docoflove1974

One of my favorite sayings hold true here: Karma's a beyotch...don't temp her...

Oooooooooooooooh...a poetry-off! Fun!

Very true...but mind you that many of those languages have only a handful of native speakers left...which is true for the Rhaeto-Romance dialects.

I suspect people play stupid on "Jaywalking" so they can get on TV. I'd like to say that...but after almost 10 years of teaching college kids, I don't know that it's really 'playing stupid' to get your 15 seconds of fame. Too many of my students can barely find their own state on the map, let alone much else.

I just looked at the list...not just the Romance list, but the list of languages represented already, and the ones they are also trying to get. What a wonderful project! I used to know of a similar one...the "Our Father" prayer done in various modern and ancient languages, including Medieval and earlier versions. I can't find the link I'm thinking about, but here is a similar source: MyJesus.ru--the descriptions are written in English and Russian

We've actually had several threads on here dealing with Byzantium/Roman Empire, and perhaps the best one (in my humble opinion) is this one: the Byzantium thread

I would agree with this comment, in that she was under quite a bit of pressure...no matter how much you practice and relax before going before people, sometimes you just flub up. For some stupid reason yesterday, I kept saying that France conquered and controlled France and then Italy in 1066, yet I would catch myself and say England! I couldn't believe that I did it not once, not twice, but three times! I was exhausted, true, but still...I know better! But there really is an issue with geography in this country--I can say this. This summer, when I asked my Spanish class to write a guided essay (one which I provide a series of questions, and in answering the questions they create an essay) about a fictitious trip they took to South America, I had an appalling set of answers; at least 75% put a wrong answer. Some said they went to Mexico...I didn't like the answer, but at least they kept it within Latin America. Some said New Jersey...Some said Hawaii...Some said Spain. AND THERE'S A BLEEDING MAP OF SOUTH AMERICA IN THE CLASSROOM FOR THEM TO LOOK AT!!!!! I know at least 2 people did look at the map, because they said they went to "La Republica Argentine"...it's the typo that's on the map (it should be "La Republica Argentina"). But, seriously...I dug into them big time. At least some people just said that they went to South America, not specifying where...I told them that they should be better than that, but at least they didn't go off topic. I was seriously offended...and even my brother, who is not a geography/history buff, could still name a few South American countries off the top of his head. Unreal! If you get access to the Jay Leno show, he does (or did) a regular series called "Jaywalking," where he went out to the streets of Los Angeles and polled people on basic questions. It was unreal how many people couldn't name the flipping capital of California (Sacramento) nor of the country. They kept saying that LA was the capital of the state, and New York was the capital of the country!

I love it! (Get it...love? hehe) I used to have a link to other 'minor' Romance languages...let me see what I have lurking around my bookmarks, and see if I can't post some more on Romansch.

IIRC, the key to this question is when the Papacy 1) officially gained power, complete with military and 'kingdom' (for lack of a better term); and when it assumed the title (and therefore recognition) as the (Holy) Roman Empire. I believe that once that is sorted out (and since I have no real idea, I phrase it thusly; I'm sure someone or some peoples on here will be able to fill in these gaps), then one can find the line of 'succession' of the (Holy) Roman Empire. As I recall, it was the Pope who crowned Charlemagne with the title, but as to how (and for my question, when) the title was 'bestowed upon' the Papacy, that I do not know.

This is an X-traordinarily interesting material; but more than anything, it is extremely beautiful. Both ladies were clearly unable to hide the joyous emotion of tracking memories. Indeed it is! I'm glad that many on here have enjoyed it!

Oh Lordy...I was pretty much raised on any sitcom that was on PBS, which were mostly from the 70s and 80s: Fawlty Towers; Are You Being Served?; Yes, Minister; Keeping Up Appearances; The Last of the Summer Wine. Later, once Comedy Central came around, they got the first rights to Absolutely Fabulous, which I loved. Between PBS and BBC America (which offers mostly Channel 4 and ITV stuff, oddly enough) I've watched every episode of The Office, Father Ted, Men Behaving Badly and Coupling, and am now watching My Family (it's pretty good, but does have off spots) and finally get both Jeeves and Wooster and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. I started watching The Fast Show (which BBC America renamed "Brilliant!"), but had to leave the world of digital cable for a bit, which meant no more BBC America; they've now put Little Britain on at a time that I can't watch it, so I'm currently missing that, although I'm going to try to get it through NetFlix. I wish I got more of them!

Nope, I steam them (20-25 minutes, depending on whether I could stay small or had to get medium thistles) with salt and pepper...and I admit to using some mayonnaise for a condiment. But I love to make my own mayonnaise to dip into, as I can play with the flavors and pair them well. I love making mayo with olive oil for 'chokes...really good stuff! If the baby artichokes are reasonable, I'll buy those and grill them. Outstanding!

It really warms me to hear an American say that. Why do you say that?

See, but I never liked the show, either. It just hit the wrong note with me, I guess. Now, Blackadder the movie would totally rock!

What a feeling...I would have slept in, save for the 10 pound roaring lioness sitting on my chest at 7:05am, wanting to know why I hadn't gotten up 5 minutes earlier like usual (I swear, I need to train Bella on the concept of sleeping in...). But I really had nothing to do today. I finished all of the planning for my Tues/Thurs course, and the other set of courses is all planned--now I just need the contract and other paperwork to get into the system, which would allow me to upload everything and finish some loose ends. Nothing left to do with research; well, that's not entirely true, but I have decided to take a quick break, typical for the very beginning of a semester, and I'll pick it up again in a couple of weeks. More importantly, I was exhausted. I needed a do-nothing day. A lazy day. And by Jove, I got one! Started off with a hearty breakfast (God, I love oatmeal), and off to the gym. Since it's only a mile away, I tend to walk there unless I have errands to do later. Did a good workout, and then came home to shower. My brother had brought his car in to the shop earlier, and so 11:30ish I dropped him off to the shop to pick it up. On the way home, I farted around in the local small market--stocked up on fruit (the strawberries right now are pure sugar!) and got a deli sammie (or sarnie, or whatever you're gonna call it) for lunch. Came home, ate, and promptly passed out on the living room floor with Bella, both of us with stomachs full of mesquite-roasted turkey (ok, she only had a nibble...I had the rest). After a couple of cat naps, I logged onto the computer for a short time, and then started watching my favorite afternoon shows. Oh, and steamed up some artichokes for later. My brother decided he was cooking dinner tonight, so I didn't even have to cook. After a plateful of gnocchi in ragu and a salad, I'm here again, content and full. Relaxed. The only thing keeping me away from alcohol today (and this evening) is the next couple of days...I'll need every ounce of energy tomorrow, and Friday's gonna be busy, too. Man...this must be what it's like to be rich and have nothing to do!!!

MPC's thread on the 'Eternal Triangle' between Cato, Marcia and Hortensius had me thinking about divorce; the article he linked reminds me more of what our society 'allows', and would be typical of a modern court case now (except the thought that once Cato divorced her, Marcia 'returned' to her father...that doesn't fly here anymore). What truly comes to mind is a comparison between Rome and Greece. So, a series of questions: Is there a general consensus about divorce in Rome? Was it as it is today (in the US, at least), where people divorced for several reasons, and essentially without social reprocusion? Or does it depend greatly on the period of history (Pre-Republic, Republic, Empire, Late Empire, etc.)? I believe I've read that Roman women had much more freedom in general over their Greek counterparts, and divorce is no exception. Is this correct? Was there a general consensus about divorce in Ancient Greece? Or does this vary from city-state to city-state? Oh what wonders spring forth from the mind!

I love Rowan Atkinson. And I hate Mr. Bean. I don't know what it is, but I never like the series, and couldn't bear watching the first movie. But just about anything else he does, I love it.

Any war, be it against a foreign land or members of one's own, can be seen as shameful...but there are times when diplomacy breaks down, tempers flare, and the battle begins. As terrible as it is, it's often the way that conflicts are resolved, regardless of the civilization.

The Augusta...what a dame. The mistress of Livia, even if fictionally, and a fine lady to boot. (Also: in the classroom I'm fair and just...whether my students concur is a different story )

Moonlapse is in need of a 6er of Fat Tire, followed by some great BBQ and a nap. He works too hard!

It almost sounds like the same concept as a 'dinner jacket'!

How cute!!! Oops...sorry...How menacing! Looks like everyone had fun!

So, here's the thing... (sorry...I had to) Honestly, I have no clue. The one phrase I know is Northern California (and, specifically, the San Francisco Bay Area) is 'hella'--an intensifier, which can be held at the lateral liquid for even more intensity. Example: Dude, he's hella cute. I could hella see him and me hooking up. Like, say, if we went to the beach, and spent the day on the Boardwalk, dude, that'd be hellllllllllllllllllllllllla awesome! As for 'Here's the thing', I have no clue, but it could be ours, too! The writers for Monk are good (or were, at least...I haven't watched in a while), so it wouldn't surprise me if they hung out somewhere around here, heard hella people using that phrase, and decided to incorporate it.

Well, folks, it's over. My career as a student has now fully come to an end. My dissertation has been accepted by UMI, the publishing group which tells us if the work is 'up to snuff' for the College of Grad Studies. I have been billed for all graduation fees ($8 for processing, $55 for uploading the dissertation (both are automatic), and $65 for having UMI register my copyright with the Library of Congress (which is a pain in the ass that I am willing to pay for)), and they have been paid. That's it. I'm never to be a tuition-paying student again. I don't know if I'm supposed to feel different or not. In some ways, I feel like I have this 'glow', this professorly aura, that I have been knighted by the powers that be (or my dissertation committee chair, whichever), and now the world will look at me differently. This much is true; I used to love :rollseyes: going out on a date, and once the guy found out that I was working on a PhD, and that I was essentially writing a book, the "oh, great..." look glazed over the dude's face. Every time. If that didn't happen, then they went into competitive mode: yeah, well, this is what I'm doing, and it's important, too, you know. I can only imagine what dating's going to be like now with this title. "Yeah, I'm a professor...but it's all good. No, really, I'm not going to give you a quiz afterwards." On the bright side, I get paid more, even for part-time teaching. When I walk into a room as an instructor, a guest speaker, or an analyst, I will be referred to as "Prof. Harmon/Dr. Harmon"--and that's fine. I didn't spend 8 years in Evil School...oops...working on this degree for nothing. I'll still insist that my students call me "Sarah," as I will with most everyone else...and if they still choose to call me "Profa," then I'm fine with it. But here's the thing...I don't really feel that different. I come from humble roots, in some respects (I've written about that before), and my family, while highly proud of my accomplishments, has a routine, in that we don't let anyone get too big for their breeches. We all do it to each other...kinda like a way for us to remember that we really are no better than anyone else. I've been brought up that way, and therefore truly feel that while this is a huge accomplishment, I still have much to do, so I'll just keep plugging away. However...there's a levity in my soul right now. I've just jumped a major hurdle. And I've cleared it. But there are still many more hurdles left, so I can't take my track shoes off just yet. So I guess I'll enjoy this (And by enjoy it, I mean I'm going to the beach tomorrow. )