Empire's been on my mind, what with studying ancient Rome and the republic giving way to chaos and then emperor. The trappings of empire, its theater of arrogance and populism, of games of power and no one wanting to rock the boat at the risk of losing life and limb and comfort, of prudery and decadence, of occupation and obliteration, it hits close to home, this bread and circuses and swords. I've never read Gibbon, it's easy to project one's realities onto things of old but so much reverberates, it's been stuck in there bouncing around.
Prunella Vulgaris's compendium, or: A companion for the ingenious of either sex. The newest experiments in japanning, to imitate the Indian way, plain and in speckles, rockwork, figures, &c. The art of persuming and beautifying. Divers receipts in physick and surgery, with many other useful things. To make enamel of divers colours for gold, silver, or other metals. To which are added, many curiosities, and rare secrets, known to few, but very profitable and pleasant.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
empiricals
It feels weird being back in homework-writing-papers-oh-crap-this-is-due-in-three-days, and of course there is the usual daily grind clownery, the fine balance of margin walking, of sorting between what matters and what is pointless. Attempting to be decent and kind in the face of the small-minded and borderline insane which is hard but ultimately so much better.
Empire's been on my mind, what with studying ancient Rome and the republic giving way to chaos and then emperor. The trappings of empire, its theater of arrogance and populism, of games of power and no one wanting to rock the boat at the risk of losing life and limb and comfort, of prudery and decadence, of occupation and obliteration, it hits close to home, this bread and circuses and swords. I've never read Gibbon, it's easy to project one's realities onto things of old but so much reverberates, it's been stuck in there bouncing around.
Empire's been on my mind, what with studying ancient Rome and the republic giving way to chaos and then emperor. The trappings of empire, its theater of arrogance and populism, of games of power and no one wanting to rock the boat at the risk of losing life and limb and comfort, of prudery and decadence, of occupation and obliteration, it hits close to home, this bread and circuses and swords. I've never read Gibbon, it's easy to project one's realities onto things of old but so much reverberates, it's been stuck in there bouncing around.
It feels weird being back in homework-writing-papers-oh-crap-this-is-due-in-three-days
ReplyDeleteI remember that feeling, although it was worst when it was oh-crap-this-was-due-in-yesterday.
~
At least we don't have to wear togas.
ReplyDeletethe rise of whitebread:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.againstthegrain.org/program/605/wed-091212-conquest-bread