Blog Crossover: The Man Chronicles/The Book About Flirting: Chapter 1

Welcome to The Man Chronicles, a series at THL.  Or more accurately, an "occasional series" because my dating life is very Miranda Hobbes circa her panic attack aka sources for post subjects are scarce.  I really get my flirt on with the Chinese food guy, though.   

Series motto (for now!), methinks: "Do any of you have a completely unremarkable friend or maybe a houseplant I could go to dinner with on Saturday night?" 

As I'm sure you know by now, Liz and I started a blog devoted to book reviews and bookish posts. It's called Filthy Casket Book Reviews. I've got an ongoing review of How to Attract Anyone, Anytime, Anyplace: The Smart Guide to Flirting over there, but I post them here, too, because I think it fits in really well with The Man Chronicles. Every week when I review it, I'll post it on both sites, and it'll be a fun crossover. Yay! Man Chronicles AND books!  

If it suits your fancy, you can read it on Filthy Casket by clicking here. 

A few things. 1. This is part of an ongoing review. You can read the first part here. 2. If you are or ever have been a male mentor, teacher, or father figure to me, just don't read these.

This is a review of chapter 1: Rediscovering the Flirt in You

I finally managed to finish the first chapter of The Flirting Book (technically called How to Attract Anyone, Anytime, Anyplace: The Smart Guide to Flirting, but that’s a mouthful so I’m going to stick to calling it The Flirting Book, forever solidifying my role of Least Official Book Reviewer Ever). 

Moving on. 

The intro got off to a bad start by suggesting that all single people are party hopping hooligans (I’m exaggerating but only slightly). It’s alright though, because it soon after mentioned eating desserts for lunch and I am all for that. 

Right off the bat, I can tell this book is corny. I mean, I knew that because it's a book about flirting. But the writing is going to be corny, too. On the very first page, for instance, we see this line: 

Even a visit to the neighborhood laundromat doesn't have to be a social wash. 

I'd laugh hysterically at such an awful pun in real life, but puns are harder to work with in books. So already, I know I'm in for quite the ride. 

Let's get into it, though. The author says this:

Learning to flirt is no more difficult than learning to dance.

Uh okay, so basically I'm fucked. Or, actually, won't be often if the above statement is true and good flirting technique is only as attainable as good dancing technique.

Even though I think it's a bad/intimidating metaphor, I understood the author's point and marched forward. "I will read this book! I will rediscover the flirt in me!" Even if this doesn't help the romantic flirt in me, the intro all but promises increased social, communication, and work skills. So this won't, in theory, be a futile attempt. 

The book starts off with a quiz, and I'm all for quizzes. This quickly erased any worry that the book, written in the 90's, would be outdated and useless. Quizzes! We love quizzes! Isn't Buzzfeed extremely popular?! This book is basically Lil Kim to Buzzfeed's Nicki Minaj. This book is relevant. This book will help me rediscover the flirt within. So yes, I took the quiz. It was quick and relatively easy. I also feel like I should mention that at least one of the questions gave me pause. Flirting is okay, but there's a line and doing something like telling a woman "her melons look fine" as she's trying to pick fruit out at the grocery store isn't cute flirting, it's inappropriate. I worried that the book would end up being horrible, but I told myself that this is a quiz meant to gauge the reader's personality, not a section with actual advice, so I'm going to give it a chance.

There were five multiple choice questions, and each had seven possible answers. At the end you count up how many of each letter (the answers were a, b, c, d, e, f, g) you chose and if you had one letter multiple times, you're a certain type of flirt. I had a B, two Gs, and two that were a toss-up between A and G. (Does that make sense??) So I flipped to the page that tells people who chose G often to find out what kind of flirt I was, though I took it with a grain of salt. I am, it seems, an Analytical Flirt. Sounds about right (although I'm nowhere near as analytical as the example she gave). I flipped back and read over the other kinds of flirts, too:

The "I Don't Flirt" Flirt

The Self-Centered Flirt

The Terminator Flirt

The Pressured Flirt

The Insincere Flirt

The Rejected Flirt

The Analytical Flirt

Rabin describes each type of flirt (though the descriptions are exaggerated big time, to the point where I almost didn't want to read them) and I'm assuming the info and advice in the following chapters will be tailored to each kind. Only time will tell!

xoxo

Char

link love

This week blew by so fast and I am so exhausted. SO exhausted. But I promised myself I'd post these every week, so here we are.

This dude shares a name with Taylor Swift and is really cool about it. I laughed when he read some fan mail and sheepishly said, "Thank you!"

Liz shared this post about grief on Facebook the other day and I'm going to go ahead and call it a must-read.

If you like the idea of ending oppression, give this a read.

I find it strange and disappointing when people deny the existence of racism, but just in case there was any doubt, look at this article about places named with racial slurs. Racism is real and color blindness is convenient.

Other stories that show white privilege/racism: affluent white districts vote down proposals meant to help predominantly black schools and two black cops are charged with murder after shooting and killing a white little boy. (To be clear, I am glad they are being charged. They should go to jail. But we also shouldn't ignore that black kids are killed by white cops frequently and when those cops are put on trial, society tends to jump to their defense. This is one of the many reasons the Black Lives Matters movement is necessary.)

I enjoyed (and probably needed?) this post about happily being single, and I admire the message that you shouldn't put your life on hold while waiting for a serious relationship. That said, there's some privilege in this woman's story - fine, but I could see how women with less money might be a little weary of the post. (Sorta related: this list of things to do while you're single. I'm generally annoyed by these kinds of lists, because life doesn't end when you have kids and people who say it does add to the negative perception of growing up and/or having a family. But some of these are more doable when you're single than they'd be if you were in a serious relationship or if you had the responsibilities that come with being a parent. But I don't know, keep in mind that none of these things are impossible if you're not single.)

I recently discovered John Granger and I've been pouring through reviews of his books. I need to be friends with this person.

Christmas is coming which means people are going to be extra giving. If you usually participate in Operation Christmas Child (I have), reconsider. There are better ways to help.

I love books and I love names so I ate up this article about how characters got their names!!

A while back, I wrote this post about being a burden. How all of us are burdens to other people, but how we're worth it. It is worth suffering to know another person. And so I really enjoyed this post about selfishness masked as charity. Here's an excerpt:

It is truly our selfishness, masked as mercy, that parades as charity today. We have more wealth and resources than at arguably any other time and place and yet we can’t spare the time and effort to care and love the most vulnerable of society. We’d rather kill them, for their own good, and call it our good deed of the day.

Perfect.

Pope Francis has won hearts (again) by calling for women's rights.

A little heartwarming, inspiring video.

I cannot wait to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It looks amazing.

Stress is bad bad bad for the body. I can personally attest to that.

I've mentioned before that I suck at praying and can use all the help I can get. I really appreciated this post on ways to improve your prayer life. (Also enjoyed this post on always preparing for a holy death.)

My ideal wedding would take place between mid October and early January, so of course I liked this post of winter beauty inspiration for brides.

Don't listen to Gwyneth Paltrow. Ever.

Did you hear about the app that will allow everyone to be review-able? Like, Yelp for humans. Bad idea. Maybe worse than a dislike button on Facebook.

I don't usually love kitchens that use a ton of white, but I adore this one!

These homes made of plastic bottles are great for the economy, affordable, warm, and bulletproof. I think it's great, though... I don't know. Something is rubbing me the wrong way. Those of us living in developed countries make a ton of waste and give it no thought and then people in developing countries are cleaning up the mess.  

Think I might need to go see both of these movies!

Loved this list of French names that could get popular here.

And I'll leave with the gift that is Prince Harry. And his beard.

<3
__
Charlotte

The Blue Ridge

The first time I saw the Blue Ridge Parkway was in the middle of February a few years ago and it was terrifying. Super beautiful and majestic and all that jazz, but the leaves were long gone and with them, the illusion that you weren't driving on a cliff. See that picture above? In the spring, those trees and growth are full, so even though you totally are driving on a cliff, you feel like there's something stopping you from going over the edge. Not the case in February and not the case now. I drove up a few days ago. It was very pretty, but I think I went a week or two too late. There were still orange leaves, but most had fallen already, so it wasn't as colorful as it might have been and I was very aware of the fact that I was driving on a cliff. You take your eyes off the road for just a moment and bad things can happen. I just kept repeating to myself, "don't look at the view, don't look at the view, WHY DID YOU JUST LOOK AT THE VIEW, YOU'RE GONNA DIE, KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD."

Good times.

I drove up through Pisgah forest which, luckily, was still very colorful. I suppose the trees on the tops of the mountains lose their leaves faster. I decided I would take pictures of Pisgah on the way down instead of on the way up... mostly because I was starving and I bought a cup of "melon medley" and it was calling my name and I'd be able to eat it at the first overlook on the parkway. I put on some Blake Shelton and made my way up, and didn't even cry once over how pretty the forest was. I finally got to the overlook, took some pictures, and took a few bites of melon before I saw some guy looking at me funny and decided I'd go eat my melon medley at a different overlook, thank you very much.

zoomed in to the top corner of previous pic 

Pisgah has a ton of little pull-offs that are just big enough for one or two cars. On the way up to the parkway I tried to make a mental list of which spots seemed prettiest so that I'd be prepared to stop on the way down. This was going just swimmingly until I took another bite of my melon medley at one of these stops and started choking on it, no one in sight to ask for help. I recovered, but still... reminiscent of my days living alone in the city, when I used to occasionally worry about choking and dying alone. 

I watch too much Sex and the City.

It's a legitimate fear though. 

But yes! I persevered. These pictures of Pisgah are my favorite. I enjoyed exploring the forest more than I enjoyed the Blue Ridge. The colors were so perfect and the road twists a lot, so the sunlight played some cool tricks. I could live in this forest if I wasn't terrified of bears. 

Moral of the story: I need to spend more time outdoors.
__
Charlotte

October Into November | 2015

It's been raining here for over a week. We've had two random days of nice weather, but in general if it rains, it rains for days. I adore the rain, so it's not really a problem, though it does make getting exercise harder. Or, well, it makes it easier for me to fake-justify not exercising. Going for a walk or jog in the rain wouldn't kill me, but I act like it would. Between the dampness and sports teams, things are pretty meh today. The Giants lost, Green Bay lost, the Mets lost (I'm a Yankees fan but I want NY to be the best at everything, so I was rooting for the Mets). At least Notre Dame won! 

This month was terribly slow and not much happened. A few things, though: 

1. A trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway

Okay, so it's not a real trip. It's about 40 minutes from me. But I don't go often because it's an uphill hike and gas isn't free, homie. I originally planned to take a trip to Asheville this month, but then I decided I'd rather see the Blue Ridge. I've never seen it in fall and I thought it would be nice. I'll write a post about it tomorrow!  

2. Healthity health health

I've not needed to go to the hospital since last time! Exciting. I've had a few doctor appointments, and this Thursday is my procedure and I'm not freaking out about it. Yet. I'll probably start tomorrow. 

The endo stuff seems to have taken a break. The birth control has worked as far as regulating the actual days and times (at least, as of now), and while the pain is still bad, it feels like it's less frequent. I still want to pursue treatment of course, but I'm relieved that this can kind of be put on the back burner while the liver stuff is happening. 

3. Ignoring all my monthly goals but... 

Yeah, I sort of ignored my goals this month. But it's largely because I decided to work on my daily habits instead, and it's been taking an embarrassing amount of effort. I think I'll write a post devoted to this later, but basically I have to constantly talk myself out of everything I'd normally do. I may or may not feel like a crazy person. 

That said, I did work toward some of my goals. I've been writing a lot. I didn't finish an entire chapter, but I did write. I've posted just about three times a week. I want to increase that a little, but it's a start, and I don't think it's too bad, especially since I've also been blogging on Filthy Casket. I've been exercising more, reading spiritual books more, and writing reviews more (though I was a little shy of my goal to write eight reviews).

Speaking of goals, here's what I want to do this month: 

1. Figure out a way to go to church. (My family makes this hard, because some of them tend to mock everything and/or be suspicious of everything. It's hard to explain. This is part of why I'm really dying to go back to Albany.)

2. Read five books. (I dropped the ball this month and read the first chapters of a few books instead of reading any books in their entirety.) 

3. Radically change my diet. (I've been doing this already but it is literally the hardest thing ever for me. I'll write more about it in that habits post.)

4. Do difficult exercises at least four times a week. (As in, uphill hiking or basketball or jogging.)

5. Continue posting at least three times a week on THL. 

6. Write at least six book reviews on FC. 

7. Finalize plans to go back to NY.

I think that's a solid amount of goals and that I should be able to complete them. 

That's it for this month's (very short?) post. xo. 

__

Charlotte

link love

Hey guys. It's official my favorite time of year now that Halloween is over. Thanksgiving! Christmas! New Year! I'm getting excited. 

But let's not hate on Halloween too hard. It can be fun. I got a laugh out of these costumes (and especially loved all the Rugrats costumes). And I'm putting these Harry Potter costumes ideas in my pocket for next year. I don't even remember the last time I dressed up for Halloween, and as much as I don't love the holiday, if I'm in Albany next year I might just go ahead and have fun. *shudder*

Speaking of Harry Potter, I didn't like this article. Prince William hasn't even read the books and you're gonna tell me he loves HP as much as me? Nahhh. But I did find this article about JK Rowling's position on Israel interesting. Apparently she got a lot of heat for signing a petition encouraging people NOT to boycott Israel, but then she used a HP story to say that she thinks Israel (as a state) does horrific things but that she doesn't think cutting off communication with them will solve anything. I can respect that. Also - really enjoyed this blog post about Harry Potter, Hallowmas, and our outlook on death over at Carrots for Michaelmas. Definitely recommend reading that one.  

Okay, so, things other than Harry Potter. 

Buzzfeed featured stories from five astronauts and they are terrifying. (The stories, not the astronauts.) You know I love space but also, space is dangerous. 

I'm dying to try this recipe this week! But it worries me. It's not cheap, and if I don't like it... well that would suck. I'd probably eat it because I'd feel bad wasting money, but I'd be pissed that I spent the money every time I eat it! Fingers crossed it's delicious.

This woman's story about egg donation was sad but touching. 

I may or may not be obsessed with Kate Middleton's style, and so I *may or may not* have loved this post - let's all go buy these dresses!

An important reminder.

I've mentioned that I have been thinking about getting a HP-inspired tattoo for a while. Liz showed me this terrific article of book-inspired tattoos and they're giving me great ideas! I'm not completely sure what I want yet, but I do know I want it to be subtle.

This was a terrific article about why we really need to stop blaming the Black Lives Matter movement for police deaths. "While every single death of a police officer is tragic, the nearly seven years of the Obama administration have been the safest seven years for police during any two-term presidency in our lifetime." 

Mixed opinions on this NYT article. Glad that extreme poverty across the globe is decreasing, but also - we need to talk about poverty more. And extreme poverty isn't the only problem. There's no excuse for people living paycheck to paycheck, either. I just don't want people to read that article and then fall into contentedness thinking that the world is just fine.  

By now you probably know I'm a big fan of Gretchen Rubin. Check this out! 

Loved this interview with Lauren Graham (one of my favorites)! Can't wait for the new episodes. 

I've said I want backyard chickens before (for eggs), and this pretty much solidified that desire. That hop at the end! 

And finally a big thanks to everyone who read and enjoyed my post about saints' names. It quickly became my most popular post and has been shared a few times and people have been so kind and fun about it! :) <3 

Til next week. 

__

Charlotte       

Blog Crossover: The Man Chronicles/A Book About Flirting: Intro

Welcome to The Man Chronicles, a series at THL.  Or more accurately, an "occasional series" because my dating life is very Miranda Hobbes circa her panic attack aka sources for post subjects are scarce.  I really get my flirt on with the Chinese food guy, though.   

Series motto (for now!), methinks: "Do any of you have a completely unremarkable friend or maybe a houseplant I could go to dinner with on Saturday night?" 

Okay SO. As I'm sure you know by now, Liz and I started a blog devoted to book reviews and bookish posts. It's called Filthy Casket Book Reviews. I posted about an ongoing review of How to Attract Anyone, Anytime, Anyplace: The Smart Guide to Flirting over there today, but I wanted to post it here, too, because I think it'll fit in really well with The Man Chronicles. 

Every week when I review it, I'll post it on both sites, and it'll be a fun crossover. Yay! Man Chronicles AND books!  

  

Read it here or view it on Filthy Casket. I suppose this review can be a THL-FC hybrid. :) 

We're gonna have some fun with an ongoing review of this book that is supposed to help you flirt better. 

I'd never, ever buy this kind of book without prompting. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I'd be too fake-confident to purchase it myself. But the world is funny and one day several of us were at the house of someone who was getting rid of old books. She'd hold up a book and one of us would claim it (me, an aunt, and several cousins). Well, she held up How to Attract Anyone, Anytime, Anyplace: The Smart Guide to Flirting and all of the voices sans mine shouted, "Charlotte!"

Side eye.

At first I got a wee bit defensive. Just because I'm single doesn't mean I don't know how to flirt! I know how to flirt! I just don't engage in flirtation while I'm with a bunch of people, especially if it's family! I was mighty close to rejecting the book and insisting the fifteen year old would make better use of it when... 

I remembered that time in college when I was walking into the campus center and a handsome fella happened to be walking through the doors at the same time. I unintentionally but definitely audibly said, "You are scrumptious!" Commence a lot of internal "no no no no no no no." Not one of my finest moments, which is saying something, my friends. 

So with that memory suddenly fresh in my mind I shut my mouth and threw the book on top of my pile.

I picked it up once or twice but never really read it. I have no interest in starting a relationship here, since I'm going back to New York. There's one guy here who is very charming and if I have to endure even one more "Yes, ma'am" or "You look real pretty today" in his southern accent I might actually die because I know I can't pack him in my suitcase and take him up north with me. Le sigh. Knowing all that, I still think it'll be fun to read the book and try out some of the advice (not on the aforementioned farmer because again, it might cause my literal death). I normally hold back on flirting unless I already start to like a guy, but now that we're reviewing the book I've got to think about the greater good! I've got to flirt!* Think of all the people who might benefit! 

There are seven chapters and I think I'll probably do one post each week, so this will last for about two months. I'm not trying this to get a boyfriend. I just think it'll be fun and, always more importantly, funny. Maybe it'll even change some of my communication habits right in time for my return to NY. Who knows. From what I've seen so far, this book sounds super corny. I suppose that's to be expected. 

A quick glance at the table of contents tells me I'll be rediscovering the flirt in me. And by that I just have to assume she means *discovering for the first time. 

See you in a week. 

__

Charlotte

Chapter 1's post here
Chapter 2's post here

Rethinking Saints' Names

I hesitated to write this because most of my readers (hey Liz) aren’t parents and aren’t soon-to-be parents and aren’t Catholic so… ya’ll might think I’m crazy to enjoy talking about names so much. But I got over it. I like talking about names.

Kate over at Sancta Nomina often writes about patron saints and different ways to honor saints through baby names. Yesterday she wrote a great post about Caroline and Charlotte being potential ways to honor John Paul II (his given name was Karol) and I thought it was funny because I recently started reading Lives of the Saints. I’m not far into it at all, but just looking at the index made me stop and think. Some of the names are long and unfamiliar today, and you might need to get creative to honor them. I commented saying so, and Kate asked what some of my ideas were. I hadn’t thought about it too much (just a few names) but I thought it’d be fun to think about it some more. Yay for blogs.

Most of these are stretches, for sure. Coming up with names by scrambling letters or leaning heavily on certain sounds, etc. These aren’t actual forms of the names or anything like that – but I think if you name a kid with the intention of using a saint, that’s enough. (Funnily enough, Kate wrote about a possible connection between Theresa and Patricia, and I said I thought the names were too different to use as honor names to me. But this feels different – trying to come up with a way to honor a Saint named Porphyry doesn’t feel the same as naming a baby after your great aunt Therese. Of course, it’s different for everyone.)

Here are some ideas:

Saint Flavian

I actually think Flavian is semi-wearable today. People seem to be getting bolder with names, and Flavia wouldn’t be crazy. Flavian and Flavia would also work well as middle names. It’s not my style, though, and it reminds me of The Hunger Games (Flavius was one of the makeup team members, if I remember correctly). I think it’s really cool to name a baby after literary characters, but Flavius wasn’t my favorite and I associate the name with the Capitol. Okay now that I’ve geeked out a substantial amount…

Fiona – Fiona’s letters are almost all found in Flavian, and there are similar sounds in there.

Flora – More of a stretch than Fiona, for sure. That said, Flora adds another layer to the name. It means flower, and there are so many holy connections – Mary is often symbolized by flowers: roses, lilies, etc. With sounds lent from Flavian and meaning for Mary, Flora could be a really meaningful name with two patrons.

Vienna – The stretchiest of all Flavian stretches. Place names seem to be popular now, and the first syllable of “Vienna” sounds an awful lot like the last syllable of “Flavian,” unless I’m pronouncing it wrong (very, very possible).

Finn – I know Finn is sometimes used for girls now, but I much prefer it for boys. To me it sounds like a natural nickname for Flavian, and since a lot of people choose to forego formal names and put shortened names on birth certificates instead, I think Finn is a great way to honor St. Flavian. It’d totally work if you used a formal like Finnian or Finnegan, too.

Other ideas: Names that can be nicknamed Effie, Fifi, Alfie

Saint Apollinaris

Apollo – The obvious choice for parents of boys who want to honor this saint. Apollo is a hip and cool name, super wearable today, though it’s too out there for my own taste.

Polly – Another clear choice to honor Apollinaris. Also possible for another double: Molly Maris. According to this, Polly is also a form of Mary and Molly is super similar in sound, and Maris is often associated with Our Lady. Polly Maris is nice too - either way, you can honor both Saint Apollinaris and the Virgin Mary. (Also, I'm digging the "aris" found in both.) 

Oliver/Olive nn Ollie – Similar to Finn for Flavian, Ollie seems like a natural nickname for Apollinaris.

Paul/Paula/Pauline have some similar sounds and so might work.   

Short names that are spelled with letters mostly found in Apollinaris: Lara, Sara, Silas/Linus, Nora, Arlo, Risa, Orin

Saint Aelred

I liked this one too much, probably. It reminded me of this super fun post I wrote of non-obvious ways to name your baby after a character. In that, I found this when looking at Alfred: Derived from the Old English Ælfred, a compounding of the elements ælf (elf) and ræd (counsel). 

Aelred and Alfred aren't exactly the same, of course, but they're similar, and according to Behind the Name, Aelred is a variant of ÆÐELRÆD, which, like Alfred, includes  ræd. (Again, meaning "counsel.") So that's fun (and... does this mean all of the suggestions for "Albus" in that post could work for Aelred??? :D ) So: 

Alfred - A bit different, but very similar meaning, and a few letters in common.

Albert - Doesn't have quite the same meaning, but again, stretching is okay here, and a lot of the letters and sounds are shared. 

Aldo - With Arlo gaining steam (I love it), Aldo might be next. 

Darla - With Harvey and Alfie and Calvin being used again, it's not out of the realm of possibilities that Darla comes back, and it has a lot of the same letters as Aelred, making it a good possible honor name. 

Rae - A huge stretch, but if paired with another meaningful name to make it especially clear that baby is being named for the saint? Dorothea Rae is a possibility - Dorothea means "gift of God" and paired with Rae as a short (short!) nn from Saint Aelred, that's a really holy name. Ella is similar in that it shares some sounds/letters but might need to be paired with another name to really solidify the meaning.

I haven't given too much thought to the rest, but at first glance, these are names I can see being used to honor saints with really unfamiliar names: 

Saint Romuald

Romy - Romy would be my favorite way to name a girl after Saint Romuald. 

Rudy - Likewise, Rudy would be my favorite way to name a boy after Saint Romuald.

There's also Ronald, Rue, Aldo, Arlo, and Maud/e. 

Saint Porphyry

Rory - To me, Rory seems like the most obvious choice (I prefer Rory for a girl, though I know it's used for boys as well). 

Fiero - Though I'd never use it, I've seen this name floated around by others. 

Poppy - I've heard that this name is coming back, and it seems like a sensible way to name a baby girl with Saint Porphyry in mind. 

Names that can be shortened as nicknames to Pip or Rye.

Saint Soter 

Rose - Rose is made entirely of letters found in "Soter" and so I think, combined with intention to name a baby after the saint, works as an honor name. 

Otis - Many of the same letters, plus similar sound. Since Soter was a Pope, maybe combining Otis with Peter would add extra clarity to the significance of the name. Otis Peter/Peter Otis. 

Names that can be shortened to Ret. 

Saint Etheldreda

Of course, there's Ethel. But other names that might work if Ethel isn't your style: 

Esmeralda - It's got similar sounds, a lot of letters in common, and it looks very similar. 

Adele/Edele/Edel - All letters found in the original name. (If I was naming a girl after Saint Etheldreda I'd likely go with Adele.)

Della - I've come to really like the name Della. I found it when my friend was expecting and wanted a name that was rare, but wouldn't be completely unfamiliar. With all the Ellas and Stellas, Della is familiar but not heard often. It's got similar look and feel and letters as Etheldreda. Also, "del/l" means "the," "of," or "of the" in a few languages, which lends itself to a lot of great possibilities. But dell also means valley, which seems like a possible way to honor Mary and Jesus, especially if paired with other specific names. (I've heard of "lily of the valley" as a symbol of Mary, as a symbol of Jesus, and as a symbol of the coming of spring, symbolizing the coming of Jesus.) Della paired with a Christ-name, Mary/Marie/Maria/Maris, Rose, or a Lily-name (that'd be hard though) would be loaded with a ton of significance. Della Maria would be my favorite, but there's also Della Rose, Della Cristina, or, if you don't mind the repeating sounds, Della Liliana. (Or any other combo you might think of.) Della has potential to honor Saint Etheldreda, Mary, and Jesus all at once.    

Others: Andrea, Rae, Ella, Lea, Drella, Dare (I've seen it used as a middle), etc.

I think another great way to really make it clear that a baby is being named for a saint is to pair it with meaningful middles - names that mean "gift" or "gift of God" or "like God" or even "happy," since happiness stems from God. Gabriel means "God is my strength." So something like Alfred Gabriel (for Saint Aelred) or Abigail Fiona (for Saint Flavian, and Abigail means "my father is joyful) would honor the saint clearly - I mean, the saints do point us to God.

That's all I've got (for now ;). If you know more about names and languages (and root words and meanings and all that) I imagine there are even more possibilities to honor these saints. Such fun.     

Any ideas? 

__

Charlotte