tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-165952702009-11-15T11:26:39.519-05:00use your words!Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.comBlogger355125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-78513311063185987692009-11-13T10:44:00.001-05:002009-11-13T13:38:49.758-05:00

...Tom said sacrilegiously.Oh, snap! You thought I forgot about this kind of hilarious joke, didn't you? That was your first mistake, thinking I would ever be capable of forgetting about something so ridiculous.I've been working on one about poetry, and not being able to write it, and being despondent, but it hasn't really come together for me yet.Everything else is the same as it ever was.

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-51677937281020326362009-11-04T19:23:00.004-05:002009-11-04T19:23:00.178-05:00

Daddy-O is leaving for Afghanistan today. His training has included Growing a Beard, Learning How to Get Along With the Military, and Practicing Getting In and Out of Helicopters.Sadly, he won't be in an area where the Italians are the lead military. Sadly because, apparently they have lots of wine on their bases. Happily, he won't be in an area that has lots of violent danger. Happily because

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-15323232641169803802009-10-31T10:36:00.001-05:002009-10-31T10:36:00.648-05:00

via Catherine

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-28755955954929764022009-10-28T14:30:00.000-05:002009-10-28T14:08:20.145-05:00

I've been barely recovering from one germy disease just in time to be stricken by another one, for a couple of months now. Other than that I have nothing of interest to report so you should probably go spend a few hours looking at this guy's far more entertaining and far more frequently updated website. d

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-86443631087707505542009-10-07T20:45:00.000-05:002009-10-07T19:50:24.480-05:00

Last summer Ben asked me why all the DC city type things (vehicles, buildings, license plates) had three red stars and two red strips on them. Like so:I didn't know, and my powers of internet searching were weak.Then this fall, instead of writing my dissertation, I found out! It is the Flag of the District of Columbia, and it is based on George Washington's family coat of arms. And the name of

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-22578867300880909902009-10-06T09:53:00.007-05:002009-10-06T09:59:51.918-05:00

dUnclear what happened to the ball, at the end, there. Cat seems satisfied with the outcome, whatever it was.

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-23598637815993238982009-10-05T13:40:00.006-05:002009-10-05T14:08:40.325-05:00

1. Today I went to the doctor for symptoms including intermittent fever. Without being reminded, the highly-trained medical staff remembered to do which 2 of the following 3 things?a. take my blood pressureb. weigh mec. take my temperature2. I have been exhibiting flu-like symptoms. There is a flu pandemic, and it is Normal Non-pandemic Flu Season. I do not have white spots on my throat, and I

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-46271793563578471622009-09-26T20:53:00.003-05:002009-10-06T10:14:57.289-05:00

As I was leaving campus last week after teaching at College-That-Is-Past-Damascus, I was stuck on Main Street for half an hour because there was a parade.I don't know what the parade was for. It wasn't a holiday. I was pretty close to it all, so I could see what the parade consisted of, and what it consisted of wasn't informative. What it consisted of was marching bands, walking people with glowy

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-13990411228575916012009-09-22T20:52:00.005-05:002009-09-23T07:45:35.365-05:00

Cab drivers in DC used to just drive around until they got somewhere and then turn to you, palm up, for money. An amount of money that as far as anyone could tell they had invented, or dreamt, or received from the gods. And the place wasn't always the place you had in mind, either.Now, cab drivers in DC have meters and GPS. And my world is much better.It is particularly difficult to

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-58081836190403297842009-09-21T20:46:00.001-05:002009-09-21T20:50:09.664-05:00

naptime.Also, she purr-snores.

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-57807661033067856912009-09-12T18:08:00.002-05:002009-09-12T18:24:30.985-05:00

This kid kind of blows my mind. As usual.School's going good. I might actually get a degree at some time in the not terribly distant future. A student told me my class was "one of the hardest I've ever taken" which my roommate thinks I should take as a compliment but I'm not quite as sure about. DC got taken over by rabid wingnuts this weekend, but since I never leave my house it didn't really

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-86838874314806920112009-09-08T10:41:00.002-05:002009-09-08T10:48:29.404-05:00

- my mother has a pet cricket.- my father is moving to a war zone.- all of my siblings are enrolled in institutes of higher learning.- Happy birthday, Tom!

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-32558267736875236712009-09-01T11:25:00.003-05:002009-09-01T11:39:59.259-05:00

The semester started! Summer is over. The pool is about to close. Yesterday evening you needed a SWEATER. If you left the house I mean. Not that I did that.I'm teaching two classes this fall. So far I've taught one of each. So far so good. One class is at a small college way far north of me, in a state*. To get to it, I have to follow the road to Damascus. I find this endlessly entertaining, and

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-1312514691857582162009-08-26T20:27:00.004-05:002009-08-27T20:51:30.837-05:00

I think my favorite discourse phenomenon in Standard American English these days is the use of the introductory phrase "Yeah, no."I use it ALL THE TIME. It is the most awesome way to disagree with someone, ever. There's no real great way to do it in actual manual ASL, but a smooth gradual transition between nodding your head "yes" and shaking your head "no", combined with appropriate

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-27135464030974252772009-08-21T18:16:00.004-05:002009-08-21T18:25:31.419-05:00

I want this guy to be my new best friend:d

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-7719507701163840852009-08-17T13:26:00.004-05:002009-08-17T13:49:02.359-05:00

Language Log has a series of posts up wherein Geoffrey Pullum tries to figure out the meaning of a mysterious word that he doesn't know and has never seen written. The great naturalist Sir David Attenborough, on Radio 4, mentioned a curious-sounding class of animals that he appeared to be calling Sicilians... I listened carefully; it definitely sounded like "Sicilians". But what was this word?

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-80895980211584811842009-08-09T19:35:00.006-05:002009-08-10T07:33:28.254-05:00

update: now with captions! Thanks secret internet listener!

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-27771443086908578852009-08-02T15:30:00.001-05:002009-08-02T15:31:49.640-05:00

I'm back in DC. The vines grew a lot while I was gone. The cat's happy to see me.

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-12694927138919112492009-07-26T10:56:00.002-05:002009-07-26T11:05:34.676-05:00

Big Northern M State destination of the day is Minnesota. That is the one in the middle, of the three, for those of you who have trouble keeping track. It is also the one with Chris and Kate and Trisha and Emily and this guy. Hooray! Friends!I'll be there all week. The weather is supposed to be much less gross than DC, which is a surprising but pleasing turn of events.

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-41303960880114756092009-07-23T10:15:00.005-05:002009-07-23T11:01:16.492-05:00

Remember when I went to France for that workshop? Well before I went, I got a travel advance because my fellowship was paying for stuff. But then I didn't spend the whole travel advance because I am so thrifty and responsible. When I got back, I owed the school $208.43. So I wrote them a check. They deposited the check. The funds were withdrawn from my account.Then last week I got an email

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-32506578632781558112009-07-19T11:47:00.003-05:002009-07-19T12:00:49.277-05:00

The dumbest idea in Peter Singer's piece today in the NYT magazine is the idea that the value of human life and health can be ascertained via polling.If most would prefer, say, 10 years as a quadriplegic to 4 years of nondisabled life, but would choose 6 years of nondisabled life over 10 with quadriplegia, but have difficulty deciding between 5 years of nondisabled life or 10 years with

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-32618170068393926972009-07-16T13:33:00.002-05:002009-07-16T13:37:33.798-05:00

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-38716957114125000772009-07-05T18:53:00.003-05:002009-07-05T18:58:11.898-05:00

We're all in DC again, me and Jocelyn and Ben. Man, I am bored of jet lag. I have spent way too much of the past two months having no idea what time of what day it might be, or where I am, or why I am still awake.Good night!

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-80427486634098187332009-07-04T07:39:00.007-05:002009-07-24T15:36:42.261-05:00

This family plays Bridge.Sometimes when we play Bridge, there are cards and bidding and tricks.Sometimes, there is just Bridge. Or, you know - a lack of bridge, and some earthworks to fix the situation.The brave vehicles waiting for their "road".(note from Jocelyn: the events pictured took place on the way to the beach, after the trip with the rowboats but before the trip to Kruger. I am a lazy

Jocelynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03716671352349657860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16595270.post-43178386183001915872009-07-03T11:10:00.007-05:002009-07-04T08:02:05.570-05:00

That's right, I said MEGAfauna. 'Cause they're BIG.all photos: Mark LoParcomore are at flickr now, and more to come.

Cecilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16684746697027411470especiallymessily@gmail.com0