A Jeep Lovin' Beemer

Beemer has been helping me fix up my Jeep, lately. She rides along in her little K.I.D.S. Carrier, while I lean over the hood. She has been up Providence canyon (as far as the rock garden), Left Hand Fork (as far as Grey Cliffs Springs), Green Canyon (to the Mt Elmer trailhead), et cetera. We'll try to extend a few of those boundaries as the snow continues to melt. As you can see, she just devours any Jeep literature she can get her cute little hands on.

Call of the Wild

Back in May for our anniversary, Jan gave the family fishing licenses. We have yet to use them, but I'm getting the bug. This trout was only a few feet away from where Pulcheria and Bree are standing in the picture of them looking at the waterfall. I think its time to break out the rod and tackle and catch some dinner.

The Bubbling Brook and Bree

Here's Pulcheria pointing out the many intricacies of the cascades of the falls. Bree was fascinated by the sounds and constant movement. It was well worth the drive, even considering the road was washed out and we had to drive through the streambed/boulder field to do it. What fun a lifted Jeep with big tires is, eh?

Pretty Picture

We went out for a lovely afternoon drive up the Left Hand Fork of Blacksmith Fork canyon. What a beautiful drive. The recent storms have left big puddles that are a blast to drive through (provided the windshield washers are on already). This is as far as we got today, since the road gets a bit dodgy after the falls. They're called Grey Cliff Springs, and are gorgeous, especially when complimented with Bree and Pulcheria.

Frigidae flores

I can't move on from that storm without my favorite photo. This is my front yard from the view of my irides. They're still alive and kicking. In fact, they seem to be more vibrant than ever, as if to spite our horrid weather. You've gotta love that.

As a side note, do you see how long the grass is? Oh yeah, baby! That's right. Now that's right proper lawn care.

Fightin' Irish

Ah, cultural pride. Yup, we like to get the old cultural heritage started early, thus the Notre Dame hat. It looks better on her than it does on me.

Seventh of June, Anno Domini MMV

Welcome to Cache Valley weather. It's effing June, for Bob's sake! The forest service is never going to open the roads! Alas. Poor Ahenobarbus, I knew him well...

Tenacious Ted

So, I’m driving to a job interview this morning, and to get there I have to drive by first dam, which is, as always, super-populated with copulating waterfowl this time of year. As I make my way round the dam I happen to look in my rearview mirror at precisely the right moment, and I see a flash of black streak from the sky and overwhelm a spot of white. I instantly flip a u-turn and drive back there, where I find a juvenile Bald Eagle clutching a white duck. This is one of those times when I could kick myself for not having a camera with me. I was impressed mostly with the Eagle, whereas Pulcheria (whom I was taking to work) had sympathy mainly for the unfortunate duck. I had no time to go home to grab the camera, so I had to just drive away while others were pulling off the road and getting out of their cars for a closer look.

After my tragically brief interview I went home to grab the camera and make the sojourn back to the hunting grounds where, of course, I could find no trace of the raptor. Not even a feather. I did, however, find the duck. Alive. He’s not exactly thriving, with chunks of feathers torn out and a slight limp, but on the whole he’s surprisingly healthy considering his close encounter with one of North America’s most prestigious avian predators. I called Pulcheria to tell her the good news. “Let’s name him Ted,” she said. Who am I to argue?

Prairie Grass

I've never been terribly fond of mowing the lawn. Sometimes I find it tolerable, but those occasions are certainly in the minority. It probably has something to do with the fact that you can't mow in the rain, when it's nice and cool, but you must mow when the grass is dry, which means heat and dust. As a result of this unfortunate situation, my grass only gets cut three or four times a year. Since I live in Utah, this becomes easier because I don't water it very often, under the thinly veiled excuse of water conservation. It's a good system, and has worked well for me.

Unfortunately, this spring in Utah was particularly wet. Even after the snows ceased, the rain continued to pour down with such frequency that long time locals (I'm including myself in this group since I've spent over 25 years living in Utah) are hard pressed to remember a wetter season. So, my lawn grew and grew, and the verdant grass waxed. It began to look like a prairie in the wind, in fact. About a week before I grudgingly hauled out the antiquated mower and took the first slash at it, the lawn was impressively tall, indeed. This picture doesn't show quite how tall it is, but you get the impression, and a nice shot of Bree.

Flaming Eyes

So, there we were, the rearguard of the Rohirrim, when Melnyr, the demigod (a.k.a. Howard, the level 50 jerk) came charging from behind. We had no escape. The wargs forming his entourage bore down on us like the very hounds of Sauron the defeated. I summoned a fireball and smote many of the demon canids, but was thwarted in my next two attempts by the sorcerer, whose eyes blazed forth flame-red. All of the wargs echoed this heinous ocular feat as they swept past us in their relentless attack against the horsemen of the Riddermark.

Backpackin' Bree

I've come to a very insightful conclusion: I've been using this site to perfect my work avoidance. Back when school was still in session, you'll notice, my posts were frequent. Since the semester ended I've done practically nothing to it: nada; nil; zero; zip; zilch; squat. So, "why the change of heart today," you ask. Well, the answer is obvious: I've been picking up applications for gainful employment. Work avoidance is, therefore, back on the table!

In this picture, taken by the enviable Pulcheria, our little Beemer is happily riding on the back of her daddy, thanks to his Father’s Day present (given just a bit early). She was perfectly content to ride along wherever I went for about an hour. Even then, it was I who called it quits (dinner, you see) not her. Once this weird weather pattern allows some trails to dry out a bit, we’ll test the new product in earnest.

Happy Anniversary

Six years. Has it been just six years? To think, only a decade ago, I was running around chasing girls with Wildman, trying to kill myself in a monster dune buggy with Chad Lewis, and perfectly happy being a projectionist at a family owned theater in Hyrum Utah, working 3 hours a night. My, my - how time flies.

It was six years ago, yesterday, that I knelt at an altar, gazing at Pulcheria, when I promised I'd take her as my wife. I'm glad to say that she has yet to walk out or seriously injure me [knock on wood]. Every once in a while I can tell that she is contemplating the balance of 25 to life, but she's a thinker, and the scale hasn't tipped in that direction yet.

After dropping Beems off at Pulcheria's mother's house on Saturday, we headed down to Happy Valley for a wedding reception of some friends. Then I surprised my bride by taking her to one of her favorite restaurants in SLC, the Melting Pot. It was quite the experience. Everything served is fondue, from bread to raw meats to chocolate desserts. Ah, the dessert alone was bliss. It was great to have a night out with just us. Not that we don't like having Bree with us, but it was relaxing. It was also good to have a conversation which wasn't dominated by child-care schedules, feeding habits and the Utah Miracle of one-handed-dining. I love my family - all three of us. But it wouldn't be the joy it is without Pulcheria.

Pedal-philia

Lately, Bree's been enjoying the fantastic process of discovering her feet. She finds the toes tastiest. We, of course, have not been discouraging this in the least because it's so damn cute, as you can plainly see. Some suck on thumbs, others... well, you can see what some others do.

Save Toby

I have seen some pretty funny sites in my life. I've also seen some sick ones. I can't decide which catagory this falls into, but SaveToby.com cracks me up in a very sick sort of way. Check it out.

Sharing Hearts

Friends are for sharing blankets at nap-time... Okay, okay, maybe not all friends (I know what you're thinking, Harles), but certainly these friends.

Cherished Checkerboard XII

After Pulcheria had been mollified (by me), pacified (by time), and drained (by Beemer), she agreed to this shot. I loved the way that the hail-stones filled up the little wrinkles on Checkerboard Mesa. It looks cool normally, but here the squares really seem to pop because of the contrast. Of course, to me, the best part about this shot is that its human subject is smiling again.

Hail to the Canyon XI

So, we're up at the top of Zion proper, and I decide that we need some photos of this cool little canyon with a little stream running through it. It's drizzling slightly, but Pulcheria grudgingly agrees to it, anyway. We bundle up Beemer in my sweatshirt, and we're off. Now we're at the bottom and the drizzle turns to rain to hard rain to hail. Pulcheria becomes Pulcheria irata. This moment of transformation was captured to be admired for a long time to come. Here is the nervous/ irate mother protecting her offspring from the elements that the short-sighted father led them into. We can't help but laugh when we look at this shot. Ah, the memories.

Rain Falls X

And here's those same falls as shown below, after it had been raining, on and off, for about 18 hours. The transformation was startling! I have found out that being at (in? with?) Zion in the rain is one of the most surreal, transcendent experiences out there. Desert is totally transformed, and, everywhere you look, living water shoots forth from barren rock. There was not a single spot from which we couldn't see at least a few waterfalls. It was gorgeous beyond the capacity of my miniscule vocabulary to describe.

Pre-rain Falls IX

[We now return to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress.]

Here's a shot of the waterfall (from Weeping Rock VIII ) from a few hundred feet away. I loved the way it looks like braided silk, as it falls. This is, of course, before the rains came that day... and continued to come throughout the next day.

Ludi Romani C

And finally, here we are to be found with (from left to right) Dr. Norm Jones (USU History Dept. Head, and Elizabethan England Expert), Dr. Mike Sweeney, Journalism Professor, and Dr. Christopher Pelling, the Regius Professor of Greek Language at Oxford. Yes, the Oxford (that's right, he's the current occupant of the worlds most prestigious Greek position).

Ludi Romani B

And here we are with Professor Kevin Doyle, one of my favorite people at the University. Kevin is a teacher in the Theatre Dept., and is one of the few directors there that I've had the chance to work with in recent years. This year he was playing the Eastern god, Mithras.

Ludi Romani A

[We interrupt the normally scheduled program, "Ahenobarbus' Amazing Vacation Travelogue," in order to bring you some breaking pictures.]

Tonight was Utah State University's annual presentation of the Ludi Romani (i.e. The Roman Games), a kind of live version of Risk, where the board is a huge room, and the armies are real people. The setting is ancient Rome, during the transitional phase between Republic and Empire.

The picture above features me, Ahenobarbus, with one of my mentors, Dr. Fran Titchener (here playing Juno). Holding Dr. T's finger is our own Pulchella (a.k.a. Bree).

Weeping Rock VIII

We didn't do any of the hard hikes on this trip, since Bree was coming with us. But Zion has so many options that it ended up being fun, anyway. Weeping Rock is a short hike that leads to a place where ground water seeps out of the Navajo Sandstone. That's what we're facing, here in this photo. The waterfall behind us actually isn't part of the seep spring at all, since it cascades down from the cliff tops above.

Zion NP VII

This is day one in Zion National Park. This particular place is pretty much right across the street from the trailhead for Pine Creek Canyon (my favorite technical canyon I've done, so far), but also looks like the end of a canyon hike that I have yet to do (including learning its name). The only parts of me that you may be able to detect in this photo are my hands, as they steady Bree on top of this cool rock.

Whaling Wall VI

Here's another part of Vegas' Whaling Wall. I love this shot. The angle that Pulcheria shot this from makes it look like the whale is cruising through the trees as if they were aquatic vegetation. NB: you can also see what makes this particular wall unique (as far as I am aware), namely the fact that he left a large part of the canvas (i.e. cinderblock wall) blank so the children could add their own depictions of life from the hydrosphere. I think that's awesome.

Vegas V

We spent part of a day in Vegas, mostly so I could hit a couple of caches, but also because I wanted to get a cute little Roman outfit for Beemer (pictures forthcoming). While there Pulcheria spotted a Whaling Wall (by world famous Wyland), and the joyous moment is now forever captured. You can tell just how much she likes Wyland by the huge grin on her face.

Mons Ignis IV

At the top of the drive, just outside the park, is an extinct volcano. The upper strata flow that lies on top of the sandstone helped to preserve the rock beneath it, and so Snow Canyon itself owes its existence to this long dead giant. The basaltic aa flow is a bit tricky to navagate, so I didn't go too far up. I would have loved to go on, but my shins began to quiver in fearful anticipation. Pahoihoi would have been fun to walk on, but I'm not aware of any Pahoihoi flows extant here on the big continent. Oh well. Perhaps someday we'll make it to Hawaii and I'll get my chance. Until then, I'll just have to make due.

Snow Canyon III

I just want to take a moment to say that I LOVE my growing (but still conveniently small) family. They're all so photogenic! This shot shows Bree and Pulcheria playing in the soft sand dunes of Snow Canyon.

Snow Canyon II

Don't let my legs blind you. Remember, I've been locked indoors up in Logan, due to our horrendous weather, for the greater part of 4 months. This is Bree and I in Snow Canyon. It's a great little park just east of St. George, with some cool hikes. Next year we'll have to remember to get there before March 15, because after that they close some of the rock climbs and certain slot canyons because of possible disturbance to the nesting Peregrine falcons. Not that I begrudge them that. I love falcons. I would like to have seen them on this trip. Maybe next time. We saw plenty of a few Red-Tailed Hawks, a couple Vultures and plenty of Ravens, though.

La Verkin Overlook I

Spring Break has been over for almost a week now, so it's time to fill in all my fans on our doings down south. We decided to go just down to Southern Utah for the break, since we only had a few days (i.e. San Diego wouldn't have been worth the trip for a two day stay). Ah, it was glorious. We left our 30 degree weather behind us, and it was mid 60s to low 70s for most of our trip. Here's a view just a couple minutes drive from where we were staying. It's on a dirt road that overlooks the town La Verkin. I love being in Red Rock country. There's some quality about it that we just don't get farther north. Don't let the snow-capped peaks fool you: they're farther off than one might expect.

Puellula Pulchella

I don't know what kind of animal she's supposed to be, but--wow--she's a cute one! Those ears up top look so funny, but her smile melds the whole ensemble together. We were bragging about her sleeping patterns to some friends last night. Boy was that a mistake! The gods love to strike down those who brag. We went on about how she has slept nine to ten hours a night since Christmas.

Well, last night set that record back to zero, with her waking up at 1:30 am, and then again at 7:45, on a night when we expected her to sleep until 9 or 10! Oi Moi! Hopefully we will have learned our lesson, and that won't happen again. But even when I went in, groggy and grumpy, to pick her up, she stopped crying and grinned at me. So I couldn't even be mad anymore. Such is the power of "cuteness."

Wood and Beaver

I'm wearing myself too thin,"like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can't be right. I need a change, or something," (FotR, 41). I pulled another all-night study session a few days ago. I had a terrifying test in Classical Latin to prepare for, including writing two essays that I should have written prior to that night. Perhaps one day I shall learn that procrastination (lit.= "the act of tomorrow-ing forth") is never as beneficial as a slower, constant, steady pace.

On my way to drop Bree off at a friend's, so I could have a couple of hours of concentrated studying without worrying about her, I saw that a tree-branch that had been girdled (and the girth had been getting increasingly thinner) by a beaver had finally fallen down. Once down, the rest of the bark had been completely stripped. I thought that was pretty cool. Another testament that patiently working on a difficult project eventually provides a lot of tough, fibrous arboreal cortex to enjoy without interruption. Words to live by.

branches ache for light
they stretch up through frozen earth
yearning for sunshine

Drip, Drip, Drop

Okay, okay, so I am probably being a little too harsh on Logan weather. After all, it is starting to melt, even if just a little bit. Only a few hours ago there was a gigantic icicle hanging from my roof. I went out to take a picture of it, just now, and it had fallen to its doom. This picture shows the now uninterrupted view which also used to show the aforementioned icicle. Even though it's melting slowly, it is still, in fact, melting. Did I mention how slowly it's melting? If not: it's melting slowly.

At any rate, enough apologies. It's time for me to get back to work. Papers to write, Greek to translate, Latin to be tested... So much self-torture, so little time.

Runoff

Oh, I can't wait until Spring Break. I've got so much to do that I've got to spend the first part of it writing papers, finding connections, and being logical. As soon as that part's done, though, I'm off to find the sun. Logan is terrible! Yesterday's high temp was 30*, but an hour's drive would have gotten me at least to 50*! Amazing. We've still got quite a bit of snow on the ground, but down in Salt Lake, or even Ogden, they've got nothing in the valleys. Aargh! I want to go somewhere warm for Grad. school! Maybe I'll make that my primary criterion.

white turns clear with warmth
cascades down rock and sheer cliff
brown returns to green

Buddies (finally)

It took quite a while for Luci to take to Phil. She was firmly established when he arrived into our lives, just nine weeks old, whereas Luci was a mature five months! She loudly proclaimed her annoyance with this rambunctious little upstart, by growling every time he got within a few feet of her.

Even though it took a while, she started realizing that he wasn’t totally terrible, and it might actually be fun to have a playmate once in a while. Even though Phil is still, occasionally, a tad too playful for her they’re now quite good friends.

Katabasis Ahenobarbi

Here's another blog on why I can't wait for winter to end. This photo (taken, again, by Teisha) shows a crowded conclave in the uber-cool canyon of Subway in Zion Nat'l Park. It was an amazing hike, full of slickrock, waterfalls, good friends, and a beastly ascent out the other side. Facilis descensus deorsum in Subviam... sed revocare gradum superasque evadere ad auras, hoc opus, hic labor est. Good times.

Bree in Sepia

Here's a recent photo of our little Bree. This was taken just a few days ago by our good friend, Teisha, an extremely talented photographer. She has an eye for form and framing. And, well, let's just face facts here: Bree's about as photogenic as infants come (no bias on my part, of course), so it's hard to screw up. I like the bubbles.

The Fourth Age

Last night we had another fun night of gaming. It snowed food and rained drink, duels were fought, parties betrayed, companions badly injured, halflings won the day, and we now begin a new leg of our campaign.

I’ve been gaming with Harles, on and off, for about fifteen years now. This is Pulcheria's first time playing an RPG, and she says she likes it. I'm not sure whether BillyCheese has played a non-virtual RPG, but it's fun having him involved in this campaign, as well. As always, I enjoyed myself, even if there was not as much action as I would have liked… Right up until Turlin (grrr) had help betraying us from a skilled assassin. We fought through and won that skirmish, but are still a long way away from figuring out what’s going on.

What fun, eh?

Veni, O Ver!

Some day it'll be spring again. Ah, the good old days. Until then all I can do is look at pictures of the times when I could just go out and play when I wanted. This pic is of me at "the breaks." If you drive up Millville canyon to the top, right before turning North to Mt. Logan, there's a huge, steep drop-off. I'm standing fairly close to the edge, as you can see. I can't wait to get back up there. Melt, snow, melt.

Lofty mountaintop
Snow drifts ban our reunion
We must wait 'til spring

Introductions

I think it's time I introduced my whole household. You've already met my wife, Jan (a.k.a. Pulcheria) and Brielle Maia [initials: BMW (therefore, a.k.a. Beamer)]. Here we see (her picture has been in here before—see Mini-Holsteins) our little Lucifer (a.k.a. Luci). She is our second cat after Maximus Barca. In this picture she is playing with the cord that's hanging down from the camera. She's a great mixture of black & white (both in looks and personality).

Next, here's Mephistophilis (a.k.a. Phil) and my foot. He's named after Lucifer's lieutenant in Medieval tradition (cf. Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus). Don't his eyes look like a demon's in this picture? He's really a sweet little guy.

And, finally, here is my entire cute little family (minus the photographer) in our little yellow house on the little hidden hill with the really long driveway.

Nerd God

Mini-Holsteins

We just couldn't resist taking this shot of our two little dairy cows.

Lessons from the Past

I’ve been reading a book on Ovid by a scholar named Molly Myerowitz, who brings up a few fascinating points about her subject. It took a while for me to get into it, since I started right in the middle (that’s the chapter that I was assigned), and it was very abstract, especially since I hadn’t been prepared by the earlier 3 chapters.

In 8 AD Ovid was exiled from his beloved Rome by Augustus, because of what Ovid calls Carmen et Error (a poem and a mistake) up to a BFE little town on the Black Sea populated by the Getae, where he was constantly on guard against barbarian invaders, and horribly uncouth language. Until that time, Ovid had been celebrated as one of the great poets of the golden age of Roman literature, sharing the empire with other greats such as Vergil and Horace (both of whom are mocked in his poetry).

One of Myerowitz’ points that deeply struck home is her analysis of what Ovid said about his own work after his relegatio (a mild form of exile). Up until that point, Ovid had likely not paid much attention to his otium (leisure time), and likely considered it, if he considered it at all, to be a privilege. His writings from the Pontus bewail his condition, the weather, the barbarians, the uncivilized inhabitants, the lack of a sophisticated and discriminating audience to give him useful feedback—basically everything that he loved was in Rome, whither he would never return.

Now, here is the interesting part. He writes frequently of how his talent is failing, due to the lack of otium he is now forced to deal with. He seems to be genuinely distraught that his ability to write good poetry has vanished, and his work will be received only with mockery and derision. Yet, at the same time, Myerowitz noted, to us as modern readers, his post-exilic corpus is quite the opposite of his expectations. His works Tristia (Sadness) and Epistulae Ex Ponto (Letters from the Pontus) are exquisitely beautiful, and heart-wrenching. Perhaps more than any other works of his, these have the power to evoke strong emotive responses in the reader. All this was totally absent from Ovid’s imagination. What irony. Here is a great poet thinking that his trials have taken away his talent, all the while he is writing some of the greatest poetry of his life.

I’ve lately been feeling that since Bree was born I haven’t been able to think properly. I’ve told myself that it’s because I’m sleep deprived, or my attitude has changed to only want to live in the raw emotion of the moment, instead of thinking deeply about abstract matters, or future career moves. Well, Ovid’s example, as pointed out by Myerowitz, is one that I hope I will eventually follow, and emmerge from better than ever. Of course, that is one advantage I have over Publius Ovidius Naso: I’m loving life now more than ever, and wouldn’t trade it for anything. Even if I never make it back to the cutting-edge of academia, I will still count myself fortunate.

Way Too Lengthy

Welcome to the new edition of getting to know your friends. Okay here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be lame and spoil the fun! Just copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you. Some of you may get this several times- that means you have lots of friends

1. What is your full name? Ahenobarbus Textor.
2. What color pants are you wearing? White, I hope (pants= underwear; trousers = trousers).
3. What are you listening to right now? Bree making baby sounds. They’re really cute.
4. What was the last thing you ate? A large Capone sandwich (no peppers) from the Pizza Factoria.
5. Do you wish on stars? Nope (most of them are probably extinct, anyway).
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Silver.
7. How is the weather right now? Too bright and depressingly cheerful.
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? January, who told me to check my email, so I could see the banned Bud advertisement.
9. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Scilicet deligo eam! Semper illam amabam. Cur?
10. How old are you today? 00011100 (binary rules)!
11. Favorite drink? Bawls.
12. Favorite sport? Canyoneering.
13. Hair color? Reddish.
14. Do you wear contacts? No, but I’ve made contacts. You know who you are. The password is “asparagus.”
15. Siblings? 1 brother, 3 sisters, one brother-in-law, 1 sister-in-law.
16. Favorite month? I vote with Jan: “September – I love fall!”
17. Favorite food? Grilled lamb kabobs, from a specific street vendor in Istanbul.
18. What was the last movie you watched? Pride and Prejudice – the BBC one, not the Mormon one.
19. Favorite day of the year? May 15 (the anniversary of Fetih Sultan Mehmet’s conquering of Constantinople… Oh, and also my wedding anniversary).
20. What do you do to vent anger? Annihilate whatever/ whomever has angered me.
21. What was your favorite toy as a child? PVC pipes. I made all kinds of things with them, from swords to water throwers.
22. Summer or winter? Oh, so definitely Summer. Winter bites.
23. Hugs or kisses? From whom? Some people I quite like to kiss, others not so much.
25. Do you want your friends to email you back? Only if they feel it absolutely necessary to redeem their honor of being the person least likely to respond.
26. Who is most likely to respond? Aliquis. (See question 23).
27. Who is least likely to respond? Nescio quem. (See question 23).
28. Living arrangements? A yellow house on an incredible property.
29. When was the last time you cried? I don’t remember. It’s been a while.
30. What is under your bed? A naughty board game.
31. Who is the friend you have had the longest? That I still keep in contact with? Hm… Maybe Aaron Preece? No, wait! It's Michael Davidson.
32. What did you do last night? Rock-climbed.
33. Favorite smell? German chocolate cake with caramel-coconut-pecan frosting.
34. What inspires you? Individuals who overcome their own apathy and lethargy.
35. What are you afraid of? Betrayal.
37. Favorite car? Jeep Hurricane.
38. Favorite Flower? Iris.
39. Number of keys on your key ring? Four. I need to reduce that number by half.
40. How many years at your current job? 4, on and off.
41. Favorite day of the week? Friday (and Monday this semester).
42. What did you do on your last birthday? I honestly don’t remember. Opened a couple of presents, most likely.
43. How many states have you lived in? 2.
44. Have many cities have you lived in? 10, maybe.
45. What time did you get up this morning? 8:30 a.m.
46. Diamonds or pearls? Neither.
47. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Incredibles.
48. What is your favorite TV show? Nova, probably. Oo, or maybe the Jeff Corwin Experience.
49. What did you have for breakfast? Tangy BBQ chicken bits.
50. What is your middle name? Jay. My parents wanted to give me the middle name, “Kay,” but thought I’d be made fun of, because of the actor, Danny Kay. Well, guess what, Mom & Dad!? I was made fun of for so many things that my middle name would have been the least of my worries. So, instead I got stuck with the middle name “Crow” (cf. any Old English lexicon).
51. What is your favorite cuisine? Good question. I don’t know. I’m adventurous, and my tastes change with the menu. Why? What are you cooking?
51. What foods do you dislike? Onions and peppers, although I am getting better at dealing with them.
52. What is your favorite chip flavor? Sour cream & chives.
53. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Crooked Fingers, title album.
54. What type of car do you drive? ’89 Jeep Cherokee, with a 4.5 inch lift and oversize (31") mud-terrain tires.
55. Favorite sandwich? Reuben
56. What characteristics do you despise? Manipulative, selfish, arrogant, illogical. Refusal to move on with life after a trauma, and take responsibility.
57. Favorite item of clothing? Jan just bought me a new Nike DryFit shirt that I love.
58. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Somewhere either in the Mediterranean or Australia. Then again, there's the old standby of San Diego.
59 What color is your bathroom? White.
60. Favorite brand of clothing? Used/ cheap. Fashion's stupid.
61. Where would you retire to? My own private island, and I’d make sure to bring my private jet & helicopter, too.
62. Favorite time of the day? Sleepy-time.
63. What was your most memorable birthday? My ninth. I invited only girls… There were quite a few of them, too.
64. Favorite sport to watch? Soccer.
65. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? I’m not saying. I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to reply. Or guilty for not.
66. What fabric detergent do you use? Um… This is a question about cleaning, right?
67. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Both. It sucks. I don’t recommend it.
68. What is your shoe size? 42-43 (UK)
69. Do you have any pets? Lucifer and Mephistophilis would probably say that they have us.
70. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family & friends? Yea! I’m going to graduate. (Someday). (Maybe).
71. What did you want to be when you were little? An entomologist. I could name the major parts of an insect (more than just the three basic sections) from about the age of 8 on.

January Haiku

Hazel eyes sparkle
Like sunlight on a river
Beaming happiness

Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. Share the love.

Maximus Barca

In a few months Pulcheria and I will have been married for six years. Amazing. She gets more wonderful every day. She looks better now even than when we got married. This picture, taken in September of 2003, shows Pulcheria playing with our little Max (Maximus Barca was his name). He was our first kid, and died young, but we loved him tremendously.

Catullus 16

I was recently exploring different blogs, when I came across one that, as a student, I found quite funny. Ms-Chievous writes occasionally about a horrible English teacher, and the experiences she has had with her. Now, I have little clue what University/ College this teacher is at, but I am still hoping for his/ her downfall, all because of the writings of a fellow blogger.

This all led me to think of the immortal nature of the written word. Catullus, the ancient Roman poet, knew this well. In Carmen 12, Catullus writes to an acquaintance who thinks he's being funny by filching a sentimental napkin, but really he's just being an immature jerk. Catullus tells him, "Quare aut hendecasyllabos trecentos/ exspecta, aut mihi linteum rimitte" ("Therefore, either anticipate 300 lines of verse [i.e., to be directed at you] or give me back my napkin!"). Catullus knew that his little versified-joke on Asinius Marrucinus would far outlive Asinius' little practical-joke on him. In Carmen 16, Catullus really lays it into a couple of critics of his work, and something of the sort should be said to that horrible English teacher: Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo (the translation of this is rather more obscene than any words that English has to offer, but runs something along the lines of "I will butt-f**k you, and face-f**k you, as well"). Those Romans really knew how to use profanity eloquently.

The point of this whole entry is to pontificate on how the written word transcends all boundaries of time, distance, and even culture. Long live writers who want to share their frustrations!

Glottal Grins

Later that night, when we were finally home, the Super-Bowl over, food eaten, drinks drunk, friends hugged, snow traversed, this picture was taken. Bree just loves to smile for us. This was the first night she began sticking her tongue out when she grinned, and she still occasionally does it. Cute, huh?

Bree's Dress, et cetera

This is a picture of Bree in her blessing dress, made by her paternal grandmother, lying on an afghan made by her maternal grandmother. The bonnet on her right was made by one of Jan's friends. Oh, she's just too adorable.

Baby Blessing

Hurray! My baby finally has a name. For those of you who may not know, Mormons have "Baby Blessings," where the child is formally given the name he/ she will be known on the records of the church. This is similar to "Naming Days" of other protestant Christian traditions. Well, our dear little Bree was blessed this last Sunday (2/6/05). It was a nice short meeting, and the party was held afterwards. This picture is of Bree being held by two of the greatest friends I have. As always, Bree was calm and smiley throughout the day, no matter who was holding her, except, of course, when she began to get hungry... in that respect, she's like her old man: perfectly genial until hungry, then watch out!

Sultanahmet Camii

My first day in Istanbul (May 3, 2004) I spent hours just walking around the Sultanahmet district. In this picture I'm standing across the street from the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) while a friend I met there took my picture. The Blue Mosque has the most impressive exterior of any building I saw on the trip. It achieves a sense of architectural balance and upward movement that draw your eyes to its topmost dome, while appreciating the whole. At night, they light it up with blue-tinted flood-lights, and the sky fills with seabirds. This happened to coincide with the nightly call to prayer, as it often does, leading the locals to say that the birds are praying.