Various and sundry notes from the past week
This is going to be another miscellany post. I’m still catching up. Anyhow…
Fun with arcane cataloging systems: Today I spent the morning taking a mini-class on MARC records. And I dug it. Once I realized that the bibliographic software I used for my dissertation uses the same fields, it all made sense, and I started plotting ways to catalogue my own book collection. LCC@home, here I come!
Strange C’ville legend learned today: rumor has it that Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, used to live here in the big house visible on the top of a nearby hill, and that Charlottesville is the model for Hooville in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (this is funny if you know that "Wahoo" is the term for UVA-ers). I’m told that there’s no truth to this rumor, though.
Oddest food item seen at Foods of All Nations, a grocery store specializing in imported goods (thanks to Todd for telling me about it): vegetarian haggis. In a can. (It may have been Macsween’s Vegetarian Haggis; I forget.) If you, as I did, wonder what exactly goes into a vegetarian haggis, the Vegetarian Society UK has a recipe. The part of me that’s descended from a long line of Scottish people is intrigued, but also a little horrified by the sacrilege. However, the rest of me would rather eat something made of lentils than something made of sheep’s innards.
On the recent news coverage of the Kerry/Edwards campaign: My thoughts exactly. Also, as for the ongoing marriage amendment thing: I’m getting very, very tired of trying to think of clever ways to say "Bite me, Bush administration."
Weather report: lots of crazy thunderstorms, including one last night that resulted in flash-flood warnings. I looked out of my window and saw the red clayey soil at the edge of my neighbors’ garden turning into a big rust-colored puddle.
Current state: twitchy about continued apartment-hunting.
And, according to the latest quiz that’s been making the rounds…
You are the Hermit card. The Hermit has chosen a solitary spiritual path. He shines light on his inner self and, by this means, gains wisdom. The Hermit’s home is the natural world and it is by being in tune with that world that he learns the laws of nature and learn how they operate within himself. His path is a lonely one as he lives in silence and has for companionship only his own internal rhythms. But those crossing his path are touched by his light and wisdom. Though often alone, he manages nevertheless to instruct those who meet him and guides those who chose to follow him on a path towards enlightenment. Image from The Aleister Crowley Tarot deck. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/thoth/
Which Tarot Card Are You?
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Perhaps it’s because I just moved to a new city where I don’t yet know very many people? (Via Harrison, who’s the Hierophant, and Rana, who’s the Moon.)
I’m the Hierophant:
You are the the Hierophant card. The Hierophant,
called The Pope in some decks, is the preserver
of cultural traditions. After entering The
Emperor’s society, The Hierophant teaches us
its wisdom. The Hierophant learns and teaches
our cultural traditions. The discoveries our
ancestors have made influence the present.
Without forces such as The Hierophant who are
able to interpret and communicate traditional
lore, each generation would have to begin to
learn anew. As a force that is concentrated on
our past and our culture, The Hierophant can
sometimes be stubborn and set in his ways. This
is a negative trait he shares with his zodiac
sign, Taurus. But like Taurus he is productive.
His traditional lore can provide a source of
inspiration for the creatively inclined, and
his knowledge provides an excellent foundation
for those who come into their own in the
business world. Image from: Morgan E.
Cauthers-Knox.
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/m/o/morganc/morganc.html
Which Tarot Card Are You?
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Yeah, no truth at all to that rumor.
I was the hermit, too.
Vegetarian Haggis? Sweet mother of God!
Oh, a fellow Hierophant in the list.
Ah, noticed that you’ve got Kosetnbaum’s Queen’s Throat on your reading list. Has been a while but I really liked that one. I’m a big opera fan. Yes, fan, not that other word.