The View From Kalamazoo

Even the Vicodin isn’t getting near handling the pain, tho. A good 6-inch, stapled gash across my abdomen – you know, everything makes abs move – laughing (hurts), sneezing (hurts), coughing (hurts), and any little movement (hurts). I won’t even try to describe the screaming evil of trying to blow my nose. Ouch.

I’m behind reading everything and everyone, of course. And I have a bunch of-interest-to-medievalists links to throw on that left side column, but they’ll take a while, too. I’m going back to the couch. Erg.

University launches satanism course for priests : Worried about the lure of the devil, a Vatican-linked university launched its latest course yesterday: a class on satanism, black magic and exorcism.
Man, I just don’t want so see the homework for that one…

On Romulus and Remus [found at mirabilis.ca]

Carly Fiorina, recently-ejected CEO of HP (the 11th largest corporation in the US and manufacturer of the majority of the Medieval Institute printers, FWIW) did a B.A. in medieval history and philosophy as an undergrad at Stanford. She had been pulled away from Lucent Technologies by HP in 1999.

Even ousted is lucrative – her severance package is 21.1 mil.

(I’ll take a mere tenth of that severance, myself, if anyone’s offering)

Taking the final ok’d blue line over for UPS to whisk away to the printer…whee!

Leprosy’s decline caused by rise of TB

Proofs (2nd time through) should be in tomorrow. Same-day turnaround, and I can only hope we can still take delivery by the end of next week…

Not that I’ll be around to see it. Slice and dice still scheduled for Tuesday.

Finland Receives First Ph.D. in Trolls:
Finland has received what appears to be the first doctoral dissertation on traditional forest trolls.

Master of Philosophy Camilla Asplund Ingemark, 30, has researched the subject for six years. She will defend her doctoral dissertation, which is classified as a work on folklore, at the Ã…bo Akademi University in Turku on Friday.

The study describes the world of trolls according to the beliefs in the folklore of Swedish-speaking Finns.

Both Christian and pagan stories described the relationship between man and supernatural forces. Folklore and Christian tales and sermons influenced each other.

“I chose trolls as the subject of my research because I suspected that troll tales could reveal something about the relation between folk beliefs and Christianity. I am interested in that relationship.”

Na na na na

Na na na na

Hey hey hey

GOODBYE!

Dropped it off for UPS myself, late yesterady afternoon. Already looking forward to that peculiar headache I get looking through blueline proofs. Oy.

I not only laughed out loud, I snarfed my coffee.

So disturbing, yet so…educational. The 60-second shiv…perfect for those pointless administrative meetings…*ducks*

An announcement in my email:

ARS OBSCURA Bookbinding & Restoration, Inc. is most pleased to announce a new activity, ARS OBSCURA Press.

With this announcement is the release of our first title, the obscure but outstanding –

The Place of Magic in the Intellectual History of Europe
by Lynn Thorndike,
edited by Joel Radcliffe.

Originally published in 1905, this work, after a manner, is an outline for Lynn Thorndikes later monumental magnum opus, the eight volume set of the History of Magic and Experimental Science.

I offer this work largely on the value of Lynn Thorndikes gargantuan stature amongst scholars of Magick and original thinking. Ive contributed the new typesetting and a fine leather binding of a limited ARS OBSCURA Press edition.

This work is first and foremost a historical primer. From the Classical to the Medieval eras, the history of Magick is explored through the works and the personages of these periods. Primary source material is laid clear that comprises the primary signposts of this lineage. These being the likes of Pliny and his Natural History, to Pythagoras, Aristotle, Cato, Boswell, Galen, Seneca and Ciceros Dream of Scipio, to name a few. Mr. Thorndike provides a thorough groundwork. The eclipse of Magick by science and yet the ageless persistence of Magickal inclinations brings the gravity to the issues of the scientific questions of Magicks evolutions. In keeping with the scholar tradition there are copious Latin and Greek footnotes throughout.

Limited edition of 250 hand-numbered copies bound at the studios of ARS OBSCURA Bookbinding, Inc. and guaranteed to outlive its owner. A full leather binding in burgundy kidskin. Leather headbands and black silk ribbon. Sewn marble ndpapers, also burgundy. This book is hand-sewn on 2 sawn-in cords. Gold gilded title and author on the spine with gilded lines parallel to the 5 raised bands.

ISBN: 0-9623780-9-7. 12 pp.,107 pgs., 5 ½ x 8 ½ inches. Type has been set in Garamond and Athenian.

Price: $105.00.
Shipping is priority USPS with Delivery Confirmation Number. Please add $6.00.
A lined (with matching marble paper) slipcase is available, but is an extra $40.00.

Please use my PayPal account, that is, the first “Add to Cart” button on our order form page.

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[email protected]

‘High status’ Viking site found

Potholers discover ancient Roman mosaic

Ancient Astronomer’s Work Found on Roman Statue

Found: the studio where Leonardo met Mona Lisa

*sigh* something I stumbled across at mirabilis.ca:
Babylon wrecked by war: US-led forces leave a trail of destruction and contamination in architectural site of world importance

Still enjoying the washed-out feeling of being on antibiotics. Yay me.

Finished laying The Great Tome today. Now, I can die.

So the last several days of my life have been a laugh riot. Two children, two days, 4 doctor appointments, ‘scrips…and I’m bleeding co-pays, let me tell you.

The Girl woke up Wed. morning with a puffy eye. Now, she had been crying half of the night (another special Emma evening) and we have 3 cats – so I hit the kid with some Benadryl and send her to school.

The Boy woke up Wed. morning with … a very angry John Thomas. He was red, swollen (think plum. No, seriously.), it was owie – not a pleasant diaper change. He’s walking like he’s trying to carry a Nerf Ball between his knees, and he’s crying. I call the ped. immediately, and after dropping Girl off to catch bus at sitter’s house I rush off with Boy to see what went wrong with the weeter. (Apparently, somehow, he managed to get it caught in Just The Right Way in his pull-up that it cut off the circulation…in other words, he kinked his hose. Don’t ask me, I’ve never heard of it, either, not that I grew up with the right equipment…)

Leaving the ped. the first time with a ‘scrip (in case the unhappy member decides to infect) and instructions, I get a call from the school to come get her because they have a paranoia standard regarding eye weirdness to uphold.
I rush there, call the sitter, and drop them both off there.

(Then back to work, tote that barge, lift that bail..Program, you know)

I pick them up…both of Girl’s eyes are now affected, and worse than before, and Boy – let’s just say what was found there was described as looking rather like a foot. I call the ped. again, manage to get her fit in, go home to shove something in both mouths and wait for Bri to watch Boy whilst I make my second ped. trip of the day. They think it’s allergies, too, and are sure it isn’t bacterial…but want to see her again the next morning.

That evening we get to start Boy on his antibiotic (picture: hold him, hollering, down and squirt the med into the back of his mouth so he has to swallow it) and The Regimen. This consists of lots of nice, warm baths to soak unhappy parts…

And repeating, at intervals, complete with fighting and screaming (and later therapy): several-minutes long compression. Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. No, not in a million years could I have imagined it, and yes, Dad chickened out so I had to be the Bad Guy. (I think it was sympathetic pain, dunno…but he’s on crotch duty next time. Damnit.)

So the next morning (and co-pay #3, not counting the ‘scrip) I take Girl to the ped. again, it isn’t better, but isn’t worse…but eyes being a point of paranoia for everyone, apparently, we are referred to an opthamologist. After a long wait and co-pay #4 it is decided that yes, there is allergy stuff, plus what might be virus-y (there have been colds in the house, colds in the eyes is something my kids get. does anyone listen to me about hand-washing? nooooo), definitely not bacterial. Oh, and because colds can be contagious 10 days, and viruses are easy to pass around, we’re out of school until the 31st because we have to just ‘wait it out’.

The good news? My sitter, because she has a separate area that Emma can hang out and work on homework and coloring books away from the rest of the kids, will take her so I don’t have to spend my (precious – I have surgery coming up) sick time. The bad news? Can you even imagine my child care bill for these two weeks? Keeee-rist on a crutch.

Eventually I made it in to work.

Another day passes – Girl’s eyes look much better, the whole week off will do her no favors academically, and she looks like she’ll be back-to-normal in a couple of days. Crap.

Boy’s weeter is almost back to normal. Boy, however, ask if I’m going to “Hurt penis, Mom? In water?” every time I draw a bath. Niiiice.

Will someone explain, again, why I thought it was a good idea to have kids?