Aurelia

Ok, one thing I'm NOT is a push-over, the rest I guess might apply (to a certain extent) :-) Emo Kid You are 29% Rational, 43% Extroverted, 29% Brutal, and 0% Arrogant You are the Emo Kid, best described as a quiet pussy! You tend to be an intuitive rather than a logical thinker, meaning you rely more on your feelings than your thoughts. Not only that, but you are introverted, gentle, and rather humble. You embody all the traits of the perfect emo kid. You are a push-over, an emotional thinker, gentle to the extent of absurdity, and so humble that it even makes Jesus puke. (And Jesus almost never pukes, being immortal and not requiring an act of puke to dispell toxins from his corporeal manifestation.) If you write poetry, you no doubt write angsty, syrupy lines about depression, sadness, and other such redundant states of emo-being that go something like this: life is a spike / upon which i have impaled mysefl / fuck you dad So, your personality is defective because you are too gentle, rather underconfident in yourself, decidely lacking in any rational thought, and also a bit too inhibited. Plus, your poetry really upsets your father. I probably made you cry, didn't I? Fucking Emo Kid. To put it less negatively: 1. You are more INTUITIVE than rational. 2. You are more INTROVERTED than extroverted. 3. You are more GENTLE than brutal. 4. You are more HUMBLE than arrogant. Compatibility: Your exact opposite is the Smartass. Other personalities you would probably get along with are the Hippie, the Televangelist, and the Starving Artist.

I totally agree. The suggestion that pre-historic humans were producing superglue at will is a wild guess at best. The first thought that went through my mind was that this must surely have been an accident. But I guess anything goes if what you want is for people to notice you.

Well, given the fact that in the not-too-distant-past a former boss of mine threatened to sue me because she thought some of the stuff I was writing about on my blog (not this one, obviously) was "libelous", I'd rather disclose as little information about my current place of work as possible.

Lovely stuff - but it might not be wise to read it before going to bed... Was the cradle of civilization also the birthplace of atrocity? Historians have been researching the most extreme forms of torture in the ancient world. Among other things, they have found that, back then, "sitting in the tub" was actually a pretty nasty way to kick the bucket. A new book, "Extreme Formen von Gewalt in Bild und Text des Altertums" (Extreme Violence in the Visuals and Texts of Antiquity) by Martin Zimmerman, a professor of ancient history in Munich, looks at current research into the kinds of violence that inspired "loathing, dread, horror and disgust." Full review here.

Hmmm, could this be true? Stone Age humans were adept chemists who whipped up a sophisticated kind of natural glue, a new study says. They knowingly tweaked the chemical and physical properties of an iron-containing pigment known as red ochre with the gum of acacia trees to create adhesives for their shafted tools. Read more here

FV, What channel is Torchwood on? I'd like to check it out one of these days.

And dull, Calders - she's so Dull! I remember slogging through The Mists of Avalon years ago and giving up half way. Noooo, it's not dull! I remember reading it for the first time when I was 13 and I think I must have re-read it at least 4 or 5 times after that (it was one of my favourite novels for quite some time). True, I haven't tried to read it again in a while, but I do have fond memories of it...

Thanks, Augusta, I had missed you comment. Let's just hope I can live up to all these expectations.

Ludovicus, I found an interesting link that deals with the status of slave women in ancient Rome and, I think, addresses your question. Don't know how reliable it is though.

Hmmm, went to see it yesterday and have to say I was not too impressed. I thought it would be interesting to watch it on the big screen as I was expecting Lord of the Rings-like CGI. But as it turns out, I could have saved 9 euros and just wait for it to be released on DVD.

The major difference is that the 21st century lass has more choices for her life than her ancient Roman counterpart may have had, "basic human traits" notwithstanding. A "good marriage" may not be as appealing to the modern woman as it was to her ancient counterpart. The laws of modern society may favor the independent woman more than did the laws of ancient society, thereby making it easier for a woman to earn her own living without the welcome protection (or obstruction) of a husband or pater familias. I believe that your 21st century lass (of an industrialized nation) is vastly different from her ancient Roman counterpart. Granted, both may want many of the same things for themselves -- but the modern woman will want more. Because she knows that more is possible for her. Her very behavior is guided by such knowledge. Furthermore, the "average woman" (of a modern, industrialized nation) does not want "to raise a brood of bonny bouncing children." She wants to have perhaps one to three children, and most especially she wants a government-provided public school system to help raise her children for her. She wants that so much, that she is willing to demand that she and her neighbors pay higher taxes to insure the provision of "better" public schools for her children, with perks that include pre-kindergarten classes, school lunch programs, after-school activities, and more. Matrons of ancient Rome would regard the modern woman with much suspicion, I believe. -- Nephele Amen to that. I agree 100%. It's all about having options, something that women in the past unfortunately did not have.

Thanks for the well wishes guys! Neph: I'm not sure about cell phones but I'm hoping to score at least some bottles of wine at some point.

Voil

I am officially employed now. Well, actually I have been for the past two weeks, which accounts for my partial absence from UNRV (thanks for noticing FV ). I am working in the trade division of a certain Embassy here in Brussels as a commercial adviser. Basically what this means is that we liaise with entrepreneurs in Belgium and the country I'm representing, promote this country's goods and services in Europe, organise business rounds and so on. It all sounds very glamorous but in fact it's also very bureaucratic. It's almost like being a civil servant, which I don't find very appealing. But I guess it will do for now - not a good idea to turn down a job in these troubled times. Most of all, it feels really good to be active again.

This girl sure likes building... and destroying... http://www.archaeology.org/0907/trenches/liz_glynn.html

The male skeleton was discovered in 1972, north of Kingsholm Square and ever since experts have wondered where he came from. Now, the Gloucester City Museum has had funding for the analysis of the skeleton using new technology to work out where he originated. Member and former president of The Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Carolyn Heighway, said: "We believe he was a special person in the late Roman period in Gloucester, judging by his grand belt and buckles and that sort of thing. For more. click here.

Ok, Viggen, here's a caption for you (based on your baby pic): "Lederhosen Boy".

Precisely. Nothing wrong with Romance and Tragedy. But chick flicks are just Schmalz and Chocolate Box Sentimentality. Don't you just hate that Juliette Binoche ? Which is why I haven't seen the English Patient. And I'm not planning to see it either unless someone puts a gun to my head. Formosus Lol, I actually like Juliette Binoche. I think she's a good actress. Ok, I'm not going to mention all chick flicks I like (now that I think about it, I don't have many in my DVD collection). I'll just list one: "Under the Tuscan Sun". P.S. Here's another one that always makes me cry: "The Bridges of Madison County". It's with Clint Eastwood so not sure if that would qualify as chick flick though.

I've never been much of a Star Trek fan but I would actually like to see this one!

Hehe, I noticed too. Very sweet. Hmmm, a caption? It's still too early in the morning for me to be inspired. But I shall think about it.

And am I not a dead ringer for Titus Pullo ? Formosus Yep, I can see the resemblance. Even though you're green.

Haha! So much for the article I posted here a while ago. I'm assuming it's the same bust we're talking about?

Oh, yes, absolutely. I don't regard MZ Bradley's work as original but it's still good fun!

The first literary work dealing with the legend of King Arthur I read was La Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory, when I was around 13. I remember thinking it was rather dry so I switched over to The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, hehe...