docoflove1974

Yikes! Well, as long as you're ok now, that's what's important. Good health to you, sir!

Yes, GhostOfClayton, your entry talking about Human League has put me in a right 80s mood. Actually, to be fair, I was listening to a fair bit of Madness, Clash, and others this afternoon before reading the blog, but still. So, finals are over! Well, for me they are. I had everything graded by last night, 10pm...record time, I might add. Then again, it was pretty clear that many of my students just didn't do so well on the final paper. I mean, sure, it's an in-class essay, but when I give you a month to practice it, you should get darned good at it. Of course, if everyone did, then they'd all get As, and that's not exactly my thing. So, a good spread of grades overall. But it got me thinking of how I want to tweak the assignment. My intermediate Spanish students have to pick a movie off of a list (of course, the movies are Spanish-language), and write a specific essay which tests various linguistic elements. It's cumulative in the truest sense of the word, because it's meant to accurately encapsulate their capabilities at that time. Since the course is a 3-semester series, as students progress they do better. And interestingly, the native speakers in the class don't necessarily do better than the language learners; since I have the students type up the essays, they have to use spell-check, although many don't, or they choose incorrectly from the options that Microsoft Word offers up. Either way, good students tend to do well, while mediocre students don't. Poor students often don't show up, or they come to the final exam time with the "duh" look on their face...usually the result of them not watching a movie and following the instructions of the assignment. So, grades are in...let the games begin! Winter Break starts with me playing hostess and tour guide. My very good friend Alanna is out here visiting...her first visit to Northern California. The bad news is that tomorrow is the only day of her visit that is scheduled to be a dry day; the entire rest of the trip there are storms blowing in off the Pacific. At least tomorrow we'll get in a fair amount of sight-seeing in San Francisco. Friday we'll get some things in, perhaps, but Saturday is a complete howler of a day; 50 mph gusts and tons of rain are projected. Sounds more like a day to catch a movie locally, stay home and catch up. Then Sunday morning she takes off for her hometown in central Massachusetts. Anyone else wanna come along?

Hmmmm seems that there is a ghost or a guest...

Wow...any idea why you reacted so to the chicken curry? Perhaps someone tried so sneak in some naughty bits? Was Mrs. OfClayton affected poorly by the cuisine? Note to self: inquire where your curry's come from...

I would agree, but I'm a bit of a type-A personality (or perhaps an A and a half...not quite so high strung), so a little of bit of stress fuels me. I actually prefer it...organizing, making people happy (and myself, naturally), but balanced with enough downtime to enjoy life. It's an art, true, but an easy one.

This truly is the calm before the storm. Relaxing night tonight, after spending the day with a couple of friends. Tomorrow afternoon I head to the parents' place for the evening; we'll be going to the neighbor's farm, which is decked out with Christmas lights and winter wonderland-ness galore. Then a calm Sunday before...the whirlwind. Monday afternoon: office hours Monday evening: final exam #1 Tuesday mid-morning: final exam #2 Wednesday evening: good friend comes into town Sunday morning: good friend leaves Monday evening: holiday pot-luck party at my place. Just a bit of a full plate. And just the way I like it, I must say, although I would have liked to have another day between the finals and my friend coming in to town, but it's all good. My friend has never been to San Francisco or Northern California, so I have a wide-array of activities in the hopper. All that is required is good weather; if the weather turns rainy, as it is preliminarily projected to be, then plans can be changed. Of course we'll go to Union Square and the shops and such there, regardless of the weather. But if good weather prevails, then we'll definitely hit my favorite coastal spots, and perhaps a walk on my favorite trail, near a reservoir. I love playing tour guide! My local friends are asking about my New Years' Eve plans, as if I have my life planned that far. Many know that it's also my birthday, but some don't, or don't remember, and I'm not exactly inclined to remember. As far as I'm concerned, as long as my family remembers (and they do), that's all I need. No gifts needed...a phone call suffices. And I never got into New Years' parties, either...I mean, it's a new year for me, sure, but for everyone else? Eh, no biggie. On the other hand, I'm not gonna turn down an invite out of Bah Humbugism. And yet...they're stunned that I'm not hosting a party, or that I don't already have plans. Um, I never really have plans. How has this been different than the norm? Besides, something always comes up last minute. On a brighter note, my horoscope says that a large chunk of change is due my way tomorrow, and my employment and business goals will be fulfilled in the next 2-3 days. Wait...didn't it...um...didn't it say that last week? And this past weekend, too? It's as if the readers of the stars don't know me at all...feh. I'm going back to the tarot readers...they seem to know me better. *snicker*

This has been quite the day for you! Congrats on the new license, and the renewed driving ability, albeit of a different type. More importantly, congrats on the return of the warm air!!!

Sure, the song talks about the holiday spirit, the thrill of meeting up with family and friends, of enjoying a bit of Christmas Cheer as we celebrate a season of giving. But, see, this also is a most wonderful time of year for the professorial types. It's the end of fall term. Most of my grading for the semester is done...everything but the final exams and some wayward homework assignments that seem to find my mailbox on campus. And then...judgment day, or days, in my case; Monday night and Tuesday mid-morning, my students will be int he computer lab, banging away their final essay in Spanish, as I finalize the gradebooks in everything but the final exam. And this time, I don't have much time to get the grading done, as one of my closest friends comes in on Wednesday night for a few days of visiting and sight-seeing. So, basically, the finality of the semester, followed by fun tour-guide Actually, the reason I love this time of year is simple: normally grumpy, cranky, and generally unpleasant people are actually nice to one another. People help others out, there are more people smiling and generally happy. Even those who have seemingly outgrown the concept of Santa Claus still display the spirit. I love it!

Well, yes to much of the above. We know that the group of peoples that the Romans conquered were considered 'CeltIberians', who were a mix of Celtic tribes and original Iberian peoples. This group did indeed speak a Continental Celtic language, but I don't know how much has been recorded--very little, if memory serves, if any. There were various CeltIberian tribes throughout the peninsula. It should also be noted that the Basques (or their ancestors) were inhabiting the northern Iberian Peninsula, an expanded area than what the Basque Country (of Spain and France combined) is today, but that the Romans didn't feel the impulse to Romanize them. The original Iberians, well, it is unclear who they were, what language they spoke, and the rest. I have heard stabs in the dark that they are the ancestors to the modern Basques, but in reality there is too much controversy over that statement for me to be comfortable with it. I don't know what evidence we have of them, outside of stories and legend.

This is where my heart lies, too, although for me it would be to show how the city had changed over time...much like the current Empire map shows the various additions to the empire through time. It would be great to see how each emperor put his new spin on the city. The other thing with this idea is that it lends itself to subsequent posters: one of the entire peninsula itself in detail, of other major cities and their histories, etc. History in diachrony

Heh we Capricorns look at it askew...have a good laugh...and then move on. By the way, save for the paycheck, I'm still waiting on my ship.

Hope you have an outstanding day!

That one is one of my favorites! (I admit I had never heard of Asterix until grad school, whereby my newly-found Spanish friends introduced me to the wonders.)

Well, there's a disease that affects all politicians (anus maximus), but Mrs. Palin is of a particular breed: one with both anus maximus and os maximum...oh, and cerebrum minimum.

Some people read the daily comics in the morning to start their day. I read the horoscopes. 4 of them, mind you...the fact that 4 different 'readers of the stars' have 4 wildly different 'interpretations' of the same stars is hilarious to me. Not to mention what they mention will happen to me today. The last 4 days one in particular has been predicting that a 'windfall of money' is coming my way. Um, it's been 4 days now, and I haven't exactly seen an extra red cent come my way. Sure, on Friday I got money back from the store, but that's because I returned something. And I hardly think $20 is a windfall. With the exception of the income that I normally receive on the last working day of the month, I don't expect anything else to come in the next couple of days, either. Now, if I do end up getting some money in the mail, beautiful. I certainly will not look that gift horse in the mouth. Another one today said that I will face a series of decisions, and that all I need to do is choose the correct one, and not plan any contingencies. Well, I do have to finish my lineup for Fantasy Football...but there really aren't any contingencies to be made. Either I leave my lineup as is, or I switch a player for one on the bench. And I came to my decision a couple of days ago. Speaking of decisions...do I want to make soup today, or something else? Hmmmmmm...cold weather, the last of the turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving...eh, I'll go sit on the couch and watch some football. I'll leave the deciding to my cat later. She's good at that.

Thanks, GoC! Although I must say that I have my blah moments, Lord Caldrail's does entertain me. If only I had the talent to write every day!

Wow, didn't realize how lax I had become in my blogging duties. But times have become quite busy in the morning lately, what with work and new routines. I do wish I could be of a mind to do this in the evening, when I'm relaxing, but sadly it escapes my mind. How odd, as I'm usually doing so many other things at night which are equally as taxing. Oh well, I promise to myself that I'll check in more frequently. At any rate, this by far is my favorite holiday, and not just because of the dinner. No, it's one that actually still means something, one that doesn't require a religion, rather it is obligatory to have a sense of being grateful for what you have, no matter how much or how little it may be. In fact, that's how I started my day...cuddling Bella, watching the sunrise, and singing along. Of course, I've now moved on to an alternative mix on my iTunes, but that's neither here nor there. I'm cooking this year, which is a first in a way. Oh, it's not the first time I've cooked Thanksgiving dinner, as I used to do it--by myself or shared with another friend--when I lived in Texas. But it is the first time I'm cooking this grand dinner for my family, something that has caused me quite a bit of excitement. I know I can cook this one well--honestly, the only 'holiday dinner' that's easier is to cook a ham. But it almost makes me feel like a grown up, the fact that my mom doesn't 'have' to cook it anymore, that we kids (who range from almost 36 to 28) can do this, that the torch has officially been passed. (Of course, my mom has already made the announcement that she and Dad are doing Christmas day...but that's another story.) And the best part of this day is the actual giving of thanks...of recognizing that there really is something great about life, and that we appreciate it. Many of my European friends who come from cultures without such an official holiday find it a refreshing concept, and one that they have included into their lives because of it. I know my Canadian friends already had theirs last month, but to me it doesn't matter when you celebrate this day, it's the act of celebration and gratefulness that is important. What am I thankful for? Well, if you must know...in no particular order... My family and friends--both those that I see/talk to on a regular basis and those who I don't. And Bella the Kitty is part of this, natch. My job...although it's not as full-time as I would like, at least it's income. My new apartment...seriously. Compared to the dump I lived in the 3 years prior, especially. My students, who teach me something everyday, seemingly. The fact that I am alive, that I walk, talk, breathe, move, think, see, hear, touch, taste and all that--FREELY. There's something else, something which may seem odd at first, but it is important. I'm thankful that, in this past year, I have loved and lost, that I have healed and moved on, and that I can tell the story. It seems weird to thank my former love for tearing my heart out and stomping on it, but then again I've never been a normal kind of girl. See, I'm thankful that I had the chance...that I had the opportunity and experience to love again, something that I hadn't had for quite some time before that. Also, the fact that I'm thankful that I can tell the story, even the funny bits--especially the funny bits. It's certainly helped my writing a lot So, to you and yours, regardless of your culture, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. May we all continue to be blessed.

Thanks, Yehudah...anything in Spanish would be perfectly fine. Do you know any titles?

Nice one, Neph! Great digging there! As for this declension...while I'm not sure of the answer either, my first guess is that it would be the same, simply because the n-stems held both masculine and feminine nouns that had no formal distinction (that I recall). In flipping through Carl Buck's books, I'm not finding much. Where I found a bit is Eric Conrad's Latin Grammar site at Ohio State, which talks about the feminine n stems that end in -io. Perhaps that's the answer: if it changes at all, it would change to murmillio, -ionis. But I'm not 100% on that.

LOL Ok, how about a 'no hairs' competition?

LOL Absolutely! But understand that this team will make you sport gray hairs quick...or make you tear your hair out altogether. But man, are they fun to watch

Very cool...thanks, Russ!

I am in awe of your ability to remain active and busy all day, Lord Caldrail. After all, I was kinda lazy today. Then again, I had a victory parade to watch

Wow, gotta love it when your fans and anti-fans make their presence known. Clearly someone who didn't like your last performance, my dear

I just have never liked the look of them. The same is true with Jags, for the most part...they just don't look good to me. And while BMWs tend to be my choice, I can get past the badge. For example, the Z4...ugly. It looks like a shoe...or better yet, it looks like Goldmember's car, just without the 'tail'. Now, the M5...ooooooh daddy....