Cover of Never on Sunday

This Greek name owes her success to two actresses.

Thanks to Liz for suggesting Melina as our Baby Name of the Day.

Melissa, Pamela, Melanie, and Melody made the mel element popular in the twentieth century.  Melina has several possible origins:

• Like Pamela, her mel could refer to honey;
• Some suggest she comes from the Greek melon, meaning apple – which applied to nearly any foreign fruit;
• She can be a nickname for names containing mel, including Amelia.

With the exception of Melanie, few of the mel names have truly ancient roots.  But census records confirm that there were a handful of Melinas in the US near the end of the nineteenth century and in the first half of the twentieth.

The Melina who put her given name on the map was born Maria Amalia, but rose to fame as actress Melina Mercouri.  She scored a Best Actress Academy Award nomination in 1960 for her role in Never on Sunday.  At Cannes, she won the Best Actress award.  The plot owes something to My Fair Lady, except Melina’s character is a hooker.

Mercouri entered politics later in life, serving as Greece’s Minister for Culture.

In the US, Melina first appeared in the Top 1000 in 1967, and also ranked in the 1970s and 80s.  She fit right in with Top Ten Melissa, as well as Pamela, Melanie, and Melinda.  1981′s For Your Eyes Only gave the name to deep sea diving Bond girl Melina Havelock.

Still, she never quite caught on, and by 1986 was headed towards obscurity.

Then along came another actress, this time an American of Greek descent, Melina Kanakaredes.  In the early 1990s, she played Eleni on Guiding Light.  Kanakaredes has had a long run on the small screen, starring in medical drama Providence and then CSI: NY.

It makes for the kind of steady exposure that keeps a name in parents’ minds.  And yet it isn’t so strongly associated with a single figure – think Cher or Kimora – that it seems extreme to bestow it on a child.

There is one other Melina to consider: WWE’s five-time champ, Melina Perez.  Her first title was won in 2007, and her most recent in 2010.

Similar names include:

• Malina has multiple origins.  She’s figure in Inuit mythology, and also has Scottish and Slavic roots.  In Polish, Czech, and Slovak, malina means raspberry – and also implies attractiveness.  Actor Josh Malina of The West Wing is among those who wear it as a surname;
• Melania was a third century Christian saint and the origin of the popular Melanie.  She’s also the given name of the current Mrs. Donald Trump.

While Melina remains a relatively rare #456, she made a big jump from 2008 to 2009, and she’s often heard on baby name discussion boards.  And why not?  She’s just a little bit different, neither truly unusual nor over-exposed.  Melina makes for a relatively modern name, but she doesn’t feel invented.  Besides Mel and Lina, you could also use Milly as a nickname.

If Melina has a failing, it is that her story is ever so slightly incomplete.  There’s no single figure – no goddess, no queen, no literary legend – strongly associated with the name.  Of course, that’s a plus for parents hoping for something fresh, but still solidly feminine.

Sometimes you just gotta start your early Monday morning with John Lennon and a video flip through someone else’s art journal – in this case, the Bliss Flip Journal by Eleni.  I love a journal with themes of peace, miracles, dreaming, bliss, and gratitude – truly faith art journaling.  A couple of thoughts – when using stickers or embellishments or add-in pockets in your journal, be careful not to put them on the seam or near the seam of the journal binder.  You’ll notice in this video that some of the pieces are lifting and when that happens you’ve got to go back and re-lacquer them down.  It happens often and I’ve noticed this lifting in several videos – it’s just an indication that the person is just beginning their walk in journaling and doesn’t know better, or that the product originally used to adhere the material to the page is faulty.  (I made this mistake once with the UHU stic glue stick which goes on purple and dries clear but DOES NOT HOLD and am now a committed proponent of the Scotch Brand Permanent Glue Stick – love!).  I’ve been noticing that more and more art journalists are taking to YouTube and this allows us to see the successes and the challenges of all sorts of journals.  Today’s birthday image above is the creation of Laura Thykeson on her birthday!

Here’s a few of my favorite pictures of her from the last year.

In other good news, today we had an article run on Change.org, which is a major activist site, for an event we are running on Thursday.  We’re doing an all media blitz to Schwarzenegger’s office pushing for Sara Kruzan’s clemency.  This one article has brought so much needed attention to the event, which is awesome.  To read it, click here.  Super, super excited .

Finally, I’ve been in a bit of a funk (perpetual, I know), but my mom brought me the silliest gift, which totally made me feel better.  When she got home, she busted out these Valentine’s Day glasses.  Valentine’s Day is my mom’s favorite holiday (I know), and she told me these could be for my husband and I, should that day ever arrive to use on Valentine’s .  So cute.  Made my night.

Mom and day had to run errands, so we took the girls to the park to play.  Eleni did not have as good a time as she did playing yesterday.  She just wanted to hang out and be held, which was fine with me!  Katerina ran around like a wild woman.  Kid cracks me up.  We came home, had some pizza, did bath time, had a movie night, and now one is down and the other is on her way out.

Most beautiful thing of the day: little Katerina’s laugh.  I could honestly listen to that all day long.  I showed her a YouTube video of cats jumping and falling, and she was laughing hysterically – just dying.  So, if she asks for that (“cats slipping and falling”) – that’s what she’s talking about Matt and Dawn.  She’s been asking for it all night.  I could not help but laugh super hard too when she was going at it.

Love these girls.  It has been so nice having them here, and I am very sad they are leaving soon, but for now, I will just be happy I’ve been able to spend this time with them.  Some pics from the day :

It was definitely super fun hanging out there with them.  Megan, Marky, Stevie (our cousin), and I took a break from the family for a bit to finish the sandcastle fortress I started building with Katerina.  Once she was over it, Matt took her up to the grass, but the rest of stayed and continued our important work.  The general consensus was that it resembled a Lord of the Rings model, but a bigger fan, I was most happy when someone came by and said, “Wow, it looks like Harry Potter.”  It totally didn’t, but it still gave me that warm, fuzzy HP feeling.  We had a ton of fun building.  I have not built a sandcastle in way too long.

We had a lovely rest of our evening there.  Only one meltdown .  The girls are really doing great being off their schedules.

Here are some more pictures from the day:

The girls were great tonight.  Katerina was even cool hanging out with her Auntie Barbie, which made me very happy .

Katerina after waking up.

…it takes her a while.

Now, she’s awake

Mom and Baby Eleni

My favorite picture from the night – my beautiful Katerina

Seasons of the year: spring, summer, fall, winter. And seasons of life: sister, daughter, aunt, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother.

Both arrive and leave before you have chance to notice. You never imagine that all this is going to change soon. Day by day it’s the same, and then you wake and it’s all gone and different and some pieces look familiar, but mostly not.

Last night I became an aunt. My sister a mother. My mom a grandmom. My grandmothers great-grandmothers.

My family is four sisters spread over an eight-year span. I’m the eldest. Sisters are a beautiful, difficult, impossibly rewarding thing, let me say. As we age the changes in our relationships are subtle but apparent. I’ve grown to appreciate more these women who are me slightly rearranged. I try harder to do good by them, knowing they will be with me all my life, friends unconditionally. Like no other, they have known me all my days, they have seen me through every season.

At moments it is so hard, being physically separated from my three sisters, who are together in Windsor. So much of the time I am jealous of them there, me here. I imagine them growing close, sharing days, living perfectly well without me. They live perfectly well without me. But proximity does not make family. Soon, Niki will head to university, Melina too. Less soon, we will each have families – whatever forms these families may take, wherever they may end up – we will gather for births and birthdays and markers of future seasons.

Our labels change and our seasons change.

Fruit trees are harbingers of  the fleetingness. Last year, as peaches came and went, and I made peach-ricotta pizza to honour their visit. This year, I walked downstairs to a kitchen perfumed by another summer’s fruit. Knowing I’d soon be in Windsor – to hold a new nephew and to hug a new mother – I preserved them for later, to remember August 7, 2010 as something sweet and new.

Peach-vanilla compote

(Makes about 4 cups)

I am a lazy preserver. I’d rather bag and freeze seasonal excess than get out bell jars and a pot of water big enough to bathe a newborn. So: I used some of this compote from the pan for a sweet-savoury French toast with herbes de Provence. I let the rest cool and ladled it into freezer bags by the cup, to enjoy later.

Ingredients
1 quart peaches (~20 medium)
3 Tbsp water
aromatics to taste – I used 1/2 a vanilla bean, scraped and a piece of cinnamon bark, but lemon zest, dried fruit, almond extract or nutmeg would be nice, too…

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, cook ingredients over medium heat until they reach a consistency you like. Keep in mind the fruit will thicken slightly as it cools. I cook at a low bubble for about 25 minutes until I have something more than a sauce, but less than a jam. Jar and refrigerate for up to a week, or let cool and freeze in one-cup portions to defrost mid-winter, when peaches are far away.

Ohhhhh, I just love them!

Here I am with Baby Eleni.

Here’s Katerina checking out her new toys for the week.

I’ll try and take more pictures throughout the week .

If you like the El- beginning:

- Eleanor. Once classed as a timeless name, now falling down the name charts. Fast. Means bright, shining one.

- Elena. An alternate spelling of Eleanor. Likely to have a better chance of rising, seeing as many people favour the unconventional spellings at the moment. It’s the spanish version of Helen. # 195 in 2009.

- Elaine. French variation of Helen. # 767 in 2009. The alternate spelling Elaina is much more ‘in’ right now (#462).

- Elora. Variation of Eliora.

- Eliora. Means ‘ the Lord is my Light’. Melodic in sound, due to abundance of vowels. Does not rank.

- Elise. Means ‘pledged to God’. Also a variation of Elizabeth. #211 in 2009. Alternate spelling Elyse is also climbing the name charts.

- Eloisa/Eloise/ Heloise. Means healthy/wide. # 917 in 2009. Popular for French girls.

- Eliza. Means ‘pledged to God’. Variation of Elizabeth. #278 in 2009.

- Elsie. Popular back at the start of the 20th century. Thus, if we remember names have a 100-year cycle, this name is due to come back into fashion. Currently #679. Another variation of Elizabeth, via it’s scottish form of Elspeth.

- Elle. French for ‘she’. In 2009 rose to #442 from #493.

- Elizabeth. Considered to be a ‘timeless’ name. Has a rich history of bearers, such at the two Queens of England. Popular throughout the centuries, currently ranks at #11. Popular for middle names, and often seen in sibsets alongside Victoria, another Queen of England. The variant ‘Elisabeth’ is currently sat at #554.

Names with the ‘elle’ ending:

- Marielle. Dutch and French diminuative of Mary. Means bitter. Does not rank in the top 1000. Variation of Mariella does not rank either.

- Gabrielle. French, feminine form of Gabriel. #96 in 2009, fell out of the Top 70 this year. Variation of Gabriella still ranks highly (#33)

- Danielle. Hebrew, feminine variant of Daniel. #170 in 2009. The ‘Daniella’ version ranks lower at #306.

- Brielle. Surging in popularity. Jumped 93 places to #245 in 2009. A contestant for the replacement of Ella no doubt. The variation of Briella does not rank, however.

- Michelle. Feminine form of Michael. Favourite during the 70s (when it peaked at #4). It’s now in steep decline, perhaps one could say it is the ‘Ella’ of the 70s. It recently dropped out of the top 100, however, it is tipped for a revival thanks to First Lady Michelle Obama. Currently ranks #104. A reason for it’s decline could be due to parents preferring Michael’s other feminine form – Michaela, or one of it’s many alternate spellings, such as Mikayla.

- Isabelle. This spelling ranks at #100. Considered this decades ‘Elizabeth’. Surprisingly, Isabel ranks lower at #110. Both names are on the rise though. Isabella ranks at #1, and did not even ranks in the top 1000 in the 1980s. This means it could fall out of favour in the coming decade, much like Jennifer and Michelle.

- Isobelle. German variation. This spelling does not rank. Neither doee Isobel. Isobella does not rank either.

- Belle . French for beautiful. Does not rank. Bella ranks at #58 in 2009, jumping up by 64 places. This is thought to have been caused by Twilight.

- Sabelle. This is a variation of the popular Isabel. It does not rank. Could also be a variation of Sable. The variation of Sabella does not rank.

- Estelle. French version of ‘Stella’. Does not rank. Variants are Estella and Estrella. The latter is the only one to rank – #414. It is popular amongst the hispanic community.

NOTE: -ella names are very much the fashion at the moment, so these names are all poised to rise in the coming few years.

Names that end ‘-ella’ and not covered in the above section:

- Stella. Latin meaning ‘Star’. #126 at the moment, may rise even higher. It jumped 58 places in 2009.

- Luella. Combination of Louise and Ella. Variant spelling is Louella. Neither Luella nor Louella rank, making them unusual compared to Ella.

Names with the ‘el’ sound:

- Belinda. Spanish origin, means ‘serpent. In Babylonian mythology she was the goddess of Heaven and earth. Currently #826. The variant of Melinda has dropped out of favour in recent years and so does not rank.

- Kelly. Irish name, means ‘war’. Was a male name in the 60s, now it is very much a female one. It ranks at #260. Nowadays overlooked in favour of other irish names such as ‘Kennedy’. Another irish name, Keeley (most often spelt Kiely in Ireland) means ‘slender’ and does not rank. The similar name Kaylee ranks at #26.

- Kelsey. Means ‘island’. Was popular at the same time as Chelsea. Now the name of your average teen. Kelsey ranks at #210. Chelsea ranks at #231. The name Chelsea originates from the borough of London, has begun to fall down the name chart.

- Stellina. Variation of Stella. Does not rank.

- Esteley. Variation of Estella. Does not rank.

- Melanie. Of Greek origin. Means ‘black or dark’. Currently ranks at #93. Was popular due to ‘Gone with the wind’, but has begun to fall down the name charts.

- Melina. Of Greek origin meaning ‘quince yellow’. Some see it as a fresh alternative to Melissa. Melina has moved up from #510 to #456 in the past year. Melissa means ‘bee’ and ranks at #137. Another variant, Melita, is greek meaning ‘honey’. But is also the name of a coffee filter. It does not rank.

- Helen/ Helena. Helen is greek, and it means ‘bright, shining one’. It ranks at #389. This name has been unfashionable for decades, so is due for a comeback. The alternative of Helena ranks at #575, and was a name favoured by Shakespeare. Another alternative is Ellen, which is falling down as Ella and co. rise. It currently ranks at #700. Eleni is a common name in Greece, that could also be considered.

- Mella. This name is a variant of Melanie. The variant of Mela is Hindi and means ‘religious service’.

- Pamela. Invented in the 16th Century by poet, Sir Philip Sidney. Ranks at #845. Poised for a revival?

- Amelia. Variation of Emily, means ‘energetic’. Currently stands at #55. The french version, Amelie, is at #675.

Names that end ‘-la’

- Carla. The version Karla is rising due to the trend towards ‘k’ names (currently #295), this spelling is falling though. It is the feminine variant of Carl, and currently stands at #665. The variant of Charla is does not rank and the variant of Clara is at #199 and means ‘bright’. Other variants are Sharla and Starla. Neither rank.

- Nuala. Irish name, pronounced NOO-la, it means ‘white shoulders’, officially a shortened version of Fionnuala. It does not rank.

- Kayla. Arabic and Hebrew origins. Means ‘laurel, crown’. Recently fallen out of the top 30 to #35

- Delilah. Hebrew and Arabic in origin. Rising quickly and currently stands at #191. Appeared in the Bible story of Samson and Delilah.

- Talulla/ Tallulah. Talulla is the Irish version of this name. The names mean ‘lady of abundance’. Starting to become popular, currently does not rank for either listed spelling.

- Michaela. Feminine version of Michael, more popular than Michelle. Means ‘who is like God’. Ranks at #370. Variant spellings are popular. Very popular in the 90s.

- Beulah. Popular at the beginning of the 20th century, and has yet to make a comeback. Or Hebrew origin and means ‘married’. Does not rank.

- Kala. Has origins in both Hindi and Hawaiian. In Hindi it means ‘art form or virtue’, in Hawaiian it is their version of Sarah. It does not rank.

- Lila. German word for ‘purple’. Arabic for ‘lilac’. Ranks at #168. Starting to become popular once more. Variants are Lilah (#366), Leila (Persian meaning ‘dark beauty, night’, #238), Layla (Popular alternate spelling of Leila, #45), Lyla (Shot up 72 spots to #152), Lilac (Colour, does not rank), Lola (Spanish diminuative of Dolores,’lady of sorrows’, #221), Lilia (Latin origin, means ‘Lily’, #916), Lolita (Story by Nakobov has kept this name from becoming popular, likely to start ranking soon though.)and Kalila (Arabic, means ‘beloved’, does not rank.)

Wildcards:

- Elspeth. Scottish form of Elizabeth.

- Elpis . Means “hope” in Greek. In Greek mythology Elpis was the personification of hope. She was the last spirit to remain in the jar after Pandora unleashed the evils that were in it.

- Twyla. Variant of Twila. Could become popular when parents search for a name connected to ‘Twilight’. Twila means ‘woman with a double thread’.

- Dalella. Variation of Daniella.

- Belladonna. Italian name that means ‘beautiful woman’. Also the name of the poisonous plant that appears in Romeo and Juliet.

- Belia. Spanish variation of Bella.

- Elisheba. Original Hebrew form of Elizabeth. Alternative is Elisheva. Another is Elisha, which is Hebrew and means ‘God is my Salvation’, ranks at #709. Other spelling variants at Alysha (does not rank), Alisha (#765) and Eilisha (does not rank and derives from Eilish, the irish version of Elizabeth).

- Elyssa. Variation of Alyssa (Means ‘noble’, ranks at #19), Elysia (Mythical home of the blessed, Does not rank)and Alice (Also means ‘noble’, ranks at #258). There is also the variation of Alicia, which ranks at #207.

- Bellona. Derives from Latin and means ‘to fight’.

- Laurel. Latin name, meaning ‘Laurel tree’. Alternative of Laura.

- Teyla. Created for a Sci-Fi show, alternate spelling of Taylor.

Other similar names:

- Lisa. Popular in the late sixties, early seventies, also recorded as used on males. Derived from Elizabeth. Ranks at #686. It was #4 in 1970.

- Esther. Persian meaning ‘star’. Ranks at #267, was in the top 50 100 years ago, but is rarely used today. It is tipped for a comeback though.

- Louisa. Hardly heard of variant of Louis. Means ‘renowned warrior’. It’s hispanic version is Luisa, which is common in the Hispanic community.

- Kiely. Common Irish spelling of Keeley. Regularly used as a surname.

- Swansea. Has a similar sound to Chelsea. Name of a Welsh city.

EDIT: Here is what the lovely people of Yahoo! answers had to say: Y!A

August 2009 Casting Calls New York City

August 2009 Casting Calls New York City01-01 to 01-04Name: BethanyAge: 22Height: 5’6″Weight: 115 lbs.Measurements: 34C-24-3602-01 to 02-04Name: Cassandra N.Age: 24Height: 5’4″Weight: 105 lbs.Measurements: 34C-25-3503-01 to 03-04Name: EleniAge: 20Height: 5’4″Weight: 102 lbs.Measurements: 32D-25-3204-01 to 04-04Name: DanielaAge: 25Height: 5’8″Weight: 127 lbs.Measurements: 34B-27-3505-01 to 05-04Name: KarinAge: 22Height: 5’1″Weight: 108 1bs.Measurements: 32D-23-3206-01 to 06-04Name: LaurenAge: 19Height: 5’5″Weight: 119 lbs.Measurements: 36C-24-3507-01 to 07-04Name: HemiAge: 23Height: 5’7″Weight: 110 lbs.Measurements: 34C-25-3408-01 to 08-04Name: LeandraAge: 21Height: 5’5″Weight: 120 lbs.Measurements: 34D-28-3509-01 to 09-04Name: Cassandra W.Age: 20Height: 5’2″Weight: 110 lbs.Measurements: 36C-24-32Photography by Gen Nishino, James Trevenen, Rudi Ayasse and Jodi VanderWoude

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