Antibiotics

August 30th, 2013 → 8:20 am

    “O true apothecary,
    Thy drugs are quick.” – Romeo and Juliet

Thank god for antibiotics!  I’m feeling better already.

Filed under: Blog & Other & Self/My Life

Lightheadedness

August 28th, 2013 → 5:22 am

    “To deal plainly,
    I fear I am not in my perfect mind.” – King Lear

I’ve had the weirdest sickness for five days now.  I’m exhausted, not that hungry, and I’ve got a constant feeling of lightheadedness that just won’t go away.  I’ve never quite experienced an illness like this before.  It’s unnerving to feel dizzy and lightheaded ALL THE TIME.  I sure hope it goes away soon…

Filed under: Blog & Self/My Life

Women’s Equality Day

August 26th, 2013 → 6:08 am

    “A child of our grandmother Eve, a female;
    or, for thy more sweet understanding, a woman.” – Love’s Labor’s Lost

However you want to call her - Eve’s grandchild, a female, a woman - to all girlfriends out there, Happy Women’s Equality Day!  I didn’t even know there was such a thing until recently, but I’m happy to have a chance to celebrate the right to vote and women’s overall equality.  Yeah!

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians

50th Anniversary March on Washington DC

August 24th, 2013 → 5:40 am

    “He doth bestride the narrow world
    Like a Colossus, and we petty men
    Walk under his huge legs, and peep about
    To find ourselves dishonourable graves.”

There’s an anniversary march in Washington, DC today, to commemorate the very historic civil rights march 50 years ago with Dr. King.  The above quote just reminded me of the statue in honor of King that now graces the National Mall.

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians

Thug Notes

August 21st, 2013 → 5:52 am

    “O, it
    offends me to the soul to hear a robustious
    periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to
    very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who
    for the most part are capable of nothing but
    inexplicable dumbshows and noise:  I would have such
    a fellow whipped for o’erdoing Termagant; it
    out-herods Herod:  pray you, avoid it.” – Hamlet

A friend of mine turned me onto Thug Notes the other day.  Their tag line:  “Classical Literature.  Original Gangster.”  They make quick five minute videos of classic works of literature, gangster style.  Totally hilarious.  Of course, my favorite is Thug Notes – Hamlet where Laertes warns Ophelia that Hamlet “might just hit it and quit it.”  And the poisoned chalice at the end is “Elizabethan Hator-ade – gotta have it.”  And while it has the potential to go over the top, no worries, it doesn’t. There’s no out-heroding Herod here!

Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art

Happy First Day of Classes!

August 19th, 2013 → 5:58 am

    “And then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel,
    And shining morning face, creeping like snail
    Unwillingly to school.” – As You Like It

I know I’ve used this quote before (and I try to avoid that), but it’s such a good one for the first day of classes.  And today is the first day for UMSL, and I’m sure many other institutions.  Happy new term everyone!

Filed under: Blog & Other

Area 51 Declassified

August 17th, 2013 → 8:01 am

    “Child Rowland to the dark tower came,
    His word was still, — Fie, foh, and fum,
    I smell the blood of an [alien].” – King Lear

Apparently Area 51 exists (!), as newly declassified government documents acknowledge.  No mention of aliens, but you never know…  The Dark Tower in the English fairy tale did exist, though it was difficult to find…

Filed under: Blog & Other

Egypt Is Broken

August 15th, 2013 → 6:05 am

    “I see thy glory like a shooting star
    Fall to the base earth from the firmament.” – Richard II

Who didn’t have high hopes for Egypt back in 2011 when Mubarak was overthrown?  And then there were peaceable elections in 2012.  Now, in 2013, we’ve moved to coups, killings, and curfews.  It’s terrifying – and heart-breaking – to behold.

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians

Guest Post – Love in the Long Run

August 12th, 2013 → 6:24 am

    “Love is not love
    Which alters when it alteration finds.” – Sonnet 116

I’m currently reading Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon, and it’s quite engrossing.  I’m learning all about dwarfs, prodigies, schizohrenics, and more.  At one point Solomon vigorously disputes the above quote, saying it is not true that love is constant, but instead that it “alters all the time; it is fluid, in perpetual flux, an evolving business across a lifetime.”  I think the distinction may be between love in the short run and love in the long run.  Over the long run, sure, love evolves.  But if in the short run your love for someone easily alters, it probably isn’t actually love, but something else.

Filed under: Blog & Literature/Theatre/Art & Other

Frenemies

August 10th, 2013 → 6:27 am

    “[Putin],
    Whom I will trust as I will adders fanged.” – Hamlet

Well Obama has called off the Moscow summit.  No surprise there.  I’m not sure if Putin and Obama are friends who act like enemies, or enemies who pretend to be friends, but I do know they trust each other about as much as they would poisonous snakes.

Filed under: Blog & Politics/Politicians