Official Kazoo Blogger meetup?

Official K'zoo Blogger meetup? first notice

Dr Virago wanted somebody else to organize the festivities this year. I think it would be great to go out for drinks. I plan to go out for drinks. But evenings are harder to plan. So ... I suggest that we have one official meetup, and maybe a few other "if anybody is around at X, I'll be there" meetups. Speaking of which, I think Karl Steele is the only blogger I've ever seen at the cheap wine hours (not counting Cranky, but I spend as much time as possible hanging out with my academic sib).

But anyway -- providing the same coffee shop is still available (it's in the building with the dining hall, right?) from around 7:30 till whenever on Friday morning?

Yeah, it's vague. Sue me and/or help with the details. All I know is that I drag my ass out of bed and either get on the shuttle or meet up with NK for a ride, because she always has a car, and we toodle off and I follow other bleary-eyed medievalists who take over a huge space and gain the glares of our peers.

Another question

Another Question

I'm all questions these days, folks. So I was teaching with penitentials, and could not answer the following question: Why and how would you want to steal a monk?

Any answers?

Also, can I say how much fun it is to be able to point out that the penitentials assume that women are agents in their own (obviously sinful) sexuality more than than do many laws in the US and UK?

I should know this

I should know this

OK, so yeah, I'm a medievalist. And I know when it was agreed that Easter would be celebrated (in the west, at least) on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. But what I don't think I've ever known is ... why doesn't Easter just coincide with Passover? I mean, if the Last Supper was really a Passover Seder, then that makes sense. If it wasn't, but theologians wanted to enforce the idea of connection to Passover and Jesus as the Lamb, then it still makes sense. I mean, is it just one of those things where it's important to pick out the Messianic prophecies in the OT, but reject the 'Jewishness' of the same?

Yes, I am teaching about Whitby this week, and also, I am supposed to be reading now. But mostly, I just never really thought about this before, and am too damned lazy to look it up.

Carnivalesque XXXVII

Carnivalesque XXXVII

OMG!! Eileen Joy The Tiny Shriner at In the Middle has put up Carnivalesque XXXVI, and it looks typically smart and ambitious. There are blogs there I've never heard of, and covers a wide range of topics -- Hugh Despenser and Zenobia! and everything from academic blogging to ancient and medieval pop culture and even pedagogy. I know what I'm doing after I get my prep done for tomorrow!

Thanks, Tiny Shriner!

Blogger Meet-up!

Blogger Meet-up!

Spring Break is over. I got very little done, but I feel relaxed and settled about a lot of things in my life. Part of that comes from seeing the wonderful What Now for a few hours today!! We went for a long walk down into Dabbaville, and then had a snack, and then walked back. It was nice to talk about allowing ourselves to go where life leads us, and to laugh about how sometimes, we end up happy doing things we never thought we'd do.

Of course, I thought for a very long time I'd like to be a Real Academic. Apparently, that happened. Still working out how to live the fantasy ... Oh -- and I can't remember if I mentioned this: have had an article accepted (needs some revisions, but accepted) and am currently negotiating a contract (there is a verbal and e-mail agreement) for a project (possibly to need finishing by the end of summer OMG whatamIdoing??? -- LDW is helping to make sure I don't agree to anything stupid), and that other thing I owe VCE??? I've got about 4 paragraphs to go.


Oh -- and Dabbaville is actually undergoing a bizarre transformation where there are good and inexpensive Asian, South American, and ... Caribbean? restaurants opening up. Tomorrow, I go in search of goat curry. Like my friend the Mathemetician says, "It's Goatalicious!"

Match it for Pratchett

Match it for Pratchett

As I mentioned sometime back, Terry Pratchett is suffering from a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's. This week, he donated £500,000 to the Alzheimer's Research fund. Author Pat Cadigan has begun a "Match it for Pratchett" campaign. A friend of mine made this for people who would like to help match Terry's donation. Please feel free to use it on your blog, LJ, website, etc.






Link to: http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/

What teachers make

What Teachers Make

Got this from the same friend. I like this guy:

Yes, I do have a juvenile sense of humor

Yes, I do have a juvenile sense of humor

Hey -- I just got out of grading jail. And a medievalist colleague who shall remain nameless pointed this out to me. And it's funny, but the language may be NSFW. You have been warned. Funny as hell, though. And soooo true.

Stupid Congressional tricks

Stupid Congressional Tricks

Dear Congressional Asshats,

Daylight Savings Time is a questionable concept in my book. Daylight Savings Time before the Equinox? Really lame. As lame as a lame-filled lame cake with lame icing on a bedding of shredded lame. With bells on.

I am one of those people whose natural clock seems to follow the sun. Sun starts to come up, birds begin to sing, ADM wakes up with minimal help from the cats. Sun goes down, ADM starts to get tired. Thanks to you, I'm not getting tired till after 11, and not waking up naturally till well after 8. This is problematic, as it conflicts with my teaching schedule. At the very least, you might think of staying on the same schedule as everybody else, so that my LDW and I don't have to think about the time difference. Oh -- and the whole changing of the date for "fall back"? Also lame. I've been getting an extra hour of sleep for my birthday all my life, and I would like it back, please.

no love,

ADM

Carnivalesque Call for Submissions

Carnivalesque Call for Submissions

The March Ancient/Medieval edition of (that's number XXXVII, folks!) will be hosted by Eileen Joy at In the Middle on or around the 16th of March.

If you'd like to submit something, or suggest something else for submission, either email Eileen Joy at ejoyATsiueDOTedu, to the carnival email address (carnivalesqueATearlymodernwebDOTorgDOTuk), or use the handy submission form at Blog Carnival.

Carnivalesque is certainly not just for academics. We welcome perspectives from a variety of fields, especially history, literary studies, archaeology, art history, philosophy - in fact, from anyone who enjoys writing about anything to do with the not-so-recent past. You can nominate your own writing and/or that of other bloggers, but please try not to nominate more than one or two posts by any author for any single edition of Carnivalesque, and limit nominations to recent posts.

Interested in hosting? Let us know! We have a host for May 2008, but no host for the July Ancient/Medieval edition.

Monday Blegging

Monday Blegging

Bleg One:


Still looking for a host for this month's Ancient/Medieval Carnivalesque. Anyone? Professor Noakes? ITM? Bueller?


Bleg Two:


Does anyone have a favourite Ren-Ref textbook? The last time I took a Ren-Ref course was undergrad, and we used Spitz. I know I would like to teach Martin Guerre, and will probably use Engels' The Peasant War in Germany. I might also use Scarisbrick, The Reformation and the English People and/or O'Day, The Debate on the English Reformation. But I really am at a loss on the Renaissance (apart from some Machiavelli and maybe More's Utopia) -- and I am leaning too far towards England (although that's probably a good thing, as the only reason I'm teaching this class is that the ed. majors need it).

But any suggestions would be appreciated.