Bearshorty's musings

Nice and snarky comment by Constance Bouchard in the review of William Aird’s biography of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, c.1050-1134: “[the book] is clearly written and thoroughly documented, with the footnotes at the bottom of the page where they belong, even though it is somewhat surprising to see so many medieval sources cited in modern translation rather than in editions of the Latin.” (Speculum 84, 1010)

It is astounding how large a number of Speculum book reviews are language, literature and textual examinations compared to history. Medieval studies seem to move away from history a bit. I don’t know if it is a good or a bad thing.

Today I went for a nice walk and it really felt like October and autumn. The air was crisp and chilly but not too cold and the Halloween decorations were up. The house not far from me that always had the most awesome decorations did not decorate yet, I hope they will soon. But it was a perfect October weather and it reminded me how much I love October. Of course, it will be cold and rainy tomorrow.

Leviticus WTF moment of the day: chapters 21 to 25 cover more rules for priests, sacrifices and various holidays. Nothing too unsavory except perhaps the stoning of the blasphemer (although aliens and native-born are accorded the same rights, at least). Priests can’t marry a prostitute and must burn a daughter if she becomes a prostitute. God also discriminates disabled people because any disability would prevent one becoming a priest. Good thing there are no priests anymore, God might be sued. It is also nice that only outsiders can be made slaves! Why do fundamentalists not quote these parts of the Bible! Every fifty years there is also a property reset. That must have been fun. Hey, that was my land twenty years ago when I sold it to you; I’ll have it back now, thanks.

I scheduled a meeting with Advisor next Thursday (in ten days), who is now a full Professor and a department chair. Which is really cool. By next week I want to finish my conference paper to give to him to read. And it general to get my shit together more to talk about with him. Priority for the week is the conference paper. I’ll need to grade in less brainy times and spend productive time on my actual schoolwork.

This morning people did not start coming to the office in the writing program until 9:30 which was a bit weird. I needed a second pair of eyes on my midterm question and I ended up rephrasing it close to the actual class. Instead of asking them where the limit should be I asked how should we reconcile the right of individual choice with the fear of some new medical technology. Basically what they talked in discussion but phrased as an adult would phrase it. I did have to explain what ‘reconcile’ means in both classes which makes me sad for humanity.

I made one student come to my office hours today since her thesis did not equal her paragraph ideas. The fun part was when I looked at the outline she made before the paper was due and she had good paragraph ideas (which were not her topic sentences) and a thesis that didn’t match them. It is like she knew it didn’t work but didn’t care enough to fix it. I hope she gets it now after I explained it to her in person.

I was also chatting with another instructor in the computer room today who turned out to be a Ukrainian girl three days younger than me who came to America as a teenagers and whose partner is also an American Catholic guy. It was amusing to discover.

Free cupcake with nice cream frosting today! Go ResLife.

( House S6E5 )

I'm not feeling Dexter this season. I just saw two episodes so far. Maybe it will pick up. Maybe I should watch it when I'm awake more.

Leviticus WTF moment of the day: And the fun Leviticus begins. Chapters 11 to 15 is where we get into clean and unclean food rules, what makes a person unclean including all kinds of graphic discharges, purification after childbirth, menstrual period and regulations about skin diseases – basically the difference between pure and impure and how to be pure again. There are even regulations about mildew. Does God have OCD that he needs people to be ‘clean’? Most of the food and skin uncleanness make sense even today but some is really silly. I didn’t really know that I can’t eat rabbit. Rabbit gets as much emphasis as pig. No rabbit stew for me! Can’t eat a bat, either. But locust and grasshopper are good. There is also an aversion to touching animal carcasses. Touching a dead cat or a dead gecko (yes, gecko is mentioned in the Bible) renders one unclean. The rule about carcasses actually makes sense, you must not eat or drink anything that touches the carcass and must wash your clothes. It probably prevented diseases. If a woman gives birth to a daughter she is unclean for two weeks and must wait sixty-six days more to be purified, not just seven plus thirty-three days required for a son. Because baby boy has a penis he makes a woman less polluted from childbirth? Is that the reasoning? The uncleanness in childbirth basically results from all the blood; God is squeamish. Priests also examine people’s skin a lot for various infections and rashes; they isolate potential cases and are pretty strict. This regulation makes sense too just as burning any clothing with mildew on it and taking down any house with a mildew that doesn’t go away or washing stuff if a guy with stuff oozing form him touches you.

This morning I got up early because my parents and I were heading to Brooklyn. Mama needed to get a flu shot for work and since I already was at the doctor’s office, I got a regular flu shot too. I’ve never got a flu shot before; I guess I wanted to see how I would react to this one because I want to get a swine flu shot as soon as they become available for a larger population – which might be a while. I don’t want the virus to mutate or something next year without some kind of antibodies. The injection did hurt a bit, but overall I’m already forgetting I got one.

We went to visit my grandparents next and then went to Brighton with my grandmother. While she and Mama shopped for shoes (medicare gives free shoes to seniors once in a while and they get to abuse the system and get shoes for relatives), Papa and I went to buy a phone card, take his photo for future passport and get a delicious cabbage roll at a Russian food store. Anything to avoid shoe shopping. I get bored shopping for clothes and shoes, give me a book store or a music store any day. I also went to fix my Star of David pendant; since it is almost fourteen years old and it got worn out on top and needed to be fixed. The guy got it done in an hour, which made me happy. I get to wear it again and not worry about it getting lost! And it was pretty cheap to fix.

Once back home, it was a Saturday for chores. I had to go to the bank then a public library and comic book store and then to a regular Russian store for bread. I was tired by the time I got home at two (we left home at 8:20am). On the plus side, I picked up Patrick Swayze autobiography in the library that I had on hold, and I picked up a “Buffy” and “Angel” comic books. And we got fresh black bread which is the most delicious food in the world. I took my first steps because Mama held a piece of bread across the room.

I finally started watching “Watchmen: Director’s Cut” which was on my desk for more than a month. When Bear and I saw “Watchmen” in the movie theatre we both thought it was a perfect adaptation of the comic book, and the Director’s Cut is even more true. It adds all the little extra details from the comic book and improves the narrative flow. I don’t think I can watch this movie all at once (just like I couldn’t read the graphic novel in one sitting, just too much information) but the details are wonderful. The Director’s Cut really adds to the story and makes it deeper. And just like I did with the theatrical version, I love the music choices. (Well, mostly. I suspect I will still laugh at the Hallelujah scene, since it was so over the top and a bit silly.)

A very well written essay about the themes of “Dollhouse” and why it is a great intellectual TV (spoilers only for the first season): http://geekbuffet.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/dollhouse/
I don’t know if I believe in the soul, especially a soul separate from the body. I believe that memories make people (which really how I see what the Dollhouse does, construct memories) and our consciousness is fused with the body (at least until such a time people can map and transfer memories). People who lose their memories in their old age always raised the question about identity to me, are they still the same people if only a body remains with no ability to make memories or remember their lives?

HBO comedy specials are fun.

Leviticus WTF moment of the day: So the whole point of an animal offering is to let the animal be your substitute and offer atonement for you and your unintentional sins. I’m sure an animal would not agree with this substitution. Only male animals are led to the slaughter as a burnt offering. The description of how the birds get disemboweled to be burnt is too cringe worthy. Therefore I will quote it, “ 14 'If the offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to offer a dove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He is to remove the crop with its contents [b] and throw it to the east side of the altar, where the ashes are. 17 He shall tear it open by the wings, not severing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.” (Leviticus 1) I do like that before one offers up an animal one must lay a hand on its head, and pretty much look the animal in the eye when one kills it. God also loves fatty food apparently since in the peace offering the emphasis is on burning of all the fat of the animals because God likes that. It would certainly smell nice. Any animal blood and animal fat is forbidden to eat – kosher food is healthy. Fat and blood belongs to God. Ah, Leviticus with all the laws, I suspect I will have fun with you once we get beyond priestly laws.