Okay, so I don't even know Latin, but this is like the most awesome thing ever, so it's getting reposted.



The words of this rockin' version of Catullus' thousand kisses poem are ( below the jump )

Ancient Greek virgins. Sounds crusty. It was my topic for my five minute audition at the Princeton Review this evening. I arrived almost ten minutes late, even though I left my house over half an hour early, but I don't think it mattered too much. I also ended up paying $7 for 37 minutes of parking. My presentation followed one on defensive patterns in soccer. He faced the board the whole time and lectured. I got three of the four people present up to participate as visual aids. I also had pictures of Athena, Artemis and Hestia - the three goddesses I was using to demonstrate my point. I actually wrote a little something on my website's blog when I got home, more or less explaining the points I tried to make in my audition. I had fun. I am pretty darn sure they'll hire me. I think they'd be foolish not to, with my teaching experience and my scores on the tests (if not their practice test).

I got a call earlier today from one of my Identity kids in tears. She asked me to come over, and I almost dropped everything (including the interview) to do it. Instead, I went after. Thank goodness. The girl's been through a lot of crazy junk in her life - it doesn't help that her dad was recently being held in a border prison in Texas, or that he was deported to a country where he had testified against military men currently holding power - but when I arrived and asked what was going on, her answer was that she wasn't allowed to borrow the car and her older brother was. Sure, she's overstressed and tired because she works seven nights a week and goes to school during the day, and her mom is having trouble coping and finding work because she's too honest to lie about her legal status. Plus, the real issue is a breakdown in communication, not the car. But part of it is just being a teenager. Which is somewhat reassuring.

I want to start looking for volunteer work in anthropology. I've looked at a couple of museums in the Smithsonian (like the National Museum of the American Indian - super cool cuz it's working with living cultures), but I can't really come up with much beyond that. Any ideas, buddies?

I think this is the one I've been looking for. Geertz said,
"It may be in the cultural particularities of people — in their oddities — that some of the most instructive revelations of what it is to be generically human are to be found."

My earliest interest in women in Greek myths was all wrapped up in some mixture of Jung, Cambell and Christine Downing's perspectives on the Goddess and archetypes. But I gradually came to appreciate that, "The notion that the essence of what it means to be human is most clearly revealed in those features of human culture that are universal rather than in those that are distinctive to this people or that is a prejudice that we are not obliged to share." That is to say, it was in identifying the differences, the rich and complicated layers of meaning that were not readily apparent and often only comprehensible in their original language that I began to feel truly challenged - and truly satisfied.

Geertz says,
"Cultural analysis is intrinsically incomplete. And, worse than that, the more deeply it goes the less complete it is."

If studying a culture that has been studied, incompletely, for 2000 years cannot ram home that point, I don't know what can.

When I started studying greek myth "seriously" at 13, I was sure that one day my dictionary site would be definitive. I even dreamed of writing and illustrating a children's book to improve on the "errors" of D'Aulaires. Although I did not know Geertz, by the end of my freshman year, that quotation had been wholly incorporated into my worldview.

Geertz says,

"In short, anthropological writings are themselves interpretations, and second and third order ones to boot. (By definition, only a "native" makes first order ones: its his culture.)

In a footnote he goes on to say how it can be fourth order or higher when anthropological works are based off of other anthropological works, like Levi-Strauss*.


It seems to me that Classics is the perfect place to train in anthropology. I studied a culture, Ancient Greece, and all of my essays were meant to be interpretations of that culture. And because that culture was dead, I could never be tempted to believe that my interpretation was anything more than what Geertz refers to as a fictio.








*I was introduced to Levi-Strauss in a Classics course.

I hope this works and people comment, because I need your help. Here's the question:

What discipline do following interests fall into and why? (e.g. anthropology, religion, history, classics ...)

How people use stories to construct and reinforce their identity

gender and sexuality in classical mesoamerica, particularly through the lense of ritual and myth

the relationship between ancient greek myth and ancient greek identity of "woman"

how classical (greek and roman) conceptions of gender and sexuality influence current Western conceptions of the same, particularly through the medium of the Greek myths classes taught in many elementary and middle schools

white liberal western women of varying sexual orientations within "Goddess religion" (neopaganism, thealogy, Christian/Jewish feminists, etc.)

queer (LGBT), but particularly lesbian, identity in the religion of Lucumi in Cuba - more specifically those changes in Identity by race - and particularly through the lense of myth and ritual

( Why I'm asking )

I appreciate any and all replies.

Man.

I just finished my last Greek exam. Ever. Oh man.

And after 4 years, I even kinda _like_ Greek exams. And I certainly like TVN. On the upside, now I can go to sleep. Or at least work on one of the million things I have to do.


Or maybe I'll just visit Danny-

I love www.usps.gov - what a useful little site. So it turns out that it costs $.70 to send a postcard from the U.S. to Greece or England (the two places where there are people I love). It's good to know since I've had written postcards just sitting here. I write postcards to avoid doing the work I so desperately need to do. And at this point, if Katrina or Carly could see the troll writing them, they might not be so interested. My hair ... just eww. I swear, every time I use Guille's shampoo, my hair degenerates faster. I'd like to get hair gel and put my hair up in spikes again, like I did in Mexico, but I'm cheap. Also unwashed. But that will take care of itself shortly (I swear I'm showering IMMEDIATELY after this entry).

Yesterday was totally useless academically, but I DID run around with a scarf on my head shrieking "MATRICIDE" with Lee and a couple other kids. All in the context of the Bardic Reading, of course. I stayed from 4:30 to about 10:30. And got a whole lot of knitting done, but very little actual work. I also ate really badly, and I'm still regretting it. Funny how once you start eating healthy, your body won't tolerate so many lapses. But I am also convinced that healthy diet and exercise and lots to do (and a bed that requires climbing down a ladder to leave) are at fault for my diminished insomnia. It's great! Also, it helps that this room is so small that I feel safe in it.

Okay, I really have to get back to work - I've got a very full semester! People should love me and hang out with me, tho, or at least send me little notes and stuff. I'll even do it back!

So, I missed my chat session with mom again. Bad daughter. But I am sitting here in the computer lab of the anthro building hoping that she'll magically come online and see me.

I talked to Guille. Not surprising since it seems like we speak constantly these days. On the upside, things are definitely getting better in my social world. Ever since I realized what was stopping me from making friends, I've managed to open up a little more. Being in desperate need of a hug as a result of Dad's hospital stuff and my helpless feelings because I want to be there so so badly probably aided me in finding someone. And I have lots of someones. About 6 guys, all of whom are chill. We've gone out to tacos a couple of times now (in groups). They are really chill. Asked them about how they experienced machismo in their lives and they got all into the discussion. They can make fun of me, and no longer call me "mi reina" (my queen) - probably after I went off on Juan about that (the second one to give me a love poem, and who has recently threatened me with another present) - thank goodness.

Guille will be arriving in three days. We are going to miss the trip to Oaxaca for the Day of the Dead, something that I am sad about, since I was really looking forward to it. But Guille can't go, and I would rather spend the time with him. Seems like my priorities are a little screwed up, but, oh well. He will be bringing 1) gym shorts 2) my long gray shorts 3) nag champa 4) cds I want 5) Greek Lexicon 6) books (yay!) 7) Dia Ria hat and various other effects I miss having around.

I've been kinda bored lately, and I know that I have some schoolwork I could be doing but there's no looming deadline, so it's not something I've been doing. However! I did have a date to go play basketball today, but it got cancelled on account of some silly boys championship. So instead I am here, waiting for mommy and desperately trying to read a little of the Acharnians and realizing that I REALLY should have brought the damn book with me in Greek. Tried the Bible, too. And even tho that's generally really easy, I couldn't do it. So, I'm bummed.

Dreamed I had my rats with me the other night. Miss my babies. I wonder if they'll remember me. I wish I had a picture of them here.

Love to my family.

I understood class today!!! Yay!

It wasn't like being in heaven, but I really did agree with him and think that he was smart. I was a little annoyed at myself because he made a point about mythology and Barbie dolls, a point which I really agreed with, but when he looked at me I blurted out, (translated) "Not in my house! My parents are feminists." It was pretty annoying, and he just moved on like he should have, but it was the first time I have spoken in that class, and I was too loud for the space, and bleh. Oh well, I'll just have to be blindingly intelligent the next time I open my mouth.

That blonde girl who had that Lizzie Maguire show on Disney apparently is now a pop star, because her music video is now playing behind me in my Internet Café. Hilary Duff. That's her name. She looks like a more generic version of Avril Lavigne, if that's even possible.

I miss Greek. You hear that everybody? I MISS GREEK!! Please send me some Aristophanes (NOT in translation). Actually, I'd be down to have the New Testament (in Greek, of course), too. And if you send me that, you don't even need to have it contain commentary, cuz I have my own Bible here. Which I've been spending a good amount of time reading, by the way. But not any of the parts I don't like yet. But I think I would read those, too, if I could translate it.

What else? I'm going to 2 for 1 movie night tomorrow, which will make my movie cost all of 2 dollars. Oh I do enjoy this country.

There are people waiting for the computer, so off I go.

Good night.

Jadele and Charlie and Daniel all left early this morning, which was a real relief. I've been glad to have them here, but I am now kicking into overdrive because of Mexico. In a little less than an hour, I'm driving down to Miami to pick up my visa, and when I come back I'm gonna get really serious about packing everything I need.

I woke up at 9:00, which really felt like sleeping in, since I'm usually up at 6:00, plus I went to bed around 7:30 p.m. I went into the kitchen, and Guille had made eclaires for the kids upon their departure. It was very nice of him, but I spent an hour cleaning up. I don't mind washing dishes, but an hour of washing dishes by hand is a long time. Especially when you didn't partake in the food eating.

So. Mexico. I'm leaving Sunday morning at 4:00 am, I'd say. Which is 41.49 hours away. That's not very long. And then I will be emersed in a completely different world, with no turning back.

I want to get my "mete moi meli" tattoo before I leave, but I doubt it will happen.

Out of curiousity, are there any other Classics people out there who are thinking of getting Classicly inspired tattoos?

Okay, here it is: a pic of Sam with a shaved head. This isn't a fabulous picture of me, but it is a fabulous picture of my friend Sandy. And I know that my friends who haven't yet seen my new coiffure will be interested regardless of my actual cuteness.

( Read more... )

Weird convo with Jorge, who's not going to live at my Dad's house this summer after all. Weird because I was being weird, for some unexplainable reason, and I don't think it was related to him at all.
I ate some ice cream today. Which was lovely, and legal! See, I was eating about a pint a day about a month ago, and so I decided that it was too much, and I went two weeks without ice cream, and then every subsequant week I've been allowing myself ice cream only on Sundays.
Today was the Classics picnic. It was nice. I won no awards. Which made me sad. It always makes me sad. But then Tessa and Sandy won the award for excellence in Greek! How awesome!!! I was genuinely happy and excited for them and not the least bit corrupted with jealousy. Which was good. My class is the best! My class, in my head, equals Sandy, Tessa, Nathan, Patrick and me. Most especially the first three since I've had other things with them before, too. I dunno. I just love 'em.
But it also made me sad. Seeing them all graduating . . . (this more than the actual commencement, probably). It's the family's goodbye.
We even played croquet (which TVN predictably won and I just as predictably lost).
I feel really awful.
After I got home today, I played Soul Caliber II. I practiced (a complete waste of time) for a few hours and then Guille whomped me. And I got mad. But I felt completely ridiculous for being mad. But it makes me so frustrated!!! I just spent all this time practicing, and Guille still whomped me! WHY?????
I think I want to go play shotgun no shields in Halo real quick, because it'll make me feel better.
I really need to do 1) Greek 2) Afro-Cuban Religion lesbianism paper 3) practice the 5th Sun for presentation manana in Spanish class 4) read the Physics book and do the problem set. Stupid school. I don't know what I want. Maybe some exercise ...

10 push-ups later - I still need exercise.
I'm gonna go play Halo.

I love it when people say I'm masculine. Even a silly LJ thingie.
I'm way tired cuz it's 6:47 a.m. and I've been up ALL night working on my website. And people say I don't put enough effort in it! But anyway, got a couple things done I really wanted to do. Got a LOT MORE to go. Oh well. One fun and visible thing was I wrote up the Aristophanes' (Plato) creation/soulmate myth. Yay website. And poop on all hosty people who are making my life hell. And come see my happy place. :) www.paleothea.com. My heart and soul. And if you are a Classics major, yes, I am aware that there are some mistakes, but it's a damn big site, and I can't remember where they all are (since I've had it since I was 13), so if you want to critique it for me, I'd be thrilled.
In the meantime, a few thoughts about Kirk's paper tomorrow. Hmm. I should look at the assignment. Well! That's enough thinking. Good night!

My journal says I'm 51% masculine.

What does your LJ writing style say about your gender? UsernameCommunity

LJ Gender Tool by hutta

You are... Gandhi!


Which Clone High character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I'm ridiculously happy that I am out of school. FINALLY! I just finished my last exam at 10 a.m. this morning, and it was Greek, for which I've been studying REALLY intensely for the past week. And last night, I went completely insane and started screaming and crying and the hyperness, which I have trouble explaining to people, but generally feels like your blood is alive and super-hot and flowing super fast and you have to run or die, took over, so I got all constructive and went to Latin Night at the 'Sco. I even got dressed up all purty and wore my white tight pants from Argentina and the sparkly purple top I wore to my senior prom. I danced with Guille and Elio and listened to music and relaxed. Dancing felt so good. At first, I was dancing with Guille - and for that first dance I was super tense and feeling self-conscious about my body in the tight clothes - so I messed up a lot. But then I started counting the beat to myself and that relaxed me. Poor Guille gets the brunt of my tension. Not just on the dance floor either. But he handles it well. Still, this is something I should work on.
Also, last night was super great because everybody complimented me and they said I have a nice butt. Like 8 people. It was excellent. And Elio complimented me, too, but I got nervous and made him stop. Actually, I got nervous when everyone complimented me - but thankfully the 'Sco was dark and no one could see me blushing (I hope). It was really nice to get dressed up. The response was totally worth it.
I would really like to sleep now, but I'm still hyper from getting up and getting psyched for my exam. And I have a full day of packing ahead of me. I feel like it's Monday already.
YAYYY!!! School's OVER!

hey, so because this is MY livejournal, I decide that I can use it however I will. I really don't want to write my paper. My paper is on the stock character role of the clever slave and how it changes from Old Comedy to New Comedy to today.
I am now going to talk more about it.
So.
First you have to understand that Old Comedy really wasn't that deep. I mean, it could be really socially available, and really be commenting on current things - but, as a whole, it didn't really have a complex storyline or particularly complex characters. Instead it depended on verbal (aka literary) irony. Oh. And jokes about pussy. So, the role of the clever slave was really just there to be funny on a very basic level. He was funny because slaves, by nature in comedy, are funny. He got a little more developed as a foil to his master, by making the master look foolish and allowing for a little situational irony (that's the one where unexpected things keep happening that neither the audience, nor the actors, know about).
Damn, this isn't really helping. I lose.
Bye.

Writing in my lj. Damn. It's been a long time. I don't know what inspired me to write today. Nothing is special. Nothing has changed. I'm feeling slightly catatonic right this minute, and beginning to understand a strange kind of dependence is growing in me (on Guille). I don't know who I'm writing to - I doubt anyone's still got me on their lj friends list anyway - but I used to do this for myself. Only . . . only . . . I can't even write in my own journal - my real journal - these days. Perhaps the fact that this is electronic makes me feel okay about wasting the words.
I've started my opus. There aren't too many people who know about it. But for those of you who do: I'm learning. I'm figuring her out. Dia, the girl who has waited for me in the back of my subconscious for what feels like my whole life, is beginning to call to me again. The story is beginning to reveal itself to me. I always knew it would be dark, but I never thought it would be that complicated. Now the question is, will it all come clear? Her story has always been just beyond my fingertips. I imagined her, dreamed her, and sometimes I felt like she was stalking me. I wanted to know who she was. This dark girl with her dark story. I'm beginning to learn. I have always realized what this story would cost me, and I've never been sure, for all my wanting, if I was really prepared to sink down as far as I need to go to find it.
Enough on that for now.

Euhoi!
I cry a call
I sing a song
A tear paints my cheek
The tympani beat in my blood and pulse into the ground
We grow, become bursting fruit
The wine in our veins pours out
A libation
Euhoi!
Hands, vines, teeth, laughter
Eyes open or closed we are
Blind together
Our hearts labor, pound and scream
Ecstatic agony we name our God
Singing
Crying
Euhoi!

I don't feel like Bacchic revelry right now - but I have to admit that it's gotten under my skin. I'm translating the BAKXAI into English in my Greek 202 class right now, and the crazy language, the mania, is in me. No one but Euripides could have done that play justice. But I feel it. I feel the coming God. Damn. I also feel insane whenever I read what I just wrote, but in the honor of the God I refuse to erase it.

Well, I have a paper to write. It was due a couple hours ago. I'm thinking I should get back to it, since I skipped the class to write it and didn't. But I did do good things! I emailed professors and asked them to put me on waitlists in case the classes filled up too quickly. And I created a whole schedule for myself. And I have ended up taking 16 credit hours (the limit). Oh poop. I'm going to die. I have enough trouble in Greek 101! But I'm still looking forward to it. I also wrote a letter to my advisor. Here it is:

Hi, this is Sam.
I know you're on break now, but I thought I'd just write you and let you know anyway.
I have created my schedule for next semester, and I thought I would write and tell you what is going on with everything. Including the classes I plan on taking next semester, my requirements look something like this (this is assuming that for the classes that list two types of credit, the credit goes to both things):

Humanities: 23 credits
Social Sciences: 16 credits
Natural Sciences: 8 credits
Cultural Diversity: 17 credits
Writing: 9 credits

without the classes I am taking next semester I have

Humanities: 17 credits
Social Sciences: 10 credits
Natural Sciences: 4 credits
Cultural Diversity: 11 credits
Writing: 9 credits
(you'll recall that I already have my math QPf)

The classes I'm interested in taking next semester are:

History of Greece
Greek 201 (the Iliad)
Introduction to Archaeology
Techniques and Form in Poetry
Research Methods I

This is a total of 16 credits, which is a whole lot to handle, but I think I can do it (especially because I'm interested in all of the courses). The Research Methods course leaves me one course away from a minor in Psych and the Classics course and Greek are both good (as you know) for the Classics majors I want. I'm still unsure of what major I want, either Classical Civilization or Greek - and I am still interested in taking Latin, but I think I'm going to leave that until my junior year. I'm also really interested in following up with Poetry/Creative Writing and my plan is to audtition for the Poetry/Prose class next semester (with my portfolio) and then later with the more intensive Poetry class. As for Psych, I plan on taking Cognitive Psych either next Spring or junior year. You'll notice that I'm only one credit away from the total school requirements for the 9-9-9 rule (I need one more in NS) - but that shouldn't be too difficult to take care of. (Epecially if I take a Cognitive Neuroscience instead of Cognitive Psych, which would complete my minor in Psych.)
You may remember that in the beginning of the year I was interested in double majoring in Psych and Classics, but I think I am beginning to change that. It's not that I do not necessarily want still to be a child psychologist, and it is still possible that I will follow Psych into graduate school (as I must if I want to be a child therapist), but I have found that I am not passionate about it in the same way that I am about Classics, and the idea of a double major in these two areas is too exclusive of other things for me. If I do that then I can't follow poetry or my new idea of a possible second major: anthropology. I have trouble thinking in a step-by-step way, so this idea translates into another idea of possibly following archaeology and becoming an anthropologist/archaeologist/classicist. I would love to be any of these in the field, but I do not think I want to be a professor (at least not as the main job of the rest of my life), and archaeology seems to call to me as much as anything else.
Mythology is, and always will be (I fear), my passion. But, though the Classics are the area I am most familiar with, I am also very interested in mythologies/religions of other areas. The Mayan civilization, for example, had an amazing religious mythology - as did much of Central/Latin America - and it seems relatively untapped. All Mesopotamian myth feels like home to me - but it is not the focus of the Classics, and I would like to expand more (I know that there are religion courses in that, especially in regard to women, but they are not being offered this semester, which is all for the best, I suppose).
I don't know how much of this you are interested in, but I thought I would let you know that I am organized and taking care of things.
See ya' around
~Sam~


What I would have LIKED to have said would have gone something like this:

You are poop. You are out of town. You met with me once and had no idea what you were talking about and didn't explain the requirements to me or anything important. When I wrote you to ask you how you could help me, you responded that you didn't do to much with first years. So you know what? Fuck ya! I don't need you, and I never will. I'm switching advisors you little ball of fluff, to your oh-so-superior colleague. Hah!
Love,
Sam

But I won't. Sigh.

Oh well. I really should get to work, but I think I'm gonna go eat first.

Hugs.