SO, after a hiatus I return. In this time I have been driving myself crazy with classes and Latin and paper writing and paper giving and whatnotall.
I had the good fortune of giving a paper at the International Congress of Medieval Studies, which I know I've mentioned, but I am still pleased to know that I have actually done it. It went quite well, actually, I think. Amazingly, nearly 20 people showed up to our session at 8.30 Sunday morning. It was a dreadful time to have to give a talk at, but it still went over quite well.
I am now trying to sort out how to get one more half-credit of linguistics so that I can graduate. I may end up needing to do so in September, but that will be fine.
In happier news, I have begun reading Planet Narnia, by Michael Ward. In the first few pages, I am on the whole quite impressed and look forward to reading further. We need more scholars discussing the medievalism of C. S. Lewis. I strongly suspect that his Narnian Chronicles are not anywhere near so inconsistent nor haphazard as they have been accused of being. I shall try to remember to write up a review of the book when I finish it.
Showing posts with label ICMS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ICMS. Show all posts
19 May 2009
12 January 2009
School Again, School Again
So I'm back to the grind of school. This semester is shaping up to be interesting, and hopefully more fun than last semester. Certainly busier than last semester.
I spent the other day in Waterloo doing research for Kazoo, and it was most productive. I'm looking forward to spending more time working on it. Also, I think my Medieval Child class will be a very good one for me to have taken in the future. I just get a very good feeling about it right now and I'm looking forward to it. Really, all of my medieval studies right now I'm looking forward to and enjoying.
To sleep for now, but I will try to update more often, especially as I'm doing more school stuff again.
I spent the other day in Waterloo doing research for Kazoo, and it was most productive. I'm looking forward to spending more time working on it. Also, I think my Medieval Child class will be a very good one for me to have taken in the future. I just get a very good feeling about it right now and I'm looking forward to it. Really, all of my medieval studies right now I'm looking forward to and enjoying.
To sleep for now, but I will try to update more often, especially as I'm doing more school stuff again.
15 September 2008
ICMS 2009
So I can now say that I have submitted an abstract for ICMS and had it accepted!
Of course, this means I actually have to write a paper, now, and present it. But still, I am excited and looking forward to scrounging up the time to actually work on this.
Of course, this means I actually have to write a paper, now, and present it. But still, I am excited and looking forward to scrounging up the time to actually work on this.
30 August 2008
The Beginnings of an Abstract
So I'm looking at the story of Saint Petronilla (I'd include a link, but both wikipedia and new advent have failed me by giving either weird versions of the story or no real story at all) for a paper to give at Kalamazoo this coming year. The version I'm working with comes from Ælfric's Lives of Saints.
The summed up story is that Peter makes her ill for her benefit. Then Titus asks him why he lets her be ill when he heals everyone else and Peter says that it's good for her, but to prove that he can heal her, he tells her to get up and make dinner. So she does and she's totally healthy; she makes dinner, then goes to lie down and Peter makes her ill again. And from this she learned to fear God and later God healed her again and she went on to heal many others.
Now, aside from the fact that Peter comes off as looking like an arrogant jerk, it is interesting that in this time of healing for all, it is illness -- imposed illness, even -- that is edifying for her. The whole passage (there are a lot more miracles and the most detailed sound lifted out of Acts and dropped into other places) is meant to tell the miracles of Saint Peter to honour him and to edify the reader. However, the second story about Petronilla (there are two at the end of this series of tales of Saint Peter) is very different stylistically. So I am hoping to examine the intent of these exact tales. And in any event, it's a neat story.
The summed up story is that Peter makes her ill for her benefit. Then Titus asks him why he lets her be ill when he heals everyone else and Peter says that it's good for her, but to prove that he can heal her, he tells her to get up and make dinner. So she does and she's totally healthy; she makes dinner, then goes to lie down and Peter makes her ill again. And from this she learned to fear God and later God healed her again and she went on to heal many others.
Now, aside from the fact that Peter comes off as looking like an arrogant jerk, it is interesting that in this time of healing for all, it is illness -- imposed illness, even -- that is edifying for her. The whole passage (there are a lot more miracles and the most detailed sound lifted out of Acts and dropped into other places) is meant to tell the miracles of Saint Peter to honour him and to edify the reader. However, the second story about Petronilla (there are two at the end of this series of tales of Saint Peter) is very different stylistically. So I am hoping to examine the intent of these exact tales. And in any event, it's a neat story.
17 May 2008
Engagement and Kalamazoo
It's been a while since I've written properly.
These past few weeks have been full of hectic chaos. In that time I've started working full time, went camping, gained a fiancée, went to the International Congress of Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and returned to working full time. And then Sunday a friend of mine will be arriving from BC via Sarnia, so I will be picking her up from the train late at night. It will be pretty awesome. Sadly, that same night while I am yet at church, my newly gained fiancée will be returning to England. Ah well, I shall see her soon again in August when I finally get to cross the big water myself for the first time.
Pardon me while I take a paragraph or two to brag about proposing and the cunning that went into it. A few months ago, a friend of Alison and myself knew I was planning to propose to Ali and suggested that I do so up at a campsite where she has been going her entire life. This campground is very important to her. So I asked our friend to talk with her and see how she felt about it, because I did not wish to overload her with arriving in Canada and then going camping right away. Before too long, Ali seemed excited about the idea. After a long list of things that could have gone wrong (work booking me during the camping time, the ring not getting back from the sizers, etc.) everything fell more or less into place. Alison returned on 2nd May and the day after we drove up to the campground with her, our friend, and two other friends. We were staying in a cabin because it would be warmer and more enjoyable. On Sunday, 4th May, we had a full day up there which we were enjoying a lot. At some point I asked Ali if she'd like to go for a walk with just the two of us as a chance to be together alone. She agreed that we'd go on that walk in the afternoon. Later we left and took one of the trails. After walking for a short bit she stopped at the crest of a hill. And I had the sense that that was the time for it, and knelt and asked her to marry me. It was generally a very shaky and wonderful experience. We then sat on a rock for a while, happy. Later, after she got over the shock that the whole camping trip was not just a convenient timing to propose but in fact entirely for the purpose of proposing, we went back up for some pictures, and she proposed to me with a gorgeous clockwork pocket watch. We plan to get it engraved with the date: 4th May, 2008. She is wonderful and we are both very happy and looking to get married the August after I graduate.
After we got back from camping (we left the day after), we had a day before leaving to the ICMS in Kalamazoo. That was a wonderfully awesome conference. I know I did not get as much out of it as others, but I am slowly defining my interests so that I will get more out of such conferences in the future. I find I keep returning to fables and children's literature. I like the magic of a story; especially a story that relates to the world. I feel more driven to fix up that paper I wrote on Bernardus Silvestris's Cosmographia and the Asclepius. I'd like to prep it to make an abstract to present next year at Kalamazoo. I also would like to consider a paper on C.S. Lewis. I think there is more that can be done with his work than has been done. Everyone likes to focus on Tolkien, but I am sure that there is work to be done yet with Lewis and the fabula (not fabliaux!).
Alison met a fellow in her rather small field who was very enjoyable named Greg. He was great to visit with and I'm sure the two of them will help each other with scholarship. I'm looking forward to picking up some Signed English from him at some point in the future.
Anyway, that is all for now.
These past few weeks have been full of hectic chaos. In that time I've started working full time, went camping, gained a fiancée, went to the International Congress of Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and returned to working full time. And then Sunday a friend of mine will be arriving from BC via Sarnia, so I will be picking her up from the train late at night. It will be pretty awesome. Sadly, that same night while I am yet at church, my newly gained fiancée will be returning to England. Ah well, I shall see her soon again in August when I finally get to cross the big water myself for the first time.
Pardon me while I take a paragraph or two to brag about proposing and the cunning that went into it. A few months ago, a friend of Alison and myself knew I was planning to propose to Ali and suggested that I do so up at a campsite where she has been going her entire life. This campground is very important to her. So I asked our friend to talk with her and see how she felt about it, because I did not wish to overload her with arriving in Canada and then going camping right away. Before too long, Ali seemed excited about the idea. After a long list of things that could have gone wrong (work booking me during the camping time, the ring not getting back from the sizers, etc.) everything fell more or less into place. Alison returned on 2nd May and the day after we drove up to the campground with her, our friend, and two other friends. We were staying in a cabin because it would be warmer and more enjoyable. On Sunday, 4th May, we had a full day up there which we were enjoying a lot. At some point I asked Ali if she'd like to go for a walk with just the two of us as a chance to be together alone. She agreed that we'd go on that walk in the afternoon. Later we left and took one of the trails. After walking for a short bit she stopped at the crest of a hill. And I had the sense that that was the time for it, and knelt and asked her to marry me. It was generally a very shaky and wonderful experience. We then sat on a rock for a while, happy. Later, after she got over the shock that the whole camping trip was not just a convenient timing to propose but in fact entirely for the purpose of proposing, we went back up for some pictures, and she proposed to me with a gorgeous clockwork pocket watch. We plan to get it engraved with the date: 4th May, 2008. She is wonderful and we are both very happy and looking to get married the August after I graduate.
After we got back from camping (we left the day after), we had a day before leaving to the ICMS in Kalamazoo. That was a wonderfully awesome conference. I know I did not get as much out of it as others, but I am slowly defining my interests so that I will get more out of such conferences in the future. I find I keep returning to fables and children's literature. I like the magic of a story; especially a story that relates to the world. I feel more driven to fix up that paper I wrote on Bernardus Silvestris's Cosmographia and the Asclepius. I'd like to prep it to make an abstract to present next year at Kalamazoo. I also would like to consider a paper on C.S. Lewis. I think there is more that can be done with his work than has been done. Everyone likes to focus on Tolkien, but I am sure that there is work to be done yet with Lewis and the fabula (not fabliaux!).
Alison met a fellow in her rather small field who was very enjoyable named Greg. He was great to visit with and I'm sure the two of them will help each other with scholarship. I'm looking forward to picking up some Signed English from him at some point in the future.
Anyway, that is all for now.
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