Strange Naming Conventions

My dog's name is Pixel. Okay, some may say that's just a techno-cute name for a loving pet. Yes it is, but the name has become a term of endearment to my ears. He's there whenever I want genuine, uncomplicated affection. I love my dog, and so therefore, I now love his name.

The other day, I was out walking dearest Pixel, when it occured to me that some of the place names around here lack that neighbourhoody feeling. There we were, walking along the old road in the Central Experimental Farm. Now, who thought of that name? It's not everyday that there's a working farm, smack in the middle of a city. Couldn't they have given it a name that has a bit more charm, nostalgia, or even slight feeling to it? How about "Kenilworth Farm"? Too waspy? How about naming it after a famous musician such as Oscar Peterson ("the Peterson Farm")? I know that people in Montreal are clamouring to name something after the late musician, so why not this large expanse of beautiful land?

I mused this as I made my way back home, to the Civic Hospital Area (another politically correct, lackluster name), and wished that it too, could be named something like Ruskin (after art and social critic, John Ruskin), or Hamilton, or Parkdale... or any more engaging name. Maybe some Ottawan official will read this and perhaps give it some consideration, the next time they are involved in naming some important piece of our heritage.