Fabulously Interesting

Well, to ME it is.

I found a couple of websites that have basic lessons in speaking MODERN Greek. I had a lot of fun going over them and learning what was there. It was also fun to see the difference between MODERN Greek and the ANCIENT Greek I have taken classes in at Ole Miss.

Remarkably, a lot is the same. Some words are not changed at all. Some words are new (meaning changed from their Ancient counterparts) , and some words are completely new. Homer didn't write much about the televisions (teleorase) and computers (upologistes) of his day, so Academia doesn't know what the words for those things were. I don't think centaurs even had a word for "laptop."

I was reminded yesterday at our PEAK Science expo that it is only a few weeks until our Geography Fair. The girls and I need to get cracking. Of course, since DD10 wants to do Greece I am totally justified in these hours spent wasting time in research. I can even make her learn some of it.

I promised DD8 that she could learn the Greek alphabet and we would send "coded" messages with those letters used instead of regular letters, still in English words, though. That would be fun if I wasn't afraid it would hinder her actual reading efforts.

Monday I will have the girls write up and Tuesday we will mail off (since Monday is holiday) letters to the embassies of Greece, India, and Canada requesting information. DH says I should just go to the embassies' websites and download what they would send us. I probably will do that, but I want the girls to get the experience of writing polite correspondence. Also, they will love getting something addressed to them in the mail.

We will be making a sari as an example of traditional Indian garb and a peplos as an example of ancient Greek fashion. What should we do for Canada? We live in Mississippi. I don't have any parkas handy. (haha, just kidding, Canadian readers) No, seriously... what should we use? We might have to resort to simply cooking some traditional Canadian food....um...I am going to need to do some research.

So, we'll be learning to count to 10 in Hindi, and maybe another Indian language or two, to showcase that there are many; Greek, of course; and French.

I think I will make DD9 do her entire presentation in both English and French (meaning what she has written on her presentation board, not her oral presentation.) That would be cool.

Does Oh, Canada have French lyrics? I bet I could find out online. Learning to sing it, that is another story.

I'd bet money it is easier than the Greek or Indian anthems, though.

Grrr! This makes my teeth itch

Cassy Fiano has a blog entry concerning an article in Oprah Winfrey's magazine concerning women, marriage, and divorce. Here

I am beside myself. I am also apparently deluding myself and I don't have many friends. I was under the impression that I am married to a great man, that he is my best friend and that my parents and grand-parents are to be commended for staying together forever. Obviously delusional, according to this writer (and, I suppose, Oprah, by association)

I get angrier and angrier the more I think about it. Since I cannot slap this woman across the face, I will do - not the "next best thing" - a better thing. I am going to cook a wonderful dinner for my best friend and his kids, and later enjoy some alone time together with him.

I guess he is so great it makes me crazy.

First Day of School

Things went rather well, actually. We had to do our grocery shopping and that didn't go as well as I would have liked, but all in all it was a good day.

My sister brought us some books that she won't be using this year. One of them is a pre-Algebra text that is just what DD10 is ready for. We started today at the beginning of the book.

I did addition flash cards with the younger two girls. They did great so we moved into the math text book that I already had. It is a little advanced for where they are, but I will dip out of the book when we get to that part and do our own thing until they catch up and then we'll go back into the book. Easy-peasy

We did a very broad overview of osmosis for science. Some of the things were too out there, but I am confient that they get that the water wants to even things out. we are doing experiments with cucumbers later this week.

In history we started reading Story of the World Book 1. DH had suggested that we do American history this year, but we bought the world history books and never fully used them. We'll go through those and then move to American history (which is one of the books DS gave)

No worries.

I am ready to go relax for a while. luckily, DD10 is cooking dinner and I don't have to worry about it.

Tribbles

Well, after the very emotional episode of Eureka earlier, I decided to lighten my mood by watching something fun.

I puttered around online to see what there is to see and found ... Trials and Tribble-ations ... the Star Trek Deep Space 9 episode where they go back in time into the Original Star Trek series episode Trouble With Tribbles. I missed it when it was on the air back when I was in college in Alabama and have never managed to catch up with it since then (must be around 15 years)

It was awesome, and it performed its duty of making me smile and laugh quite well.

The bar brawl was my favorite part, I think, as it was in the original.

Eureka

Yes, I am a TV junkie. Odd for someone who does not have cable, but I manage.

I am also a Sci Fi junkie. I love Science Fiction, well...I love good science fiction.

Anyway...the series Eureka on the Sci Fi channel certainly qualifies. It is hilarious and brilliantly written and acted.

This week was the first episode to make me cry. I won't discuss why, in case you haven't seen it and might want to in the future.

It is not the first episode of of TV to bring on the water works, nor even the first sci fi show (R.I.P. Dr. Janet Frazier) but I haven't cried during Eureka until now.

This was by far the LEAST funny "time loop" episode I have ever seen of the various shows that have them. Window of Opportunity (Stargate: SG1) was HILARIOUS. Even the recent episode of Supernatural where Dean dies over and over again was funnier than this episode of Eureka.

It was refreshing to see a new take on a plot cliche that is usually done for laughs. It was certainly exciting in that Eurekan "we have to save the Universe from the science gone wrong that we have made" way.
And in the end they succeeded.
*sigh*

The Birthday Girl tries out a Gift

Here is my seven eight year old daughter trying out one of her birthday gifts.

She specifically requested curlers. She has never had her hair set like so before, just playing around with her aunt and a curling iron. I am not sure "leave-it-alone-until-it-dries has quite sunk in yet.

Also, she didn't quite grasp the need for promptness after the bath, so some of her hair was dry before we rolled it (no squirt bottle handy) and we are not expecting much from the result except fun.

Curly hair or not, that smile is enough for me.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!!!

My baby is 8 years old today. Wow! I remember turning 8. For some unfathomable reason I considered that the threshold between "little kid" and "big kid." So, no more babies now. I have three big kids.

She was disappointed that we aren't having her birthday party today. She was only a little satisfied when I said we would still have a party, just later than her actual birthday. She was ok with the whole thing when I told her she would still be able to open her family presents today.

She has been delighted by all of her gifts. There was a Strawberry Shortcake doll from her grandparents. A Polly Pocket Cinderella from her DS10 and a Polly Pocket Belle (Beauty and the Beast) from her DS9. I got her some cute shoes that were on clearance, plastic hair curlers (per her request), a Kelly doll that has 3 little bunnies, and a Bitty Baby from American Girl.

Her father got her a Magic: The Gathering booster card pack. He has just recently begun teaching her to play his favorite game. She loves it and she loved the cards.

On a side note, if any of you know Magic cards...
Two of her Swamp cards (not even by the same artist!) look like the touchy-feely-est, Rainbow Connection-est, Golly Mom can we move THERE-est pieces of ---WETLANDS (I cannot even call them Swamps) I have ever seen. One of them even has lily pads...complete with BLOSSOMS! Now I know there are real-life swamps that look like this. Swamps CAN be pretty. But GEEZ! Why not just use Monet's Water Lilies? I want to believe it was art already extant that the rights to use on the cards was contracted for, but I don't actually think that is the case. Part of me wants to say..."Maybe someone knew that this booster pack would be going to a seven eight year old girl." Now, "hand of God" I'll buy, but Magic cards seems a little beneath His notice, AND she'll be seeing the icky cards in play anyway, so what would be the point? I am not conspiracy-theorist enough to think Wizards of the Coast knew she would be getting those cards. So, I think it is just a falling down somewhere in their art or art acquisition department.
You don't power death and decay spells with a KOI POND!!!!

(Some of the Mountains and Islands she got also looked a little greenie. I swear I almost expected to see that they were some kind of multi-land or new addition to the game, like "Snow Covered" was for Ice Age.

Eco-Walk Enchantment
No elf with Eco-Walk can be blocked if the target player has a land in play on which the card looks like a peaceful bastion of hope for endangered species, regardless of actual color.
Eco-Rage - tap 1 green mana - All elves with Eco-Walk gain +10/+10 Trample whenever any damage is done to the pretty mana card, or even if the owner dares so much as tap it.