna?" with a side of "A volcano in Italy."

Apparently my roots in Sicily trumped my roots in Connecticut on this occasion ;^).

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I hadn't realized you had Connecticut roots--another thing we have in common.

[sylvia-rachel.livejournal.com]

Yup -- my grandmother was born in Middletown, and my mom grew up in Portland. I even know what a package store is! :)

Come to think of it, I have a cousin who sells insurance in Hartford ... not for (A)Etna, though, because I would have remembered that. Who the heck names an insurance company after a volcano? ::scratches head::