Saturday, May 8, 2010

1 Zion VS 16 Abner; 1 Griffin VS 16 Dawson

This is the first set of games in our Baby Chan Name Bracket tournament. Hurray!

In the "BIBLICAL" region, number 1 seed Zion faces 16 Abner, and in the "VANILLA" region, number 1 seed Griffin faces 16 Dawson.

Gar - I like both number 1 seeds a lot; the name "Zion" is representative of a complex spiritual idea, the convergence of a spiritual hope and homeland. It's mentioned 166 times in the Bible, even more than the 161 times the word "hope" is. And Griffin? Well, it's a "G" name (three generations of men in my family including myself have first names that begin with "G") and it's a mythical beast that's half-eagle, half-lion. So cool.

Siobhan - I think we might have an upset in the "Vanilla" region. Who cares about a half-eagle, half-lion creature, Dawson has his own creek. Plus he can find a life lesson in any Spielberg film. That is a skill. As far as Abner, it means "father of lights" in Hebrew. He was also commander-in-chief of Saul's army. Strong, capable leaders are chosen to be in that position. Woohoo for strength and creeks!

Gar - Yeah, Dawson might have his own creek... BUT HE LOST THE GIRL! I don't want my son to be named after a dude who can't get with the love of his life. Plus, Dawson happens to be really close to Dawkins, the name of a famous atheist - one who is notorious for his condescending attitude toward people of all faiths. And while I have nothing against Abner, it's just not as cool as Zion. Plus, Zion starts with the letter "Z"! The most under-used letter in the alphabet next to X.

Siobhan - People will not relate Dawson with Dawkins at first glimpse. They will think about how awesome the name is and they should have named their child Dawson too. As far as Zion, it just so happens that Bob Marley has a song, Iron, Lion, Zion that Garrett likes. Reggae music is inspirational, but Bob Marley is not the stand-up role model that I want my son to look up to. I can hear our son saying that if Bob can smoke the ganja, then why can't I?

 

24 comments:

  1. Yes, finally! Vote or Die. My votes are:
    1) Zion
    I just don't like the sound of Abner. I like the meaning, but just something about it makes me think of an old man. And plus I get called "Ab" all the time and I hate it.

    2) Dawson
    Dawson into the sweet 16! What in the world - Dawson/Dawkins? And wasn't the one who got the girl named Pacey? You like that one better, Gar?

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  2. Zion (because I'm not voting for Abner)
    and
    Dawson (because Griffin makes me think of the dad in Family Guy)

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  3. 1) Zion. Though if the 16 seed was Nebuchadnezzar I probably would've voted for that.

    2) Griffin. Dawson makes me think of a girl.

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  4. Zion. It's also a Matrix reference. Abner reminds me of Lil Abner which is a comic strip about a hillbilly.

    Griffin. I'd prefer "Liger", but Griffin is good enough. Have you thought of the alternate spelling Gryffin, as in Gryffindor? As for Dawson, CC knows I'm Team Pacey.

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  5. I vote along the same lines as dustin (this time).
    1) Zion
    2) Griffin

    I'm more excited for some of the other names we get to vote on down the road. =)

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  6. Oh man, I didn't think of the Griffin bit until I saw Ryan's comment. So my vote is cast for Dawson. Also, I had similar Bob Marley-related concerns about Zion, but Abner strikes me as a hick name. So I vote Zion.

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  7. Here are my votes...btw, I LOVE this! I can't wait for all of the matches...love the commentary as well!

    1) Zion...this one is no contest, come on... Abner is just weird!
    2) This one is really hard b/c I like both names, Griffin and Dawson. Sorry Shiv, I know you like Dawson but I was a huge Pacey fan...how come Pacey is not in the list?! My vote is for Griffin.

    btw, how did you figure out the seeding? :)

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  8. 1) Zion. Abner isn't gender obvious if you don't know the biblical reference. And "Z" names spawn only good nicknames.

    2) Griffin. Like another commenter mentioned, have also seen Dawson as a female name and it's also a common last name.

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  9. this is the coolest naming game EVER.

    biblical bracket - zion. abner is a little too old man-ish. zion has cool factor. i think lauryn hill named her son zion.

    vanilla bracket - griffin. sorry shiv - i'm team pacey too, but your argument for a pro-dawson finish is very compelling - his own creek...hahaha.

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  10. 1) Zion - "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen & precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:6)

    2) Dawson - I think too much emphasis is put on winning the girl at the end. Even though Dawson has his faults, in the end, he managed to stay friends with his soulmate, lived and loved passionately, and even realized his lifelong dream of making films, actually an autobiographical TV series. We can only wish we can be so lucky.

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  11. 1) abner (he'll be okay with a C last name, but if he had a Z first name, if there was ever a time of being alphabetized by first name, he'd be SOOO last. game over.) :)

    2) dawson (after mom/dad's comments-- anything DC is a winner!!!!! go team dawson's creek! such a good show!) :)

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  12. ok, i have a better reason for abner:

    Before Elena Kagan served as a clerk for Justice Marshall, she clerked for federal Appeals Court Judge Abner Mikva, who later became an important political mentor to Obama in Chicago.

    Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/05/09/national/w200213D68.DTL#ixzz0nYoalG84

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  13. 1)Zion. Abner just reminds me of an old guy with bushy gray eyebrows.

    2)Dawson. I picked this name first, then I ready Dustin's comment and also being on Team Pacey, I decided against it, then after reading J.me's comment, she changed my mind back...because he does have a creek after all and it's true, if you've got a DC reference, you just might have a winner. (Okay, now I just revealed my deepest, darkest secret.)

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  14. 1) Zion - hands down. abner belongs to an old man with a cane.

    2) I'm torn on this one...I was clearly a Pacey fan, but my fondness of Dawson's Creek has me wanting to root for Dawson. But my recent love for a little show named Glee has Finn on my mind. Plus, Griff is also a cute nickname and follows the "G" tradition. Darn, family ties wins...GRIFFIN it is.

    xo - auntie gin

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  15. Another reason for us to pick Zion and Dawson is how they sound. Remember we have a couple of Cantonese speaking uncles and aunts. Try to say Abner and Griffin with a Chinese accent.

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  16. LOL!!! i totally just laughed out loud at work because of mom and dad's comment... a chinese accent on most of the names is not going to be so bueno...

    @chris: no secret to me... but you did just reveal to another group of peeps your knowledge of DC. :)

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  17. Abner! our son Beniah was named after the commander-in-chief of David's army so I like the context.

    Dawson! I'm not a huge dawson fan, but Griffin totally makes me think of the Family Guy dad~ not a great role model if you ask me. :)

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  18. 1) Zion- Sorry, but when I think of Abner I think of an old white man with a beer belly wearing a wife-beater shirt.

    2) Griffin- I had a difficult time choosing because I like Dawson too, but gotta go with the "G" name. =) Plus, if you had to think about which kid would get picked on more, I can't see it being someone named Griffin but Dawson, maybe.

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  19. Wait, we can still vote?! I'm not sure if I like Abner, but the name Zion reminds me too much of the Zionist movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionism). On the other hand, do you want someone to "accidentally" call him "Abby"...short for Abner? :P Okay, I'll try to be more constructive & edifying in the next voting round.

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  20. To all those who think Abner is an old man, this is what I was picturing in my mind:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Borgnine

    His name isn't Abner but he could look like one.

    @j.me: I was thinking about whether or not I should comment about DC given there are other peeps here, but I guess I was too tempted.

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  21. Abner - because it is easier to live down than Zion in those awkward middle school years.

    Griffin - because Dawson is girly and has a creek.

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  22. Zion and Griffin. I think both are great. Did I miss the vote?

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  23. I really like Griffin. Griffin Dawson Chan? Griffin Zion Chan? Either way, he's going to sound very manly. Heh.

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  24. Thanks for voting! It's now closed.

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