Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Everybody Strap In! I'm About to Open some F*&^ing Windows

Does titling the first post as a quote from a flop movie doom this blog? It probably would if the line was not uttered by Sammy Jackson. But I digress.

Mission Statement: I was going to base this off TMHS's, but I don't remember it. So much for hearing it every single morning for 4 years, huh? My intentions with this blog is simply to share interesting things I encounter in between getting my college education. I might tell you about the chance encounter I had with the burger bar last night at the DC and how I had the best burger I've had in a while, or that some snowboarders built a jump crossing over one of the paths out of the snow we got Monday. Whatever strikes my fancy.
As a bonus, I'll direct your attention to some thing or other that I find cool, which you might/might not already know about, and that you might/might not find cool too. Might be music, television, YouTube, story, whatever.

I'll start with this funny story from Livy's account of early Rome. The background is that Tullius Hostilius, third king of Rome, had defeated and annexed the territory of Alba Longa. He was now in a campaign against another territory, and he counted on the army of Alba Longa to help him in the war. During the battle, however, their king Mettius Fufetius (funny name, huh?) took his troops back until it was over. He then returned and congratulated Tullius on his success. The next day, during the celebration, Tullius called out Mettius Fufetius thus:
"Mettius Fufetius...were you capable of learning loyally to abide by your word, I should have let you live, I should have taught you myself. But you are not capable; no medicine can cure your mind's disease. So be it: your punishment may teach mankind to hold sacred the honour you have besmirched. Yesterday you could not decide between Fidenae and Rome: dountless it was a painful division of mind-but today the division of you body will be more painful still."
-Translation Aubrey de Selincourt, Penguin Books
And so he was torn apart by two chariots.
Oh, you Romans and your poetic punishments.

That'll be it for me for now, I have not much idea when I'll post again.
PS. When Humans vs Zombies rolls around again, this'll be the spot for the journal. Stay tuned!

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