Chapter Theme Song:.

"Name," Goo Goo Dolls Get a book of baby names and discover what your lover's name means. Then use that meaning as a theme for romantic gifts and gestures.

For Linda: Find poems and songs that use the word beautiful.

For Neil: Play for him "We Are the Champions" by Queen.

For Susan: Give her many lilies.

921 Do you know the significance of your lover's name? Here are a few samples taken from a "baby name" book: Ada is Teutonic for "joyous."

April is Latin for "open, accepting."

Barbara is Roman for "mysterious stranger."

Catherine is Greek, meaning "pure."

Cheryl is French for "beloved."

David is Hebrew for "beloved."

Diane is from the Latin Diana, meaning "Goddess of the Moon."

Dominique is French, meaning "she who belongs to God."

Erik is Scandinavian for "ever-powerful."

Frederick is Germanic, meaning "peaceful."

Gary is Germanic for "spear carrier."

I heard a rumor that one couple, inspired by the comic strip Zits, has legally changed their name to one word, Tomandsusan.

Gregory is Greek, meaning "vigilant, watchful."

Helen is Greek for "light."

Jean derives from Jane, Hebrew for "God is gracious."

Jennifer is Welsh, for "fair one."

John is Hebrew for "God is merciful."

Judy is Hebrew, meaning "admired and praised."

Kelsey is derived from Gaelic, meaning "female warrior."

Kevin is Irish for "handsome, gentle, lovable."

Linda is Spanish, meaning "beautiful."

Marjorie is derived from Greek, meaning "pearl, precious one."

Neil is Gaelic, meaning "champion."

Raymond is Old English for "wise guardian."

Richard is Old German for "powerful ruler."

Sally is Hebrew for "princess."

Susan is Hebrew for "lily."

Thomas is Aramaic, meaning "the twin."

Warren is Germanic for "defender, or protective friend."

Wendy was invented by J. M. Barrie for the heroine of Peter Pan!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT*

*For your Monty Python fan: Serve Spam, eggs, Spam, and Spam for breakfast.

Plant some shrubbery.

Promise that you'll never "Run away!"

922 Are you stuck in a boring routine every evening? (Home from work; run some errands; grab some dinner; pay some bills; watch some TV; crawl into bed exhausted.) Radically change your routine: Meet after work at the local art museum; eat at the cafe there; spend the evening browsing with the high-brow.

On a Tuesday night, order a quick pizza for dinner, then head for an early movie.

Meet at the mall; go window shopping; dine at your favorite fast food joint.

923 There's no better way to loosen up than to get in touch with the child inside yourself. That little kid is playful, creative, curious, spontaneous, trusting, and imaginative! Stop being such an adult, and recapture those childlike qualities. Suggested reading: The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein The Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith 924 Is your honey a Wizard of Oz fanatic? Well, take her to the Judy Garland Museum and see rare photos, video documentaries, rare recordings, and memorabilia. It hosts a Judy Garland Festival every year, too. The Yellow Brick Road is in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Call 800-664-JUDY or visit www. judygarlandmuseum.com.

WHAT IS YOUR QUEST?.

925 If the two of you decided to undertake a quest to share one million kisses over the course of your lives, how often would you have to kiss?

Note: For the sake of practicality I'm making these assumptions: You each sleep six hours per night-so you can't kiss during that time. And between work, commuting, and separate chores, you'll spend an additional sixty hours per week apart. Given all that, here's how often you'd have to kiss if you wanted to share 1,000,000 kisses: Over ten years you'd have to kiss once every 2.06 minutes.

Over twenty years you'd have to kiss once every 4.12 minutes.

Over thirty years you'd have to kiss once every 6.18 minutes.

Over forty years you'd have to kiss once every 8.24 minutes.

Over fifty years you'd have to kiss once every 10.3 minutes Over sixty years you'd have to kiss once every 12.36 minutes.

Note #1: You're welcome, of course, to bunch your kisses together so that you'll have time to attend to other matters in your life.

Note #2: Sorry, but the judges have ruled that extra long kisses still only count as one kiss each. (That goes for French Kisses, too.) 926 If your quest is to fill the house with the wonderful aroma of flowers, be aware that your favorite flowers aren't necessarily the most fragrant ones. Create a bouquet of especially fragrant flowers, and your romantic gesture will take on a whole new dimension.

Especially fragrant flowers: Freesia Roses Casablanca lilies Rubrum lilies Stock Stephanotis Lilacs Gardenias Hyacinths 927 Go in search of "The Perfect Pizza." It could take you months or years, and you might gain ten pounds-but if your lover is a pizza fiend, it will all be worth it!

GETTING TO KNOW YOU.

928 Interview his mother, father, siblings, friends, and colleagues-to learn about his unique quirks, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and passions.

929 What's the difference between "sexy" and "sleazy"? What's the difference between "cute" and "coy"? I'll bet your definitions differ from your partner's. But you'll never know unless you talk about it.

930.

Play "Show and Tell": Pick a beloved object. Talk about its history and why it's special to you. (An old baseball glove; a doll from childhood; something given to you by a grandparent; a stuffed animal; a trophy; a piece of jewelry, etc.) Another "Show and Tell" game: Visit places that have special meaning to you.

931 Grab some books on astrology and see what the stars have to say about your and your partner's personalities. My favorite is Star Signs, by Linda Goodman. The fun thing about this book is that it describes every possible pairing of the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Bonus Questions: Do you believe in love at first sight?

What three adjectives best describe you?

How did you know you two were in love?

Which comic book character would you be?

What animal would you be?

How are you just like your mother? Father?

What was your favorite childhood game?

Are you a lucky person?

When do you feel most creative?

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Do you dream in color?

STAYING IN TOUCH.

932 Real communication between lovers is one part talking and nine parts listening. Listen, for a change. You'll learn a lot about your partner.

Listen for the feelings behind the words. We don't always say what we mean, but the emotional content is still there if we tune in to it.

Listen without interrupting. (Quite a challenge-especially if you've been together for many years!) 933 Respond with love, regardless of what your partner says or does. Why? Because behaviors such as complaining, worrying, shouting, and nagging are all disguised calls for love. (When a child exhibits these kinds of behaviors we instinctively understand that it comes from fear, and has nothing to do with us personally. Unfortunately, we rarely grant adults this courtesy.) Try to respond to what's really going on, not simply to what's on the surface.

Hearing and listening are very, very different! Hearing is automatic (you even hear things in your sleep!)-while listening requires conscious choice. Listening is a gift of love you give to your partner.

934 Give your partner more reassurance. Reinforce her good qualities. Compliment his talents and abilities. Reinforce all the good qualities that attracted you to your partner in the first place.

Tell him what you really appreciate about him.

Remind her that you really do adore her.

Concentrate on the positive when talking to him.

Focus on who she really is, instead of on your unrealistic fantasy of "The Perfect Partner."