Latin Wednesday

Hello, and welcome to the first ever Latin Wednesday! (applause and cheering) Well, actually, this is not the start of weekly Latin quotes or anything...I just have a passage from Martial that we had to translate for class today, and I kinda wanted to post it. Enjoy!

Languēbam: sed tū comitātus prōtinus ad mē

vēnisti centum, Symmache, discipulīs.

Centum mē tetigēre manūs aquilōne gelātae:

nōn habuī febrem, Symmache, nunc habeō!

And, I'm guessing that not everyone knows, Latin, so I'm going to attempt to translate this. Please understand that I don't have the "perfect" translation that we went over in class, so what I'm providing is a bit rough...So, please don't smite me down, O gods of Latin! I'm only an Classical Studies Minor!

I was weak: but you attended to me immediately

and brought your hundred students, Symmacus.

One hundred hands chilled by the North Wind touched me:

I did not have a fever, Symmacus, but now I do!

Poor Martial :(

Finding Odysseus

Okay...So I know I haven't posted too many literary thoughts lately, but today, the moment has presented itself. My official student status is that of an English Major/ Classical Studies Minor, and so the Classical Mythology course I'm taking perfectly supplements both requirements. For the past few weeks, we've been reading The Odyssey by Homer. And, I think I've found my Odysseus....

It's not like I put him into this position on purpose, or that I was looking for someone to play the role in my mind's eye as I read, but it seemed that one day, I just looked up and *poof!* he just slipped into the character so perfectly! This, however, is different from how things went down with Willoughby. For Willoughby, I consciously slipped him into that role, because he was the embodiment of the character. For my Odysseus, I can't say if he would be the perfect man for the role, but there's something about him that makes him so fascinating; just like Odysseus has always been.

Do I like him? I really can't tell you that. Perhaps? Maybe he just makes me really happy when he's around, and that's all there is to it; nothing more. But, he's quirky and funny...and I love to listen to his voice...

~"Penelope"

"I am Odysseus son of Laertes, known before all men for the study of crafty designs, and my fame goes up to the heavens." ~The Odyssey

Weekly Wodehouse #4

The least thing upset him on the links. He missed short putts because of the uproar of the butterflies in the adjoining meadows.

~P.G. Wodehouse

Vegetarian?

Yeah...So, thanks to a wonderful friend, Professor Thomas (a faux professor if there ever was one), the Roomie and I are going vegetarian for a week. It's already been several days, and I'm finally starting to get used to it. Basically, Professor Thomas was ranting one day at dinner about how much he loves meat, and how he could never understand how someone could live without it. Well, I told him that it wasn't that hard, and to prove it, the Roomie and I both went vegetarian for a week. We have to make it until Wednesday.

The hardest part for me is not that I don't get to have meat, but that there aren't a ton of tasty/filling vegetarian options in the cafeteria. So, the Roomie and I have been trying all kinds of weird foods and find ourselves sneaking out of the dorm like every night for midnight snacks, because by the time midnight rolls around, we're hungry again.

I think I miss fish most of all. We're going lacto-ovo vegetarian. So, no meat and no fish. (But, we can still have milk and eggs).

Four Individuals

Sometimes, Life decides to let you be for a while; sometimes, it decides that its time to throw you a curve ball. I think that's where I am right now. I'm conflicted and a little confused; not unhappy, but a bit unsure of what's going on and what I'm supposed to do about it. There are a certain four individuals in my life right now, and each one seems to be pulling me in a different direction. I'm not sure how I'm going to work through it, but it's nothing too stressful; just puzzling and a challenge.

*One teases and can be sweet as hell, but I don't know if he's interested or just wants to be a friend; I'm not sure how I feel about him, so I can't say what I want.

*One still holds my heart, even though I try and take it back. Leave me alone!

*One looks at me, and I think he's seeing into my soul. It frightens and exhilarates me at the same time.

*One wins me over with his awkward nature and sweet personality. I wish he felt the same way I do about him, but I can't read his mind; I don't know his heart.

The Garden of Love

The Garden of Love

I went to the Garden of Love,

And saw what I never had seen:

A Chapel was built in the midst,

Where I used to play on the green.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut,

And "Thou shalt not" writ over the door;

So I turned to the Garden of Love

That so many sweet flowers bore;

And saw it was filled with graves,

And tomb-stones where flowers should be;

And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,

And binding with briars my joys and desires.

~William Blake

Praying for Strength...

It has been an awful night...and it seems like I keep running into people who feel like me...heartbroken, vulnerable, and pained. I don't know what to do, but I just feel like shit. Please, God...Give us strength.

Weekly Wodehouse #3

The Aberdeen terrier gave me an unpleasant look and said something under his breath in Gaelic.

~P.G. Wodehouse

Is Something Wrong?

I feel like I want to cry tonight, but I have no idea why. Is something wrong with me?

The Bounty Hunter

I want to see this movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxRigQPsh8E

FMyLife.emmy.com

Today, almost every time I look out the window or look up from my reading (I was sitting outside on a bench by my dorm building) I see Willoughby walk by. Not close enough that I can talk to him (if I wanted to; I'm trying to forget about him...it just hurts too much) and of course he doesn't see me. I believe it has been five sighting in the past hour. FML.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! As an Irish girl, this day is always huge back at home, but this is actually the first time I've not spent St. Patrick's Day with my family. It feels weird, and I don't like it...It just doesn't feel like St. Patrick's Day to me.

I'm trying to be as Irish as I can on my own, though, wearing my favorite 'tis herself sweatshirt, and pinching people for not wearing green, but the luck of the Irish does not seem to be with me today. Usually, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day with morning mass and a continental breakfast sponsored by my parish. Then, Mom starts making corned beef and cabbage (with carrots and potatoes) and we all watch a movie together (the same movie every year, of course: Darby O'Gill and the Little People). You can laugh, but we've been doing this for as long as I can remember, and I love it! Hopefully, next year will be better.

Erin Go Bragh!

Should I Be Scared?

Okay, so my one friend, who is usually not affectionate in any way shape or form that involves physical contact, has been a bit overly affectionate today... Affectionate as in rubbing my shoulders, putting his arm around me, trying to steal my coffee and my shoe...and ambushing me into a group hug... All of this in one day. I love him like a brother, and I will admit that I love hugs and showing affection, but this was a bit scary, since I'm not really used to super-hugs and whatnot from my friends (at least, not yet...) And since this is so out of character for him, I can only wonder as to what is going on...

And of course, to address the elephant in the room...Should I be scared?

Canceled Class, Carmel Coffee, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

So, today was the Ides of March. I come to Latin and we talked about Caesar for quite a while, which was awesome, but then I go to my literature class, expecting some wonderful literary analysis of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (I had even highlighted the passages I wanted to discuss) and to my chagrin, I come to class only to find no professor! Now, of course, we only assume that he is running late, but we waited for fifteen minutes, and he still didn't show up! At that point, we all just left, but I will freely admit that I was disappointed. :'(

So, I've come down to the campus coffee shop, and am attempting to warm my spirits with a cup of coffee (Carmel flavored, of course :P). It it most depressing, since today is a misty, wet, and grey day (which I love) but I only love it because its the perfect day to read a book; and the only thing that could make reading a book any better is reading it with a class and discussing every little nuance of it!

As I'm sure you guessed already, I'm currently reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Samuel Clemens. I"m not a huge fan of Mark Twain, but so far, it is rather interesting. I've been highlighting like crazy (something I try very hard not to do in books, but since I have two copies of it, its okay). And, during one of these highlighting sprees, I came across this passage...

"Things ran along, a tournament nearly every week; and now and then the boys used to want me to take a hand-- I mean Sir Launcelot and the rest-- but I said I would by and by; no hurry yet, and too much government machinery to oil up and set to rights and start a-going."

~Samuel Clemens (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court)

This passage seriously makes me laugh; or gape, my reaction varies every time I look at it. I mean, basically, Hank Morgan, the narrator, makes it seem so commonplace to be able to talk to one of the greatest knights of all time!!! He refers to Launcelot as though he was just "one of the boys," as though he was just a kid from the neighborhood! I can't even imagine that, especially after just having read excerpts (because we don't have enough time in class for the whole book) from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, which makes Launcelot out to be this amazing hero!

One does have to give Clemens/Twain points for being original, hehe!

Weekly Wodehouse #2

"What ho!" I said.

"What ho!" said Motty.

"What ho! What ho!"

"What ho! What ho! What ho!"

After that it seemed rather difficult to go on with the conversation.

~P.G. Wodehouse

Psychology Experiments

I'm excited...later this week, I'm going to have the chance to participate in several psychological experiments! It's one of the requirements of my Psychology class-- I have to volunteer for various experiments to help out the department get a full collection of participants. As far as I can see, my part is going to be easy; I mean, I don't think that its going to be anything like the Milgram experiments or anything. (at least, I hope not :*)

Help!

Okay, so I have a bit of a problem...there is this guy I have been crushing on for a little while now, and I kinda stopped trying to pursue him (for various reasons). Well, I just found out today that he's moving away, and that means I won't be seeing him anymore... When I received the news, my heart just sank, and I realized that I still kinda like him. He's not transferring too far away, so should I tell him I like him, and hope that we can make a relationship work? Or should I just forget about it? Please post suggestions under COMMENTS. Thank you!

Willoughby Revisted

Okay...So I know I just posted an update on Willoughby yesterday, but today, I received some startling news...I know that I used to talk about him all the time, but I had no idea that he's always talking about moi! This bothers me because I had no idea he liked me so much, but according to a friend, he really does...My name comes up all the time, and he only hangs out with the group so he can be around me... I don't like how this is shaping up, because although I once cared about him very much, I'm not interested anymore...but he (apparently) still is, and I don't want to hurt him (even if he's hurting me). Right now, I'm just scared as to what could happen next.

Mr. T

Yesterday, as I was leaving the dorm, I saw a guy (I assume he was a student because of the backpack and books) who looked EXACTLY like Mr. T! I had to do a double-take like three times, but he looked JUST like him! It was so cool! Now, I'm just trying to find him again. This is depressing, because it seems like he randomly appeared once, and I'll never see him again (or be able to point him out to my friends, who think that I like Mr. T a bit too much; I don't think they believe that I saw him). He was wearing a hat, so I couldn't see if he had the mohawk, but apart from that, he WAS Mr. T! He even had the beard! :D

I pity the fool!

My Dr. Jekyll vs. Willoughby's Mr. Hyde (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)

Today, I find myself so frustrated and upset...I saw Willoughby again, and the two of us had ample time to talk. I wanted to run away so many times...or to puke, I'm not really sure which. He was being so cruel! It frustrates me, because I don't know what happened. He never used to be like this.

The past month or so, I had been spending all my time with him, and the two of us were picking up on each others tendencies so much so that you could almost make us interchangeable at times. The Roomie has mentioned several occasions when I said things JUST like he does, with the same words, tone, and even same VOICE. In a sense, we were almost becoming one. Then, there came a point where we started to become very different people again. For me, it was a Jekyll and Hyde experience. Not just that he was displaying a complete transformation, but also, someone (or something) had separated us...I was Dr. Jekyll and he became Mr. Hyde.

I feel as though a lot of this is my fault. I mean, I was the one who fostered such a relationship with Willoughby, and I let him continue to act this way for so long. Like Dr. Jekyll, I turned a blind eye to my counterpart (in a sense, as Willoughby is NOT me). Now, I am determined to let it go. There is nothing I can do; he has to figure it out on his own. As Dr. Jekyll says,

"I swear to God I will never set eyes on him again. I bind my honour to you that I am done with him in this world. It is all at an end. And indeed he does not want my help; you do not know him as I do; he is safe, he is quite safe; mark my words, he will never more be heard of."

~Robert Louis Stevenson (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)

Now, all I can do is pray for strength.

Weekly Wodehouse #1

I've decided it might be fun to do weekly quotes from one of the greatest humorists of all time: P.G. Wodehouse! So, I would like to try and do a quote from Wodehouse every Sunday! Hope you enjoy!

I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.

~P.G. Wodehouse

Prayer

I was going through my emails today, and I got one from my Dad that really made me stop and think...This prayer was given in Kansas as an opening to the Senate. The speaker was Minister Joe Wright. People are so appalled by prayer in our world today, or, if they are not, they're too scared to speak up. That's why I want to post this prayer. Because we need to state that we are not afraid of or embarrassed by prayer.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask

your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil

good," but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it

the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it

welfare...

We have killed our unborn and called it

choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it

justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our children

and have called it buildings self-esteem...

We have abused power and called it

politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions

and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography

and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values

of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today;

cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Amen!

Sick and Searching for English Translations

Being sick for the past three days, I've had plenty of time to sit around and reflect on literature (can't say I'm complaining, but I wish the sore throat would go away...) But, I can't seem to be able to keep my attention on ONE book, or even TWO books...I've been jumping back and forth between no less than FIVE! D: And, to be honest, I'm a little tired of it...I really just want to be able to settle down and enjoy one piece of literature, and one only! Does anyone have a recommendation for me? *hopeful expression on face* Also, does anyone know if there is an English translation of either Voyage au bout de la Nuit by Céline, or Les Fleurs du Mal by Baudelaire? A French friend recommended both to me, and since I can't speak or read French to save my life, I have no hope of reading two wonderful literary works, and it greatly saddens me... :'( Please be merciful on a pitiful English Major with no hope of learning a foreign language!

I'm Sick :(

Bleah...I'm sick today :( I'm not sure exactly WHAT it is, but I'm sure that its some string of the flu...When a normally descent sleeper wakes up HOURS before she's required to, and can barely get herself out of bed because of the shivers and weakness, then you can safely assume that she is sick.

Being sick is not totally bad, I guess...You get to have people dote on you for a while, and bring you Gatorade, dry cereal, and crackers, which is always a plus, but today, I'm more of less doctoring myself, and while I feel I am doing a fairly descent job, I still kinda wish I had someone to bring me snacks and juice and make me feel better. They say college is a time of maturity, but if you ask me, you're never to old to have someone take care of you.