What’s In A Name?
Ms. Publicist: Fifteenth of the month, Spence, when we discuss a character name from the Chet and Bernie series, but I know you just got back from the PAW AND ORDER tour, so if you’re feeling too tired we –
Spencer Quinn: Sleep! I defy sleep! But speaking of the tour, sometimes in the Q and A new things arise, and I discover something about the series myself. I think it was at Eagle Harbor Book Co. on Bainbridge Island – great store – where a question about the origin of Chet’s name came up, and it suddenly hit me that Chet has a more dignified name than Bernie.
Ms. P: How did the audience react?
SQ: Nods of agreement. Of course I always see nods of agreement from the audience, whether real or not.
Ms. P: Thanks, Spence. See you next month. Get some sleep!
Welcome to the gallery new friends: Loki; Blackie; Darwin from the UK; Ben from Wales; Monty the labradoodle.
Tags: Bainbridge Is., Eagle Harbor Book Co., What's In A Name
This entry was posted on Friday, August 15th, 2014 at 9:01 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
9:13 am on August 15th, 2014
Good morning, everyone! Chet, plain and simple and dignified? Hey, good looking new friends, welcome. Hey Lefty is on the right this a.m.
Have a flattering Friday.
9:18 am on August 15th, 2014
Freezing here. How can it be only 57°?
9:19 am on August 15th, 2014
Good morning HOH and all.
Spence didn’t really say how he came up with Chet’s name. I guess we can cut him some slack since he is tuckered out.
9:30 am on August 15th, 2014
MPM: in honor of you freezing, the 2 Chet’s friends on the right now have on spiffy red coats 🙂
9:45 am on August 15th, 2014
I’m wondering in what way the name Chet is more dignified than the name Bernie. I like both names.
Good morning all.
10:13 am on August 15th, 2014
“Chet” sounds like a guy playing tennis at a country club. “Bernie” sounds like the groundskeeper.
10:19 am on August 15th, 2014
But “Bernie” is better than “Bernard” which sounds like an elf with a thyroid condition or a large slobbery dog 🙂
10:37 am on August 15th, 2014
Bernie is an Easy Going Name. Bernie and Chet Go Together.
10:49 am on August 15th, 2014
Maybe we should be glad OFA didn’t name them “Gin” and Tonic”.
11:01 am on August 15th, 2014
B&M: You’re right…Spence didn’t answer the question.
But his quip about seeing “nods of agreement from the audience, rather real or not” gave us a smile.
HOH: Way too early for mention of gin and tonic.
11:19 am on August 15th, 2014
Is it Time To Eat?
Why yes, Yes it is.
Your Lunch, My Breakfast.
12:24 pm on August 15th, 2014
12:29 pm on August 15th, 2014
Ok – I admit it. I don’t get it.
12:32 pm on August 15th, 2014
Masquers,we are with T&G. We’re lost 🙁
12:45 pm on August 15th, 2014
umm Masquers,ditto
1:12 pm on August 15th, 2014
H202!…Is hydrogen perocide. If the second scientist would have ordered in this way it might have killed him if the hydrogen perocide would have been full strength (or even less)…snort!
1:13 pm on August 15th, 2014
Really has us thinking. We thought if the second scientist said “I’ll have H2O too (2), maybe that was the formula for and explosive. But H2O2 is merely hydrogen peroxide – fairly harmless.
1:18 pm on August 15th, 2014
Got it! Thanks to the two chemists.
1:19 pm on August 15th, 2014
Human data! It has been stated that although the shortterm exposure tolerance is unknown, it is probably about 75 ppm [AIHA 1957]. Death has resulted in a man who drank 100 ml [Raukhverger and Solodko 1974]…snort!
1:21 pm on August 15th, 2014
Hydrogen Peroxide!…Is highly combustible at strenths higher than the 1% stuff you buy at the store…sniff!…My friend says if you get in on the soles of your sh-o-e-s they will start on fire from the friction of walking…wheeze!
1:22 pm on August 15th, 2014
Education!…Sometimes I learn more than I should from my friend….snorkel!
1:29 pm on August 15th, 2014
We think that Masquers is just a little too smart. He is setting a bad example for our two Wrotten Kats.
1:36 pm on August 15th, 2014
Heh, heh.
2:03 pm on August 15th, 2014
My attorney Bernie..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APuArnuDO9M
2:08 pm on August 15th, 2014
Of course, a normal bartender wouldn’t sell Hydrogen Peroxide to drink even if he did know what the chemical formula was. Sigh….
2:09 pm on August 15th, 2014
HOH, Gin has already been used by an animal detective. Gin and Martini (Tini) in the Mr.and Mrs. North mysteries by Richard and Frances Lockridge.
2:12 pm on August 15th, 2014
Left my purse at the quilt store. I must go back. I wonder if this was a Freudian slip? heh heh heh
2:13 pm on August 15th, 2014
GAH!!! 2 strike outs in one day….Hs0 (we get it now) and Gin & Tonic. So….how’s about Rum and Coke? Jack and water or?????
2:15 pm on August 15th, 2014
Staff, have to laugh (laff?) Mom leaves her shiitake all over the place, all the time. If her head wasn’t screwed on, she’d leave it too!
2:29 pm on August 15th, 2014
We listened to the song.
We just don’t get jazz. We really don’t.
3:16 pm on August 15th, 2014
Tupper!…Why do you listen to it then?…grunt!
3:34 pm on August 15th, 2014
Well I’m not going to have H2O, I’m going to have a nice glass of pinot noir.
A couple of hours ago I went out to run errands. I had just gotten on Main St. and my car got rear-ended. I continued on to get my errands done and when I came out of Wegmans this note was taped to my car window. What next?!! But it was no joke – some kind person saved me from being stung.
3:49 pm on August 15th, 2014
What else?
3:57 pm on August 15th, 2014
MollyPop’s Mom: Yark! How did you get the Bee Out of the car?
4:25 pm on August 15th, 2014
MollysMaw!…That photo is in very clear focus!….Wooooo!
4:28 pm on August 15th, 2014
Whine!…Sounds like you need at least 2 or 3 glasses by now…snort!
4:30 pm on August 15th, 2014
MPM: whiney chicken by the pool
joins you in that glass of wine.
4:37 pm on August 15th, 2014
Bear, once I realized the note was not a joke, I looked around the car to see where he might be. He was on the window of the car door, very convenient. I opened the door and shooed him away.
4:40 pm on August 15th, 2014
I have been trying to ignore the colder mornings and the tinge of yellow I see on some of the trees and bushes. However, this morning some yellow leaves were stuck in the window wipers on my car. So this is it–autumn is here and winter is coming. It has been a rainy summer (not unusual for Anchorage) so it feels like I haven’t had a true summer. However, I am off to California next week for a week and hopefully I’ll be flooded with sunshine. Diane C: SDD me if you want to try and meet. I’ll be in Santa Paula near where Nana was recently.
4:50 pm on August 15th, 2014
My gal Zeta sent me this really neat poem this morning and I thought you would enjoy it. (Well, truthfully, her maw sent it to my maw, but close enough.)
How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog
by Taylor Mali
First of all, it’s a big responsibility,
especially in a city like Chevy Chase.
So think long and hard before deciding on love.
On the other hand, love gives you a sense of security:
when you’re walking down the street late at night
and you have a leash on love
ain’t no one going to mess with you.
Because crooks and muggers think love is unpredictable.
Who knows what love could do in its own defense?
On cold winter nights, love is warm.
It lies between you and lives and breathes
and makes funny noises.
Love wakes you up all hours of the night with its needs.
It needs to be fed so it will grow and stay healthy.
Love doesn’t like being left alone for long.
But come home and love is always happy to see you.
It may break a few things accidentally in its passion for life,
but you can never be mad at love for long.
Is love good all the time? No! No!
Love can be bad. Bad, love, bad! Very bad love.
Love makes messes.
Love leaves you little surprises here and there.
Love needs lots of cleaning up after.
Somethimes you just want to get love fixed.
Sometimes you want to roll up a piece of newspaper
and swat love on the nose,
not so much to cause pain,
just to let love know Don’t you ever do that again!
Sometimes love just wants to go out for a nice long walk.
Because love loves exercise. It will run you around the block
and leave you panting, breathless. Pull you in different directions
at once, or wind itself around and around you
until you’re all wound up and you cannot move.
But love makes you meet people wherever you go.
People who have nothing in common but love
stop and talk to each other on the street.
Throw things away and love will bring them back,
again, and again, and again.
But most of all, love needs love, lots of it.
And in return, love loves you and never stops.
Taylor Mali
5:08 pm on August 15th, 2014
TeddyRR: And, next to the Love of an Old Dog, Puppy Love is the Bestest!
5:08 pm on August 15th, 2014
Teddy: Sniff.
5:13 pm on August 15th, 2014
WE love that poem !!! 🙂
5:17 pm on August 15th, 2014
Teddy – we love that poem. We think it should be published somewhere that lots of people will see it. And it shold be given to anyone in the process of adopting a dog.
Rio – we don’t. It was just to see what that link was. It left us shaking our heads.
5:39 pm on August 15th, 2014
P.S. “My Attorney Bernie” ‘s singer reminds us of a certain kind of lady that leaves Bernie’s mouth gaping open and decisions somewhat questionable.
6:42 pm on August 15th, 2014
Teddy, The poem is lovely and we agree with T&G’s suggestion.
7:47 pm on August 15th, 2014
Ruff Rider: My Lady loves that poem. Thank for sharing it. It made her smile since I’ve been giving her a run for her slim jims all week with shenanigans, antics, and hooliganism being my rule rather than the exception. That poem reminded her that love sometimes keeps you on your toes.
8:02 pm on August 15th, 2014
Lefty!…I hope you leave Junior out of your shenanigans…snort!…He needs to stay on the straight and narrow. Just like his ole paw…snorkel!
8:03 pm on August 15th, 2014
News!…And good news too!…snort!…Her mother actually called that number Alice provided the other night and some young guy came and took Lester away for safe keeping…wheeze!…My friend was very relieved to hear this when she got home tonight…chuffle!
8:05 pm on August 15th, 2014
Straight and Narrow? The pugster? oh, yeah!
8:06 pm on August 15th, 2014
Strange!…News is the young guy did not recognise what kind of bird lil’ ole Lester was. He asked her mother what kind of bird he was…heh!heh!…Said he had never seen this kind of Lester around these parts before…sniff!sniff!…But he had a hooked beak and he was always grumpy with spread wings, so he fit their criteria for “saving”…guffle!…If he had been a regular bird they would not have come out to get him…grump!
8:11 pm on August 15th, 2014
Identity!…Can anyone identify what kind of bird Lil Lester is?…snort!
8:12 pm on August 15th, 2014
8:25 pm on August 15th, 2014
I feel bad for Lester’s maw and paw but I think he will have a better chance of making it now. Staff most likely is the most knowledgeable for id purposes. I think a juvenile bird will have different markings than an adult.
8:32 pm on August 15th, 2014
How big is a Swainson Hawk? Is that a possibility?
8:40 pm on August 15th, 2014
My guess about Lester’s brand?—Grateful.
Rio: Straight and narrow! Like his ole paw? Oh, belly laugh…
8:47 pm on August 15th, 2014
SiberH!…Tune into the Rockies game to see something you don’t see often…wheeze!…Empty Seats. Apparently nobody wants to watch the worst team in baseball this season on a friday night…grunt! …Better thing to do….heh!
8:48 pm on August 15th, 2014
Rio, do you have any pictures of little Lesters parents? That would be more helpful in identifying him.
8:48 pm on August 15th, 2014
Lefty!…That is like the lefty-pot calling the pug-pot black..snort!
8:49 pm on August 15th, 2014
MollysMaw!….Nope. But they are big and have wings. Does this help?…sniff!
8:59 pm on August 15th, 2014
How big is big, and what color are the wings and chest? We are trying to help here!
9:07 pm on August 15th, 2014
Dunno!…Every time those big suckers come swooping down screeeeching! Beau and I run for cover under the patio…yeeep!…I’m not standing out there sketching those damned birds, or whatever they are…gasp!
9:08 pm on August 15th, 2014
Got another idea – how about a Prairie Falcon?
9:10 pm on August 15th, 2014
Rio, the black pug: We’ve stood together enough times in group mug shots for me to know your straight and narrow halo has been in the shop for quite some time. It’s good to have friends in curly tail places.
9:26 pm on August 15th, 2014
I’m glad Lester was taken into protective custody. Wildlife Rescue does the same thing here. If it is a bird of prey they will take it in but if it is a robin or sparrow that needs help, they have to pass on it. I can understand because if they didn’t draw the line somewhere, they would be overwhelmed.
The Rockies are leading by one run. I wonder how much longer the Rockies fans that attend the games will support the team.
9:30 pm on August 15th, 2014
Season!…As far as most of us Rockie Fans are concerned the season is over. Just like the Red Sox fans…grunt!…OVER! OVER! OVER!…sniff!…Not even gonna mention There’s Always Next Year, because I don’t have it in me right now…grump!
9:35 pm on August 15th, 2014
Sorry Rio, I am not going to be any help on this one. What I know about hawks could go in a small paragraph. Can you narrow it down as to size of the parent? Is it about the same size as a crow?
9:35 pm on August 15th, 2014
Barb, I googled pictures of Prairie Falcon and I think Lester could be one.
Rio, I agree, it is OVER
9:38 pm on August 15th, 2014
Here is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology link for hawk ID with pictures and SOUNDS of adults. Maybe if one looks right you can go online with Google images and find what the fledglings look like.
Good luck.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse/36,10/
9:42 pm on August 15th, 2014
Siber and B&M: Lester does look very similar to the Prairie Falcon.
9:44 pm on August 15th, 2014
Bad electrical storm
signing off
night all
9:45 pm on August 15th, 2014
Staff: Checking Out Your Link.
9:45 pm on August 15th, 2014
Taylor Mali is my favorite poet, and I have seen him live twice. I am a teacher, and school starts for me August 28th. In honor of that, I urge you to google: Taylor Mali YouTube What’s a Teacher Make
Then watch him in action. I would include the link but my IPad 1 and I are not best of friends.
9:54 pm on August 15th, 2014
Beau!…”If it’s not one thing it’s another..”…sniff!…I hear my friend saying that a lot about Beau lately…grunt!…I over-heard he will be taken to the V-E-T-S tomorrow on account of his gimpy back legs. Now both of them are in bad shape instead of just one…wuffle!…I actually feel sorry for him this time…wheeze!
9:55 pm on August 15th, 2014
Martha!…Good to hear from ya!…snort!…School starts early these days..gah!
10:07 pm on August 15th, 2014
Rio, the public schools here in Woodstock started Thursday the 14th. Never heard of them starting this early.
We have one more hawk suggestion, then we are done. There is one similar to the Prairie Falcon called a Sharp Shinned Hawk that also looks like a possibility. It doesn’t look like it will be a very big adult.
Rio, why don’t you have your friend call the place that took him and see what they say. Did they tell your maw anything other than it was not a common species for your area?
10:10 pm on August 15th, 2014
I have to get the last of my misbehaving in before the Giant gets home tonight. Because he wasn’t home on his birthday, my Lady got him an ice cream cake today. She had them write “Mmmm…Cake!” on the cake instead of happy birthday.
10:20 pm on August 15th, 2014
Our best guess on the hawk is either a Swainson’s or a Broadwing. But no matter what, he is now safe to grow up and fly away.
10:21 pm on August 15th, 2014
Our best guess on the hawk is either a Swainson’s or a Broadwing. But no matter what, he is now safe to grow up and fly away.
Lefty – make sure you hang around just in case there are any leftovers.
10:22 pm on August 15th, 2014
Well, that was weird.
10:39 pm on August 15th, 2014
Cake!…Hey. That is some of the cake the Giant said he would share with me, right?…snort!…I’m sure he either said it or thought it at some point…sniff!…Cake!Cake!Cake!
10:55 pm on August 15th, 2014
My Lady is hopeful she will get a small slice of the cake. Hopeful, but doubtful. Nothing comes between a certain Giant and ice cream cake. Dog, love him.
11:04 pm on August 15th, 2014
Rio: We hope you didn’t get found out for the party we had in your backyard while your friend was meeting and greeting OFA.
11:08 pm on August 15th, 2014
Rio’s Friend….I wonder if Beau’s gimpy legs could have anything to do with his toe nails. Reason I ask is our Schnauzer Zoe has been going through a period of losing those nails and getting new ones that are very strange little nails. Vet says this is not unheard of but rare. The syndrome has a name but I don’t remember it. Sometimes the old nails break away on their own but sometimes the toe gets infected which causes Zoe to not walk on that foot. It also causes huge vet bill! I have her on some supplements now which will hopefully prevent another round of this. Just thought I would add this info just in case. Hope it is not this syndrome!
11:40 pm on August 15th, 2014
ALR!…I know there has been speculation as to whether Beau is gimping around because of his joints or because there is something in his paw(s) making walking uncomfortable for him…grunt!…He won’t give us a clue so my friend is going to let great big huge Dr.Vet guy have a good feel of Beau…yikes!…Good luck Big Doc…heh!heh!
11:41 pm on August 15th, 2014
Now that a certain pug got everyone all stirred up over some weirdly named avian, it would be nice if he would provide some photos of the parents, or did they just fly off and forget about ole Lester Flathead?
y’all come back now, ya he-ah?
11:44 pm on August 15th, 2014
Lester!…His folks are not that neighborly…sniff!…We did not even know they lived around here in our front yard tree till ole Lester fell out of it…grunt!
11:52 pm on August 15th, 2014
*****SPOILER ALERT********
Paw!…Chapter 7 is not at all like Chapter 4…sniff!…Just saying. Excellant story-telling as all get-out, but not putting a smile on my flat-pug face tonight. Building the story, I know…sniffle!…The thing is I am reading a story by the Charming Mr Abrahams and Spencer Quinn at the same time and I happen to be in tough spots in both stories…gasp!…This may or may not be a good idea on my part to read both “authors” at the same time…wheeze!
11:55 pm on August 15th, 2014
We think he might be a goss hawk
11:56 pm on August 15th, 2014
Rio: I know you are always wondering how I get photos of you. PAO should have given you a hint. Any strange birds in your yard besides Lester? Here it looks like you are test driving an alternate means of transportation since Beau’s pugmobile seems to be in the repair shop for an indefinite period of time. Not sure about all the pink and the Hello Kitty helmet but whatever…
11:56 pm on August 15th, 2014
And here is the photo:
12:04 am on August 16th, 2014
Skinny!…That is a pug that never gets fed…sniff!…Or a teenager pug…heh!…Couldn’t be me, now way no how. Sorry CHobbit your strange “bird” is in someone else’s yard…snort! …Plus, the “Hello Kat” helmet would not be on my flat head in a New York minute…gruffle!
12:13 am on August 16th, 2014
Hmmm….I thought all your brutal walks were finally paying off. I was confused about the other tan pug in the foto instead of Beau
12:16 am on August 16th, 2014
Hello Puggy….heh heh heh
2:17 am on August 16th, 2014
I must have that pink big wheel and the Hello Puggy helmet or I’m going to be in a very bad mood.