It continues...

But if only the linguistics class held up! It’s gotten immensely repetitive and uneventful, but I suppose it’s been worth it. If anything, it’s because of those moments in celebration of learning I described earlier. And we’ve been drilling roots, which is helpful, albeit mildly mind-numbing. It’s definitely one of those things that you know you know, but don’t actually know, you know? So that’s a positive. Plus, I’ve been watching Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary during the labourious process of making the flash cards, and that’s always exciting.

While re-watching the Civil War for the eighty-trillionth time, I’ve definitely decided that my new obsession is colloquialisms coined by Johnny Reb and Billy Yank. And hey! What the heck?! Stonewall Jackson’s dying words! “Order A.P. Hill to prepare for action! Pass the infantry to the front rapidly! Tell Major Hawks! … Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.” I can only hope to be as awesome one day.

But I don’t think that obsession has overshadowed my current fixation with Baroque music. I’ve been listening to Bach, like, non-stop. I’ve got so much love! Plus, it makes everything so much grander! Like the dining hall or taking care of laundry… Every activity becomes a plus six. I mean, Wagner can typically do the trick of making mundane tasks epic, but I think it’s just that I’ve been especially into Baroque culture of late... Way more than usual. Maybe it’s because of taking all this Italian, or maybe it’s reading Apollo’s Angels, I’m not sure. (And if you haven’t read or even looked at Apollo’s Angels yet, you’re missing out! It’s a new history of ballet, and is so gripping and well written. I’m SUCH a fan. It has so many hilarious anecdotes, too. I highly recommend it.) What other obsessions have you found particularly gripping recently?