This Semester's Class Schedule

I really should be more diligent about this. Alas, I am not. However, I will tell you now about the classes I'm taking this semester.

Latin: Vergil's Aeneid. I'm reading Books 2 and 6 in their entirety. I've read portions of them before but the Aeneid is just one of those things that you should read, and if you're a classicist, read it multiple times. I am strangely looking forward to the translation project. We are all writing our own translations of a passage and annotating it and explaining the reasons behind our translation choices. It's a kind of creative writing thing and I've already thought about starting it even though it's not due for awhile yet. This is bizarre behavior for me so I must be excited.

Greek Love: It's a class about love/romance/relationships in Greek literature. We're reading in its entirety Longus' Daphnis and Chloe as well as many other selections. We've discussed the Iliad and the Odyssey, the poems of Sappho, and this week we're focusing on Euripedes' Medea. I really do like this class because it's like being a literature class again, reading things and analyzing and discussing. I didn't know I missed that but I suppose I did. Even though I have the class on Friday mornings, I don't resent having to get up and the 3 hours pass very quickly. I suppose I like it even more because I'm reading everything in translation and don't have to muddle through the Greek myself. However, the professor is great about looking at the Greeka nd explaining the subtleties and connotations of particular words.

Topography and Monuments of Rome: This is more of an archaeology class but it's a great way for me to recall my days in Rome. I miss being there too and have decided I didn't take advantage of my time there like I should have. Meaning I should go back. Anyway, lots of pictures of ruins and monuments and learning various types of marble. It can be a little dry when I'm not particularly interested in a certain structure or site. But I don't mind looking at pictures of Rome for three hours a week. It has brought back my secret desire to be an architect, or at least the desire to actually know how they can build these things. Designing and building any large structure is completely baffling to me. Therefore, I will merely look at pictures and think to myself, "Gosh, that's cool."

And German for Academic Purposes. Or something like that. I don't know what it's official title is but I learn basic German grammar and how to decipher German texts aided by my dictionary. It is essentially just me fulfilling a requirement.

So that's what's keeping me busy. I like the classes but don't expect me to say that too often. Especially now that my first papers are due in the upcoming weeks. Now you have a better idea of what I'm actually studying. Pretty cool, huh? Expect some Olympic-related posts soon. Only two weeks until they start!

Battlestar Galactica

It's come to my attention that Battlestar Galactica is a real favorite among Classicists. Recently at the APA, I went to a session that featured two papers that prominently featured Battlestar Galactica. And today in my Vergil class, the professor made reference to the show. Therefore, I think I might have to watch it so these allusions are not lost on me. There has been some scholarly work on Battlestar Galactica and its connection with Classics so I think this is a valid pursuit for me. Plus I'd really rather not translate another section of the Aeneid just yet.

The sun!

After raining continuously for more than a week, the sun finally reappeared yesterday afternoon. And it's still out today! Its presence is short-lived; the forecast calls for more rain starting tomorrow. But I needed this break. I can wear something other than rainboots for a day. Even people who have lived in Vancouver were getting pretty tired of it.
And what will I do with this day? Go to school and do some work. At least the reading room has really big windows.

2010

Must use list form to catch up on everything that's happened in the past couple weeks.
-Finished my first semester successfully! I didn't look at my grades until a couple days before I was returning to school but I shouldn't have worried so much. I was just fine.
-Had a lovely Christmas with family. Everyone was home for a substantial amount of time so that was great. Didn't get to hang out with everyone as much as I would've liked to but I guess that means I'll have to learn how to balance my time better.
-Went to APA/AIA conference in Anaheim. I didn't realized I missed the warm sun so much. Got a lot of Vitamin D, listened to some interesting papers, chatted with other folks, and had some fun with other UBC students.
-Started new semester (I missed the first week of classes to go to the conference). I felt very overwhelmed at first because I didn't even have my class schedule straightened out and I was already behind. But things are better now. Still behind but I'm perpetually trying to catch up in my classes. I have yet to attend one of my classes (that's tomorrow morning) but I'm excited about all of them (well, maybe not German).

No New Year's resolutions. I know I won't stick by them so I'll just generally try to be a better person and student. Also, drink more water.