Out of Lascaux

Librarian in Training

Next week I start semester #3 for my rigorous MLS degree. Last semester I got 2 A's and a B. "You got a B?!?!?" you ask, "in what?" Well, cataloging. I have decided that cataloging was invented by bored anal retentive types who wanted to punish those of us able to view a broader picture of things. I hate cataloging, and, God willing, will never have to deal with it again. A reference librarian told me a few months ago that there are two types of librarians - catalogers and reference librarians. Considering that I got an almost perfect A in the Reference class, I think we know where this leaves me.

The problem now becomes that all those wonderful library jobs out there - and there are so many, many, jobs - are for experienced librarians. I had orginally thought that my 4 years of library experience would count for something, but I was sadly mistaken. It looks like I will have to find something entry-level here before I can do anything I really want to do. Such is life.

On that note, I would like to introduce you to The Annoyed Librarian. She writes the kind of thing I would if I were witty and urbane. And if I were presently employed in a library.

The World, the Flesh and the Devil

Last night TCM showed The World, the Flesh and the Devil, from 1959, starring Harry Belafonte, Inger Stevens, and Mel Ferrer. It's part of their "Race in Hollywood" series. The story has Harry Belafonte playing a man trapped in a mine when a nuclear attack kills off the entire human race. He recues himself, makes his way to New York City, which is completely empty. Except for one person - Inger Stevens.

Now, the conflict stems from the whole racial tensions thing. Belafonte's character refuses to get close to Stevens because of it. This is what I had a problem wrapping my mind around: there are two people left in the entire world (for all intents and purposes) and they don't get together because one is black and one is white. OK, I understand that any type of interracial romance at this time period was considered scandalous, but it's not like it wasn't ever done! I know for a fact that it was - hence my appearance and that of many cousins. I cannot for one second believe that the last man and the last woman on earth wouldn't hook up because of some artificially created social taboo.

Mel Ferrer steps into the picture and complicates things, but it really comes down to something that made a hell of a lot more sense: there's one woman and two men. Who gets her? Regardless of race, that was what the fight came down to.

I like post-apocalyptic stories of the cold war era. There was one episode of Twilight Zone with Elizabeth Montgomery and Charles Bronson that has stayed with me for many years. There's just something about an empty city that is eerie and fascinating. They did that part well in this movie, I'll give them that. But I couldn't help thinking that Arby's did it just as well 10 or 15 years ago; they didn't have any hard-to-believe artificial conflict to get in the way. It was just a guy running through the deserted streets shouting "Where is everybody?" A man appeared with a sandwich in his hand and said, "Arby's." Now that's a classic.

Dracorex Hogwartsia

A newly discovered dinosaur species has been named after Harry Potter dragons., Dracorex Hogwartsia is a relatively late dinosaur that looks very much like the dragons we are familiar with from myth and movies. Check out the skull - it really makes you think that the dragon legends were based on this dinosaur (or the bones of one).

(Via Science Fiction Book Club.)

High School Bound

So my son wants to go to high school and quite frankly, that has me biting my nails. It's not that I want to shelter him from that environment - quite the opposite. It's that I really don't think he knows what he's getting into. He wants the high school "experience," but he only has a vague idea of what that is from TV shows. We know of two people who were homeschooled up through 8th grade and then tried going to high school. One went to the very same highschool he may be attending and did well. The other tried a private school, a public school, and wound up back at home. Looking at that, I guess the DS has a 50 percent chance of survival.

He and I both know that if he goes, it won't be for the education he won't be receiving. I expect he'll pick up some learning, but his main objective is to socialize, go to dances, meet girls, join geeky cliques, and get beat up and shoved into lockers. I have already stated that he will be doing extra school work to prepare him for college entrance exams. I have also told him that he will be walking - up hill, about a mile, in the heat. He is less excited about that, but still seems determined. He actually came to me at one point and said he had doubts about this whole thing because as it stands now, he enjoys a good deal of free time. If he goes to school, he will be there all day, have to do homework, any extracurricular activities at school, plus his violin lessons (he just started those this week.) But I don't think he has changed his mind. However, the final decision rests on his behavior at our yearly summer retreat in the Gila National Forest over the July 4th weekend. If he can go the entire 5 days without having a meltdown (he has anger issues) over something someone says or does, then he has a go. Otherwise, he gets to wait another year.

Oh, Sinful Me

Your Deadly Sins

Sloth: 60%

Gluttony: 20%

Greed: 20%

Envy: 0%

Lust: 0%

Pride: 0%

Wrath: 0%

Chance You'll Go to Hell: 14%

You will die while sleeping - and no one will notice.

(Found on La Journelle Nouvelle de Katherine de Swyneford.)

Pre-Pregnant?

I just read several posts over at Redneck Mother that made my hackles rise. I had a whole rant about it, but where my rantings would be rambling and incoherent, hers are worth reading. My question after reading all that is, where do Catholic nuns fit into the scheme of things?

The Indecisive Blogger

Bloggers, do you ever write entire blog posts in your head and never publish them? I do... a lot. In fact, there are a couple of posts that I have re-written a couple of times and have never actually gotten them into the computer. I lie in bed, either at night or in the morning, and think about what I would like to say on a topic that is bothering me. I write the whole thing in my head. But by the time I get up and sit down at the computer, I think, "Blah! How boring," or "Who cares?" So, nothing gets posted. This particular post went through several revisions in my head - for a couple of weeks - before making it into print. I guess this is a round-about way of explaining why I don't blog as often as I should. Well, there you go.

UU's and Stuff

Found this interesting list, Unitarian Universalists in Science Fiction. It's not a very long list. The only people who write about them tend to know them - and know that they have a great sense of humor. We tell the best UU jokes. Of course, you only get them if you are a UU. Lyda Morehouse is a contemporary author who uses them a lot in her books because she is (or was) one herself (see my review).

I just went looking for a few jokes. Here are some (from this site.)

The four UU sacraments are:

* Dedication
* Marriage
* Memorial Service
* and Argument

Once upon a time, there was a man who had no religion, but was a very good and honest fellow. At death, he found himself in heaven. A kindly looking gentleman was waiting for him. Said the gatekeeper of heaven, "What religion are you sir?".
The man said, "I have no religion."
The gatekeeper said, "Well, where would you like to spend eternity, then?"
The man shrugged. "What are some options?"
Together, they strolled through the halls of heaven, looking in different rooms. In the first, a great congregation knelt before a great glowing figure, their faces to the ground and their hands outstretched. The man didn't think that looked too good.
Next, they stood outside a large sanctuary where a preacher was preaching loudly, to many "Amens" and "Hallelujahs." St. Peter put a finger to his lips and said, "And at this door, we need to be ver-r-r-r-r-r-y quiet."
"Why?" asked the newcomer.
"Because," St. Peter replied, "Those are the Southern Baptists, and they think they're the only ones here."
In another, a great congegration knelt before a fellow hanging from a big cross. The man didn't think much of that either. And indeed, in every room, the man found less than satisfactory situations in which to spend eternity. So, finally the gatekeeper said, "Okay, there's one last option."
The walked down the hall, and the gatekeeper opened the final door, behind which were a great congregation dancing in a big ring around a huge coffeepot singing "Coffee, coffee, coffee!".

How many Unitarian Univeralists does it take to change a light bulb?
Three - one to write a solemn statement which will affirm the following:
* This light bulb is natural, a part of the universe, and evolved over many years by small steps.
* There must be no discrimination against dark bulbs in any form, and means must be found for all "dark" bulbs to take their place alongside light bulbs on a basis of equality.
* We affirm the right of all bulbs to screw into the sockets of their choice regardless of the bulb's illumination preference.
* UUs seek for each light bulb the fullest opportunity to develop itself to its full electrical potential.
A second UU who will read this statement, even if s/he is the only human being to do so, and then to write the obligatory criticism and dissent.
A third UU to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.

A convict on Death Row, the night before his scheduled execution, was visited by the warden. The warden, in talking with the condemned man, said,
"Usually at this point, persons in your situation find great comfort in talking to a member of the clergy. With that in mind, would you like us to send the prison chaplin over for a visit?"
The convict replied, "Well, warden, I have to tell you - I was raised a Unitarian Universalist."
The warden then said, "Well, then, would you like to talk to a math professor?"

Art: A New History

I bought myself a present a few months ago, and now that the semester is over, I may actually have time to read (some) of it.

Paul Johnson has written a history of art based not on the art, but on the cultures and history that produced them. The idea itself is not new - only the attempt to create a survey-level book based on this idea is new.

No one claims that art is created in a vacuum. It is merely that traditional art history has focused on the art itself, and the artistic influences that produced them. There is nothing wrong with this idea, it is just a little dated. However, when we start to analyze art using outside influences, we start to read things into it that may or may not be there (see my post on Judith and Holofernes.) This is where the art of art history becomes a little dicey.

I have read the first chapter and a half of Johnson's book so far. His discussion of pre-historic art brings up some interesting points, but nothing new. The fact is, we know no facts about pre-historic art. We can ONLY study the art because we don't know what the culture was like or what was happening at the time. For this reason, any speculation about why cave paintings were made or figurines sculpted are just that: speculation. Any time you say with confidence that they were magical or religious figures, you are being disingenuous.

Johnson talks about cave paintings in terms of "gifted individuals" and entertainment. As good an explanation as any. He then goes on to talk about how cave art likely "promoted the birth of religious spirit." Even with the word "likely" added to make it less of a statement of fact, it is still reaching. Is it possible? Sure. Do we have any indication that it could be so? Not really. However, it is interesting to see the different ideas that people come up with.

One thing he says at the beginning of chapter 2 struck me as an interesting idea that could be developed in the future:

We have so far looked at art systems which came to a natural or mysterious end and had no continuity at all with what followed. Societies stopped producing cave art. Megalithic art ceased to be practised. From about 1000 B.C., for instance, Stonehenge was deserted..."

I have seen tantalizing evidence on TV archaeology shows about the existence of ancient civilizations buried under sands or drowned under ocean waters. The coast of India may once have had thriving cities that were destroyed 10000 years ago with the end of the ice age. And that story about Noah's Ark? There are those who believe that an entire civilization was wiped out when the waters of the Black Sea rushed into it's present location about 10000 years ago. How far had we advanced before the end of the ice age flooded our ancestors into our first dark age? I believe there is a lot out there to discover.

Art: A New History has proven interesting so far. My biggest compaint is that there aren't enough pictures. He continually mentions one piece of art or another without ever showing us what he is talking about. That is a criminal offence to my mind. I like the pictures.

One of 6 Wives

Which of Henry VIII's wives are you?
this quiz was made by Lori Fury

Sounds right, but I don't know about that "secret passion" thing.

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog

Geoffrey Chaucer is alive and well. Who knew? Not only does he have a blog, but he offers up some choice pick-up lines for those attending the big medievalist conference in Kalamzaoo, MI. The lines are pretty funny, if you can decipher the Chaucerian English. I have to admit, I'm not quite up to speed on medieval English, but most of it was comprehensible. The funniest part is the comments.
Captain John Smyth has a blog, too.

(Hat tip to Blue Tea.)

Bidding on Picasso

Want to know where to find the richest people in th world? Try attending an auction of modern masters. A Russian buyer practically stole Picasso's Dora Maar au Chat for a mere $95.2 million. I have seen stories on news shows about how incredibly rich some russians have gotten in the past decade, but this really points it up. When they start showing up to buy art, you know they've hit the big time. The Art Newspaper article says they aren't sure which russian billionaire actually bought the painting - it was one of two possible men. Whoever it was, he outbid Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino owner who has been amassing a pretty decent collection to show in his properties out there. The "mysterious" russian bidder also outbid a couple of other American billionaires.

Ceely's Modern Usage

I've started a new blog - well, we have started a new blog. Ceely's Modern Usage is about the English language, particularly American English. Craig over at The Anger of Compassion is a well-known grammar nazi, and I just like finding old rules and explanations in old textbooks. It just amazes me what we were never taught in school. And it seems like each generation learns less and less about the English language. Yes, I know that English is an ever changing language because it is a living language. However, what I see is that pieces of it are dying on the vine. How many of us know how to parse sentences? How many of us know what a pronominal adjective is? How many of us know the difference between a syncope and an apocope? Or even what those are?* One might make the case that these are archaic elements of our langauge. After all, our great-grandparents were taught these things in grammar school. But it's not that we don't use these anymore because we do. We just don't know the rules anymore.

So, we have a new blog. It's on blogspot because I just don't have the time (and can't really remember how) to create a third MT blog on my own site. Or maybe I'm just lazy. I just hope that my own grammar and spelling will be up to Craig's standards. If not, I can see trouble ahead :)

*Answers: parsing is sentence diagramming, so you won't see that here. A proniminal adjective is one sometimes used as a pronoun, as in saying "his" for "his book." Syncope is the shortening of a word by taking a letter or syllable from the middle, as "red'ning for reddening." Apocope is the shortening of a word by taking a letter or syllable from the end, as "th' for the."

Space Operas

Joquandor has decided to become and expert on the SF genre of space operas. I consider myself something of an expert as well, though the authors I am faithful to have one thing in common - they're all female. My favorites: Elizabeth Moon, Lois McMaster Bujold, Catherine Asaro, CJ Cherryh, and the grand dame of them all, Andre Norton (who introduced me to SF as a kid). Sure, I've read David Weber, who is OK, and Timothy Zahn and David Brin, but the only male author who has come close to earning my devotion was Frank Herbert and the original Dune. Still, I love the genre, and wait impatiently for the next book by my favorite authors, and tentatively explore the waters in search of new ones, but rarely find them.

Lynn over at Sweet Familiar Dissonance points to this list of space operas. It's a very long list, starting in 1942, but I have a major problem with it - where is Andre Norton? How can you possibly have such a list and not include The Stars Are Ours! or Star Rangers or Sioux Spaceman? As far as I'm concerned, it's a terrible list, even though it does manage to cover Asaro, Bujold, and Moon. They have a huge number of books for the most recent years, so that's where its weakness lies. It's only good for people interested in what's being written today, and not in any way historically accurate.