What’s In A Name?
Mrs. Publicist: Fifteenth of the month and therefore time for What’s In A Name, where we discuss a character name from the Chet and Bernie series. I’m curious about Bernie’s mom, about whom we hear from time to time, but she only makes an actual appearance in the new e-short, Santa 365, where we finally learn her name.
Spencer Quinn: Which is Minerva. Did I ever mention that to get a name in any of my writing, a character has to have at least one speaking line?
Mrs. P: You did not. Do you have lots of rules like that?
Spence: Probably too many. Back to Minerva, Roman goddess of wisdom who sprang fully armed from the cloven head of Jupiter. I thought that sort of mom suited Bernie perfectly.
Mrs. P: And didn’t we discuss how Bernie’s ex-wife Leda’s name comes from Greek mythology? http://chetthedog.wpengine.com/chet-the-dog/whats-in-a-name-leda What’s up with all this myth surrounding Bernie?
Spence: Isn’t the private eye a kind of figure from modern myth?
Mrs. P: Ah ha! Always up to something, aren’t you? See you all next month for another episode of What’s In A Name!
Tags: Bernie's mom, Jupiter, Leda, Minerva, mythology, What's In A Name
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2015 at 8:19 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.
8:32 am on December 15th, 2015
Good morning, everyone! Good “What’s in a name”.
Good bye, mom is off to toddler Tuesday.
8:56 am on December 15th, 2015
Greetings!
Good day to HOH!
Since my pointy head is unable to retain information for long periods of time, has OFA ever discussed why he chose Spencer Quinn for his nom de plume? It is a name that I like very much.
9:14 am on December 15th, 2015
Good morning all. Rose, I don’t think that has been discussed, but I would love to know how he arrived at his alter ego’s name.
No rain here today, but cloudy and cooler. Last day off before work for the next 3 days, so have a few errands to run and last gifts to wrap.
9:52 am on December 15th, 2015
Good morning all. We will soon be on our way to the Rehab to kidnap…ummm RESCUE the Storyteller and bring him HOME! HOME!HOME!
This Rehab place is known for great physical therapy, but really icky food. A Storyteller Blue Plate Special is being planned for tonight. With dessert!
Interesting question about the nom de plume. We actually asked OFA about that one time when we were doing the show in his town. He told us, but we are going to let him tell all of you. Its kind of funny.
Off and running – later gators
10:25 am on December 15th, 2015
“That sort of mom suited Bernie.” Interesting. I like the picture.
Good morning all.
11:18 am on December 15th, 2015
Mom will get the auction items boxed and sent ASAP (Linda & B).
11:46 am on December 15th, 2015
Thank you BooBear.
1:47 pm on December 15th, 2015
Sound familiar anyone?
1:53 pm on December 15th, 2015
Not to me. Nope.
Not unless I think she may need me. She always does.
1:59 pm on December 15th, 2015
I think Maggie wrote that! Lucy, no way.
2:17 pm on December 15th, 2015
I just received the ARC of Arf!!! It’s signed and paw-printed and Spence wrote, “To my friend Betty.” It also has “Go Snowhook!”
“I awoke to the smell of bacon. Could the day have gotten off to a better start?”
First sentence. Yes!!
4:00 pm on December 15th, 2015
It only took all morning…but…the Auction/Boutique Items are in the Mail!
Tupper’s Mama: Hah. That reminds us of an Old Farside Cartoon where someone has Invented a Translator to Decipher Canine Barks.
Wose: We would like an Answer to that Question as well. Unfortunately the Royal Mum isn’t talking so we’ll just have to Wait for Spence to Tell All.
B: You Lucky Dog! The First to Read the Newest Bertie & Bowser Mystery. Nice inscription too.
Talking about Bacon in the very first sentence! We are going to Love this New Book! In the meantime a BLT sounds pretty dog gone good right about now.
BBL
4:45 pm on December 15th, 2015
HRH,B: Look at you! “To My Friend Betty.” Should we be calling you Spence’s pet? :^) Doing the Snoopy dance for you!
4:46 pm on December 15th, 2015
5:14 pm on December 15th, 2015
Tupper’s Mama, That is exactly right!
6:27 pm on December 15th, 2015
Thank you, BooBear, Howlers, and BSD! Can hardly wait!
7:43 pm on December 15th, 2015
As promised, we are back. The Storyteller is home and ruling the roost….in his own, quiet way.
The Kats are delighted – both have had lap time. Gilly keeps bringing her toys to show him. And he actually enjoyed his dinner for the first time in almost a month.
Maybe because it came with an ice cream chaser.
Tomorrow is x-ray day to see if everything has stayed in place. Then, joy of all joys, a trip to the dentist for me, for “adjustments”. The next day is for packing, and then its back to Boston, where the roads are all one way in the wrong direction, and the drivers are nuts!
7:50 pm on December 15th, 2015
Spence: Thanks for this post. Minerva, who sprung fully armed from the cloven head of Jupiter is perfect for Bernie’s mom and the prototype for our own Pink Bulldozer. The private eye as a figure from modern myth? You could make that connection with Sherlock Holmes, Dashiell Hammett and probably many other modern compared to Minerva PI’s.
I’ve been having trouble posting lately.
Snowhook Kennels will get my check soon, I hope. I told them to have Staff send my vanilla flavored Bacardi Rum to me in Canada but I have to check out the laws to make sure it is legal for her to send alcohol across the border and for me to receive it.
7:54 pm on December 15th, 2015
Welcome home to the Storyteller!
Tupper’s Mama: I hope your friend can help you out again with driving in crazy Boston.
Tomorrow I finally have a day on the calendar with nothing to do. It makes me think I have forgotten something.
7:54 pm on December 15th, 2015
Dawson!…If it is illegal please have Staff send that bottle of goodness to me!Me!ME!…snort!
7:57 pm on December 15th, 2015
Snowday!…Someone here worked from home and I helped her a lot as you can imagine…chuffle!…She will be working from home again tomorrow because there is so much of the white stuff…brrrrr!…Cold as can be too! ….shiver!
7:58 pm on December 15th, 2015
Bear!…We are settling in to watch the Fargo Finale….sob!sob!sniff!
8:03 pm on December 15th, 2015
We just saw the weather report for Colorado. Great Galloping Ghoulies!
We are thanking all creation for the warm, balmy weather here.
8:13 pm on December 15th, 2015
So happy to hear that the Storyteller is home, surrounded by those who love him.
RIO! Jeez, Louise! Youse have a boat-load of snow in your neck of the woods! I am glad that your friend is working from home, and not driving on those snow-covered roads.
8:13 pm on December 15th, 2015
Golinka!…I cannot poop in weather like this…sniff!…This frustrates my friend to no end. Beau can’t either…heh!heh!
8:14 pm on December 15th, 2015
Dawson, forget about Rio to hold that lovely vanilla flavored Bacardi rum. He can’t be trusted, however, but I can. Have Staff send it on to trustworthy me.
8:23 pm on December 15th, 2015
MollysMaw!…Who asked you to this begging party?…grunt!
Stover!…I am very happy that you have the ARF ARC safe in your furry paws…snorkel!…As always, I am here if you want to share the joy….chuffle!…. Move over MollysMaw…grunt!
8:23 pm on December 15th, 2015
Let’s see, Rio and MPop’s and Loulou’s Mom are right in line behind A Catty Librarian, 2 daughter’s in laws and a niece to get that rum soaked vanilla, so…no chance.
Mollypop’s and Loulou’s Mom: Did you see that now Patrick Kane has overtaken Sydney Crosby on the consecutive points record list for active players? He still has quite a ways to go to catch up with the in-active player Walter Gretzky. The Great One will be hard to beat.
8:33 pm on December 15th, 2015
No-Chance!….Well there is still the ARF ARC to beg for….snuffle!…Stover! PLEEEEZE! Pretty Pug PLEEEZE!…wheeeze!
8:33 pm on December 15th, 2015
I haven’t seen a Christmas movie in decades but all your talk has convinced me to watch one. I’m watching Elf.
I did watch Wookie’s and Teddy’s link yesterday, tissues in paw.
9:00 pm on December 15th, 2015
Dawson!…Decades? Really?…snort!…Are you a cold hearted non-loving Christmas Movie rum-hoarding devil in disguise?…grunt!
9:17 pm on December 15th, 2015
Rio: Sorry but I never lend books…something I learned a long time ago. I’m going to read Arf slowly.
9:23 pm on December 15th, 2015
Our plan went off without a hitch! It involved a couple of disguises, a tricked out wheelchair, distracting a team of nurses, out running said team of nurses and one getaway car with Golinka behind the wheel. However, when the Storyteller got home, there were hitches to the hilt.
Golinka met us at the door as we were unloading the Slim Jims, the wheelchair, disguises, an alibi, and the number for Teddy’s paw. She was wagging her finger and saying, “Now, Thieves…” Thieves—yep, that’s us. Just to let Golinka know she successfully identified us we wagged our tails just as hard as she was wagging her finger. We looked past her and there was Luna giving us the look. It was a look that lectured about the Storyteller, surgery, fragile, no hijinx and/or low jinx, no cahoots, capers or master plans until the Storyteller was healed. Then the door shut. As We looked at each other to determine which master plan and disguise to use to get inside the house we heard a ‘Pssst! Pssst!’ There was Gramps motioning us around the back of the house. Before we knew it—and Golinka, too—we were inside the house next to the Storyteller. Gramps—we love that guy and his excellent judgement of character and his having fancy thumbs.
9:33 pm on December 15th, 2015
Dawson, talking about Elf, Sam’s mom and girl and I saw Santaland Diaries. What a hoot!
9:33 pm on December 15th, 2015
Stover!…That is the only legitimate excuse I will buy…snort!sob!
9:35 pm on December 15th, 2015
Thieves!…Wow! You’ve been busy!…snort!…I hope all your Christmas shopping and wrapping is done too…snuffle!Tap!Tap!
9:36 pm on December 15th, 2015
Good NCIS tonight. Now watching New Orleans, then off to bed.
How much snow out there, Rio?
Reading The Forgotten by Baldacci. I didn’t realize that this is the second in the John Puller series, but still good.
Night all, early day tomorrow.
9:40 pm on December 15th, 2015
Rio: Uh…shopping? Nope. We haven’t even started it. Thanks for reminding us. Which would you prefer—Nacho flavored Slim Jims or original?
9:43 pm on December 15th, 2015
Choice!…Given the choice I would prefer both and plenty of ’em…burp!…My friend is counting her lucky stars because she endured the Postal Experience last night after the busy-place…wheeze!…Otherwise that would never have happened till this weekend and every Christmas package would have been Late!Late!LATE!…gurgle!
9:45 pm on December 15th, 2015
My gosh, who knew a Slim Jim powered, glitter spewing, hydraulic wheelchair could make such a huge, dealing mess!!!
Luna – we think your “look” is starting to lose its steam.
9:48 pm on December 15th, 2015
Golinka: Trust us, Luna’s look has plenty of power. We know from our experience. What we didn’t know was the power of Gramp and his ability to open the back door with those fancy thumbs.
More to Golinka: What mess? We don’t see any mess. We do see a Storyteller wanting to make it best twenty out of thirty.
10:00 pm on December 15th, 2015
Look!…Losing steam?…heh!heh!heh!heh!…That will be the day the earth ends…snort!
10:01 pm on December 15th, 2015
Santaland Diaries: Now that is my kind of Christmas show.
10:06 pm on December 15th, 2015
Santaland Diaries!…When I looked it up it is a play…sniff!…Is it also a movie? One which Dawson would watch?….heh!
10:18 pm on December 15th, 2015
HA! Because I listen carefully to discussions on this here blog about all sports, even if not following closely that particular one, I was able to correctly answer a trivia quiz about the number of Stanley Cup wins for Wayne Gretzky. It was four…all with the Edmonton Oilers.
Riõ: I’m off to watch it now!
10:19 pm on December 15th, 2015
Damit! Bear go to your den!
10:25 pm on December 15th, 2015
Rio: Santaland Diaries is the play in which Timothy Oliphant played the Elf (years ago). We were talking about it the other day when you were reading every other word.
10:27 pm on December 15th, 2015
Rio: Santaland Diaries is the play in which Timothy Oliphant played the Elf (years ago). We were talking about it the other day when you were reading every other word.
Thieves: You got one thing right for sure. Gramps is lovable!
10:27 pm on December 15th, 2015
First title WOOF
Second title ARF
Third title YEEP
Fourth title SNORT
Fifth title CHORKLE
…
10:33 pm on December 15th, 2015
Oops!
Guess it’s time for a little reading before bed.
Elf was entertaining but a little of that goes a long way. If I see The Bishop’s Wife available, I will watch it on Terri’s recommendation. I did see The Miracle on 34th Street a few years ago so it hasn’t actually been decades but Christmas is not my thing.
10:34 pm on December 15th, 2015
I love it when Dawson does a double.
10:40 pm on December 15th, 2015
Dawson!…I did read those words about Timothy Oliphant playing the Elf, but they had no meaning to me…sniff!….I have no knowledge of these Santa Diaries as we have been moving and moving and packing and packing and un-packing and un-packing for about 6 or 7 plus 2 + 2 months now…gah!…My life has been frozen or on hold or none-existant for a long time…guffle!
10:45 pm on December 15th, 2015
Book six: Yark!
11:01 pm on December 15th, 2015
Book 7: aaaa-WOOOOOO
11:03 pm on December 15th, 2015
Book 8: Gramps was involved.
11:04 pm on December 15th, 2015
Thieves!…SiberH would be greatly honored if Book Six will be Titled YARK!…heh!heh!
11:07 pm on December 15th, 2015
Rio: That is persicely why we thought of Yark! Pug rest his soul.
Dawson: If Gramps is lovable and we are lovable miscreants, does that make Gramps a miscreant?
11:51 pm on December 15th, 2015
Thieves – YES!
12:21 am on December 16th, 2015
We have suspected as much for some time.