It's official. I'M CHANGING MY DAUGHTER'S NAME.

Not the name I gave her when she was born - that one's a keeper.  I mean her blog name.  She's been known as Tribble here for awhile, which suited her fine, especially because she was in a bit of a Star Trek phase.  She still regards William Shatner as the King Of Awesome, and squeals with delight every time she catches a glimpse of Leonard Nimoy (in any stage of his known existence), but a new name has attached itself to her.

And that name is....

ANNYONG!

Yeah, it's Korean for Hello.

Let me explain.  (Get comfy.)

Some of you might be aware of a little show called Arrested Development.    I wasn't aware of it until last year and now it's one of my favourites EVER because it's just super funny and completely wack.  

The matriarch of the family possibly accidentally adopts this little Korean boy... and she doesn't speak Korean, so she thinks his name is Annyong.  Every time she introduces him, he replies by repeating "Annyong."  This creates a loop of Annyongs.  This is Annyong.  Annyong.  Over and over.  And of course the little dude has the cutest little face and the bowl cut and acts like he doesn't have a clue what's going on, although he might actually have more than a clue, probably knows more than the rest of the family, and may or may not be really eleven years old.  But it's hard to tell.  Annyong?  Annyong. 

Anyways.

Annyong.  Hello.

Clue, or not a clue?

So hard to tell!!!!

It perfectly suits our dreamy, spazzy, cute, incredibly smart but not always totally tuned into the rest of the world girl.  Or is she...?????

I knew I had to change her name one morning when Bucky and I were sitting in the car, waiting for her to come out of the house so I could drive them over to the bus stop.  Bucky is more with-it than anybody else I know.  It's both endearing and frustrating.  He gave a gasp of annoyance, slumped back in the seat, and, "What is Annyong doing?"  

Soon she'd catch herself at a moment of un-clued-ness, giggle, and sing out, "Annyong!"

Then we all started calling out Annyong after one of her "Wait - what?" moments.  And we'd all laugh.

I mean, she's so good natured about it, like when she saw the sign outside the motel in town and didn't get the joke.  You know those signs with the black letters than have to have a cover screwed down so the kids don't rearrange all the letters to say something dirty, right?  This sign said, "HE WHO LAUGHS LAST THINKS SLOWEST."  Everybody in the car laughed.  Everybody.  Then the Girl said, "I don't get it."

Then everybody laughed harder.

Then before it could be explained, she made the following progression of understanding:

Oh!  (ding ding ding!  I get it!)

Hahaha! (it's funny!)

Awww....  (dejected sound upon the realization that she is, in fact, laughing last and therefore thinking slowest!)

Then she laughed like a sparkling rainbow of happiness!

Honestly, the kid's a pure delight and if she ever takes longer to get a joke, it's not from lack of smarts, it's because all that unicorn dust in her brain takes a bit of pushing to get through, and wouldn't it be a great world if we all breathed unicorn dust?  Man, we would be a much happier and peaceful bunch.  

My mom came home from gallbladder surgery a few weeks ago, and I wasn't even going to mention it on the blog, what with the folks being the shy, publicity shunning kind (did I mention we're Mennonite? Yeah I don't know what went wrong with me.)  I have to mention it though, because our little Annyong came up with a gem that evening.

Y'see, it ended up being more than just gallbladder surgery.  Dad and the kids met us in the kitchen when I brought her home.

MY MOM: They went in for the gallbladder and found a hernia so they fixed that too.

ANNYONG:  What?  They found NARNIA????

Poor Grandma wasn't supposed to do so much hard laughing in her delicate state.

The kid did her "Wait - what?"  Then giggled.  

And that, folks, is how the Artist Formerly Known As Tribble became Annyong!