Well, it's Thanksgiving week, and we are missing family very much. I have the week off, and Daniel has most of it off, so we are going to make the best of it! Wednesday Daniel and I are going to drive to Atlanta, GA (four hours away) to spend the day at the High Museum of Art. They have really cool exhibits right now - one of them is a collection from the Terra Cotta Army of China, and another is a collection of 90 pieces from the Louvre. So we'll be spending the day there, and driving home either Wednesday night or Thursday morning. On Thursday, we've decided to go out to eat instead of trying to cook . . . :). There is a restaurant close to our house called Ellendales that has a Thanksgiving buffet (it looks really good), and that way we don't have to cook a whole lot of food for two people. And besides, sauteed fennel and apples with cardamon butter and roasted walnuts???? (That's just a sample of the menu) I was freaking out about not messing up the green beans. This will be a much more enjoyable meal, I think. :) However, we will be thinking of family and looking forward to Christmas.
I'm enjoying the short break before the end of the semester (which will be intense!) I got two papers done and turned in on Friday, and that was a major accomplishment. Now I have to write three more papers and apply for summer programs!
Daniel is also wrapping up classes and he has an awesome schedule next semester! He's taking three audio classes - go Daniel! He's still at the studio two days a week, and working quite a bit at the store. He's been busy :)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
A good day
Yesterday was a good day. It was a crazy busy one for Daniel - appointments, two tests, classes, covering shifts at the studio - but he made it through! One of those tests was to test out of having to take a preliminary lecture in the history of audio engineering, and he passed!!! This is particularly exciting not only because it is one less class he has to take, but also he can start taking actual hands-on audio classes next semester. Go Daniel!
Also, I made all my arrangements for the American Philological Association conference in Philadelphia this January! (Yes, I know, I'm a nerd!) I was looking over the schedule just now, and I'm really excited about it. There are several panels on ancient near eastern topics and late antiquity, which have been capturing my interest this semester. And two of my friends from ASU will be there, and it will be great to catch up with them!
So, it's officially paper time, and I'm quite nervous about it. I have a paper due this coming Friday, and I'm having a total block on it. It's for "Ancient Origins of Religious Conflicts", which is primarily a history class, and I've never really written a "history" paper. I write papers on specific texts, which may incorporate other people's interpretations of historical events as they pertain to the texts, but I've never written a paper like that myself. It's hard! Events have a never-ending amount of causes and repercussions, and connections to current events, so which do you choose to include? Alas! :)
My paper for Latin seminar will be much more fun, and more up my alley. I'll be discussing the use of descriptive language in different authors' tellings of the Hylas myth (Herakles' "squire"/pederastic love interest). Most specifically I'll be looking at how non-narrative elements such as descriptions of sights and sounds have a narrative function. My paper topic for Greek seminar is still in the works, but I have an idea and need to ok it with my professor. I want to look at the Greek construction of the Persians as Other and Enemy, and how that specific construction was used later in antiquity for propaganda and polemical works - specifically, how Augustus used it to characterize his battles against Antony, and how Philo used it to characterize Egyptians and not Romans as responsible for the first pogroms and violence against Jews in Alexandria.
Okay, so have I bored everyone yet? Sorry, there's just not much else on my mind right now except school work! That, and looking forward to seeing everyone in Arizona a Christmas time.
Also, I made all my arrangements for the American Philological Association conference in Philadelphia this January! (Yes, I know, I'm a nerd!) I was looking over the schedule just now, and I'm really excited about it. There are several panels on ancient near eastern topics and late antiquity, which have been capturing my interest this semester. And two of my friends from ASU will be there, and it will be great to catch up with them!
So, it's officially paper time, and I'm quite nervous about it. I have a paper due this coming Friday, and I'm having a total block on it. It's for "Ancient Origins of Religious Conflicts", which is primarily a history class, and I've never really written a "history" paper. I write papers on specific texts, which may incorporate other people's interpretations of historical events as they pertain to the texts, but I've never written a paper like that myself. It's hard! Events have a never-ending amount of causes and repercussions, and connections to current events, so which do you choose to include? Alas! :)
My paper for Latin seminar will be much more fun, and more up my alley. I'll be discussing the use of descriptive language in different authors' tellings of the Hylas myth (Herakles' "squire"/pederastic love interest). Most specifically I'll be looking at how non-narrative elements such as descriptions of sights and sounds have a narrative function. My paper topic for Greek seminar is still in the works, but I have an idea and need to ok it with my professor. I want to look at the Greek construction of the Persians as Other and Enemy, and how that specific construction was used later in antiquity for propaganda and polemical works - specifically, how Augustus used it to characterize his battles against Antony, and how Philo used it to characterize Egyptians and not Romans as responsible for the first pogroms and violence against Jews in Alexandria.
Okay, so have I bored everyone yet? Sorry, there's just not much else on my mind right now except school work! That, and looking forward to seeing everyone in Arizona a Christmas time.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Miscellany
I sit here waiting in a dirty house for Daniel to get home . . . There was a time when I was the kind of wife that cleaned while her husband was away at work on Saturdays, delighting in taking care of the home for him. Alas, that wife is gone, and here (to stay probably) is the wife that HATES to clean alone. And what is more, she hates cleaning the bathroom most of all! So I have learned that I clean better and faster when Daniel is there to keep me company, and I'm much more cheery about cleaning the rest of the house if he takes care of the bathroom. I love marriage! :)
I have been reading many posts about the election, in addition to discussing it with friends and other family members. What an interesting jumble of thoughts and feelings! I confess I did not vote this year, for which I feel extreme guilt. But a part of me knows that even if I had, the minute I reached the poll I would have frozen. I chuckled when I read Rachel's comment - the conflict between "European tendencies" and personal convictions! But all I can say is that even if I didn't vote and hadn't a clue who I felt best fitted for the job, I prayed very, very hard for the outcome of Election Day, and I'm confident that the Lord heard those prayers. He is faithful.
Interesting side note - has anyone ever read any A.S. Byatt? I've been reading several books by her lately, and wondered if anyone else had. I am amazed and delighted by how talented she is - her prose is beautiful, and her stories are absolutely flawlessly crafted, in my opinion. But she discusses religion (in very specific Judeo-Christian terms), always from a negative and a positive side in her novels. She never really comes down on one side or the other, it seems. It's as if the agnostic character is praised for intellectual capacity and the Christian is praised for tenacious and genuine faith. One gets an edge on the other, then the other has the upper hand, and you are left wondering what in the world she personally believes! But all this to say, she has some beautiful passages describing a more difficult, tortured faith (which I'm sure most of us have experienced at some point or another), and I have appreciated them.
Oh, and Daniel and I have been enjoying fall very much. It's cold, it's cloudy, the Nashville skyline is a mess of red and yellow trees, all dropping their leaves everywhere! We have yet to jump in a pile of leaves (something I don't think I have ever done), but I'm sure that will happen soon. We enjoyed the morning by going to Cheekwood Botanical gardens, and enjoyed walking the grounds. It's absolutely beautiful, and we discovered an entire section I was totally unaware of. They have a Japanese garden, which is quite lovely, and is Daniel's favorite part, I think. When we left he said, and I quote, "Being in a place like that makes me want to be Sherlock Holmes. Or at least, be in 18th century clothing like Sherlock Holmes, wrapped up in a flannel blanked. Smoking a pipe. Or, just being outside wearing anything smoking a pipe. Yeah, it's just the pipe I want." :) This after spending the previous evening watching Sherlock Holmes episodes. Now, mind you, we have not seen the famous Russian version of Sherlock Holmes which is supposed to be the best rendition ever - but until we see that and pass judgement on it, Jeremy Brett is the best Sherlock Holmes of all times. Although I suppose I might have been a bit too zealous in praising him lately, because Daniel told me he had a dream a few nights ago that I was cheating on him with Mr. Brett. :)
I have been reading many posts about the election, in addition to discussing it with friends and other family members. What an interesting jumble of thoughts and feelings! I confess I did not vote this year, for which I feel extreme guilt. But a part of me knows that even if I had, the minute I reached the poll I would have frozen. I chuckled when I read Rachel's comment - the conflict between "European tendencies" and personal convictions! But all I can say is that even if I didn't vote and hadn't a clue who I felt best fitted for the job, I prayed very, very hard for the outcome of Election Day, and I'm confident that the Lord heard those prayers. He is faithful.
Interesting side note - has anyone ever read any A.S. Byatt? I've been reading several books by her lately, and wondered if anyone else had. I am amazed and delighted by how talented she is - her prose is beautiful, and her stories are absolutely flawlessly crafted, in my opinion. But she discusses religion (in very specific Judeo-Christian terms), always from a negative and a positive side in her novels. She never really comes down on one side or the other, it seems. It's as if the agnostic character is praised for intellectual capacity and the Christian is praised for tenacious and genuine faith. One gets an edge on the other, then the other has the upper hand, and you are left wondering what in the world she personally believes! But all this to say, she has some beautiful passages describing a more difficult, tortured faith (which I'm sure most of us have experienced at some point or another), and I have appreciated them.
Oh, and Daniel and I have been enjoying fall very much. It's cold, it's cloudy, the Nashville skyline is a mess of red and yellow trees, all dropping their leaves everywhere! We have yet to jump in a pile of leaves (something I don't think I have ever done), but I'm sure that will happen soon. We enjoyed the morning by going to Cheekwood Botanical gardens, and enjoyed walking the grounds. It's absolutely beautiful, and we discovered an entire section I was totally unaware of. They have a Japanese garden, which is quite lovely, and is Daniel's favorite part, I think. When we left he said, and I quote, "Being in a place like that makes me want to be Sherlock Holmes. Or at least, be in 18th century clothing like Sherlock Holmes, wrapped up in a flannel blanked. Smoking a pipe. Or, just being outside wearing anything smoking a pipe. Yeah, it's just the pipe I want." :) This after spending the previous evening watching Sherlock Holmes episodes. Now, mind you, we have not seen the famous Russian version of Sherlock Holmes which is supposed to be the best rendition ever - but until we see that and pass judgement on it, Jeremy Brett is the best Sherlock Holmes of all times. Although I suppose I might have been a bit too zealous in praising him lately, because Daniel told me he had a dream a few nights ago that I was cheating on him with Mr. Brett. :)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
It's about bedtime . . .
I have discovered that going to bed at 10:00 pm when you have to get up at 6:00 am is quite possibly one of the most wonderful things in life. Enough sleep? I've never known such happiness!
Daniel and I have just not had good luck with restaurants out here. We try new restaurants, with varying degrees of success, but always long for our old familiar haunts: Four Peaks, Delux, YC's, etc . . . ::sigh:: We basically have our Christmas trip scheduled around restaurants and the people that correspond to that restaurant!. :) We really are foodies.
Speaking of new restaurants, one the least successful experiences was last night. We decided on a whim to try a new pizza restaurant by school. While the pizza was good, and service was good, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go back there because one piece into the pie I went to grab a second and watched in slow-motion horror as I proceeded to knock over the pizza pan, throwing pizza all over the table and floor! Yeah, it was horrible. But the manager was great - he was over at our table within 30 seconds, and offered to get us a new pizza to replace the mangled one now spattered all over his tile. He was very sweet, and I appreciated that in my moment of utmost embarrassment!
But, in other more exciting news, I just discovered I have a week off for Thanksgiving! (Alas, Daniel only has two days) And what this means is that I will be spending every second of that week working on seminar papers, woo hoo. But seriously, that was wonderful news to me - a cumulative 500 lines of ancient languages to translate and two seminar papers? Heck no.
It's been getting very cold out here, I'll have you all know! :) Like hats and gloves and scarf and coat weather. Absolutely beautiful. I should also post pictures of the change of the season - for all those in Arizona, that's when the leaves on trees change color and fall to the ground, whereupon you rake them up into a huge pile and dive into them! (We have yet to do this, but it's coming soon.) All the trees at Vandy are bright yellow and red, and everywhere are squirrels and chipmunks running around. I recently discovered I love chipmunks, they are stinkin cute. :)
Daniel and I have just not had good luck with restaurants out here. We try new restaurants, with varying degrees of success, but always long for our old familiar haunts: Four Peaks, Delux, YC's, etc . . . ::sigh:: We basically have our Christmas trip scheduled around restaurants and the people that correspond to that restaurant!. :) We really are foodies.
Speaking of new restaurants, one the least successful experiences was last night. We decided on a whim to try a new pizza restaurant by school. While the pizza was good, and service was good, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go back there because one piece into the pie I went to grab a second and watched in slow-motion horror as I proceeded to knock over the pizza pan, throwing pizza all over the table and floor! Yeah, it was horrible. But the manager was great - he was over at our table within 30 seconds, and offered to get us a new pizza to replace the mangled one now spattered all over his tile. He was very sweet, and I appreciated that in my moment of utmost embarrassment!
But, in other more exciting news, I just discovered I have a week off for Thanksgiving! (Alas, Daniel only has two days) And what this means is that I will be spending every second of that week working on seminar papers, woo hoo. But seriously, that was wonderful news to me - a cumulative 500 lines of ancient languages to translate and two seminar papers? Heck no.
It's been getting very cold out here, I'll have you all know! :) Like hats and gloves and scarf and coat weather. Absolutely beautiful. I should also post pictures of the change of the season - for all those in Arizona, that's when the leaves on trees change color and fall to the ground, whereupon you rake them up into a huge pile and dive into them! (We have yet to do this, but it's coming soon.) All the trees at Vandy are bright yellow and red, and everywhere are squirrels and chipmunks running around. I recently discovered I love chipmunks, they are stinkin cute. :)
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