Twits... I mean Tweets

Blogging requires too much time and thought (although I still hold out hope of returning to it soon). Besides, having Followers is so flattering. I am now twitting... I mean tweeting (I can't get this term right!) under the name glaukopisdana. Glaukopis is a Homeric epithet for Athena; it means "bright-eyed" or "flashing-eyed"... or "owl-eyed" depending on your translation. I am studying for the Greek M.A. comps, after all.

Almost like summer

As of an hour ago, my third year of grad school is over. Latin comps are passed (yay!), papers and take-home finals handed in. The only remnant of school is the stack of grading (and the stack of books to start studying for Greek comps).

The ten straight days of rain are also over. The annual neighborhood yard sale is on, and I just finished eating this lovely kale salad for lunch, and getting ready to head out! Garden pictures to come in a few days.

Stuff I need to know for half of an MA in Classics

(by the end of March):

in Latin

about Rome

reading list from which to answer the above

On March 26 and 27, I have a three hour translation exam and a three hour essay exam drawn from these lists. There's another whole set on Greek texts and subjects which I had to postpone until July because it was too much to absorb while also teaching and taking classes.

There were all kinds of pleasant and interesting things I wanted to talk about during and after Christmas, but they will have to wait (unless you, like a certain Jena, find it pleasant and interesting to talk about, say, Lucretius and the mos maiorum). Next week is spring break and I will be studying instead of skiing... but at least I'll be doing it in a resort!

(Prayers for the ability to concentrate are deeply welcomed.)

It's beginning to look a lot like...

The tree is decorated. We had to start from scratch since we've never had a tree before (yay for first Christmas in new house!). Thanks to our mutual dislike of excessive glitter, and hunting through craft store and Pottery Barn clearance racks, we've ended up with quite a nice nature theme. Check out the owl and the cloisonne turtle...



Shopping is almost done, but cooking has barely started. A batch of granola for weekday breakfasts. Beautiful gluten-free rolls for Christmas dinner (promptly stashed in the freezer to stay fresh and uneaten until then).



Still to come: rosemary roasted pecans, chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free lemon olive oil cookies and chocolate mint bars.

The house is cozy (complete with a cute boy and a fire in the fireplace)!



And for Saturday dinner, a venture into vegan sushi:




(Yes, this is how I amuse myself when school's out.)

Now it's Monday, and I've finished my coffee, so it's time to start cleaning for the company which arrives tonight, and to make the big shopping run for Thursday's feast. Does anyone else want to come?

The office chalkboard says...

...the semester is over! I love making lists (and re-writing them to reflect reality after the fact) so much that I needed a chalkboard so as to do it more conveniently. I included Brooks' deadlines (which I crossed off for him) because, after all, no man is an island and all that, so his progress is my progress too. This was particularly important when he was finished last Tuesday and I had to keep working until Saturday.

Now I can make a new list of Christmas projects.

Self-portrait from mid-July

traces remain to this day...

Better?