Hey babe

It seems that when you get married - at least for girls - not only do you have to change your last name, but you lose your first one as well.

After my sister got married, she's known simply as "Honey". Coincidentally, that's her husband's name too. There's something sickly sweet about it when the two-syllable word is dragged out for an extended period of time - that's when you know they're either extra lovey dovey or one is trying to convince the other to do something (i.e. get more dessert).

Then there's "Babe". I have never called a baby a babe. But somehow it's oddly complimentary when somebody calls me one - although why it is flattering to be called a baby-like creature slash famous pig I do not know. I've heard variations of this one too: AngelBabe, Baby face, Baby girl, Baby doll. Sadly, baby boys don't seem to make the list. I guess they just don't do the job when it comes to condensing your unconditional love into catchy monikers.

"Sweetheart" makes me think of wrinkly hands, construction paper, pill-looking candy and hospitals.

I guess at the end of the day, calling your loved one something else is an insurance policy. I have once introduced a date to a huge group of people without realizing that I've been saying the wrong name the whole time. He took me home early that night.

Romeo once asked Juliet, "What's in a name?" Well I guess when it comes to lovers, the answer to that is babies, sweet tasting stickiness, and a whole ton of store-bought candy.