Vinum, veritas, quidquid id est.

Don't want to talk about the three months that have passed since my last post.

I'm thinking about how much I learn in one week with Nancy. I can inundate my students as I inundate myself these last 5 or so weeks of school and really make something happen, right? Iter Romanum coming soon . . . wish I'd done what I said, or could shut up about it.

Novus liber: Rick LaFleur's Scribblers, Sculptors, and Scribes. Drop everything you are doing and get it.

Cras iterum temptabo.

Biduum advenit.

Hodie: Genesis 20. Entry in lexiculum.

Funny. I was so close to grabbing my dictionary several times. But I pushed on through and the meaning became clearer. Then, as I made my lexiculum entry, I wanted to know how to spell something, so I looked it up in my Chambers Murray. What I didn't do was look up "sometimes" in my E >> L dictionary and write what that lexicographer told me to write. In CM, there's no E>>L section. I have to use it sort of like a dictionary of English -- sort of poke around until I get what I want. So cool.

And, in my lexiculum, I used a relative purpose clause . . . on purpose. Never really got what the distinction was between regular purpose and relative purpose. Today, in my sentence, I wanted to state exactly that: the purpose for one word in the sentence. Fascinating.

This active choice to learn may be the best lesson planning yet.

Sol lucet sed nix manet

Hodie: Genesis 19 -- longissimum capitulum! Wrote a sentence in my lexiculum.

Idea: download the Schola podcasts, and listen while I shovel snow.

Want to: listen to something Latine.

Tried to: take some time over at the scriptorium -- not long enough, want to do that again.

Domi iterum iterumque

Secundus maximus nix!

Hodie: Genesis 18 in Vulgate. Inspexi in lexico et learned that "coram" is a combo of co & os, oris . . . thus making it mean something like: "in your face." Sine dubio, a gentler, more usable meaning is available, but "in your face" helps. Could not remember that word.

Et, got to see "utrum . . .an" in action. Annula tried to teach that orally last summer. Ad me non haerebat.

Having trouble getting back to Evan's Comenius readings . . . can't seem to find them on the Tube. Think I'll head on over to "Scholarium" for a chat, if it's not over by now.

Oh! and I'm considering writing a little lexicon for myself, entering fun phrases, and defining them &/or writing a sentence with them. I came across this idea on LBP a couple of years -- think it was Justin's. I found his words so daunting then, but I cut them out and kept them in my ideas binder. Think I might be paratior now.

Domi

Maximus nix!

Today I read two chapters of Genesis from the Vulgate, and listened to quite a few of Evan's Youtube presentations of Comenius, ab initio. A bit of CI for me. Filled in a few holes. Evan kept saying, "ut," and his translation told me that here that was "just as." I've wondered how to quickly compare, knowing that it must be easier than "similis + dat." And, from the Vulgate, I read about a "clibanus fumens." Connecting that to "clibanus microcymaticus" from Rusticatio gave me another valuable piece of CI.

Onus stercoris

How's my Latinitas?? (Morde me.)

In sessionibus meis hodie . . . hem . . . paulum Latinae sermonis. Erat dies brevis propter nivem.

I feel like maybe I'm too old for this. Maybe my mind is just not nimble enough. I'm so scared.

And I felt like the students are, sort of, against me in this all Latin thing??? Can that be a real feeling?

I felt scared all day. Nancy says just jump. I feel like I jump in and scramble back onto the pier. For me, jumping doesn't finish a decision. I can get back out over and over again.

I felt like I couldn't think today . . . fortasse propter filum apud indicem "LBP"

Curnam inferorum is this such a soul thing for me?????

Redeamus ad rem

Heri. Yesterday I was on cloud nine. I'd started this blog the night before. The next morning I ironed out the details for going on the Iter Romanum with Nancy. (Still cannot believe it.) So, I was high all day. And, I'd just worked out that I was going to really, really do this Latin thing in class. I chatted it up with Magister in Latin on and off all day. I scored high on the Latin meter in levels 5 & 6. There were even Latin conversations among students working in my room after school. In the moment, I got myself going and did it. Seemed like I had begun a new life in my classroom. I was prepared to live like this for the rest of eternity . . . soon the idea of not being primarily in Latin during my day at school would be a cloudy, murky, bad-hair-day memory -- something like adolescence.

Cannot, cannot believe that I'm going to Rome with Nancy!!

Hodie. Today I woke up late. I located an outfit, stumbled around the kitchen, and raced out of the door. Always fun.

At school, I found a day unfriendly to me. My latin I's are all at different places, so I'm monumentally confused at every turn. I'm trying to get across the content of the Aeneid in English so that they will be able to participate in the Vergil-a-thon as audience members. So we're at the end of Book II, and reviewing for the quiz on this. That's one thing in English.

Also, it's registration time, so I'm talking to them about next year, and the merits of Latin study with them. It's requisite. I get that I have to do it. But it really cut into Latine tantum time. (And also, a huge part of me wants to say: "Take it or don't! Do what you want! If I've not shown you the beauty of this thing that I love, I have nothing more to say.") That's a second thing in English.

In V we were in the registration mode too ("am i good enough for ap???"), and in V & VI both the students were writing down their likes and dislikes about the class for me. I could've tightened it up. But I let them sort of comment and get comfortable and I just didn't change to Latin. So, V and VI were mostly in English . . . i really hate it when those classes miss out.

And, I was tired and hungry most of the day. I had to teach an extra class: the other Latin I teacher is also a librarian and was out for a meeting. And, I hadn't had time to get my usual nutrients lined up and packed at home b/c of oversleeping. (When will I grow up???)

So, today I fell off of the wagon. I'm mad at myself. I don't think I tried very hard.

But I did do one cool thing: A student was all decked out in "Twilight" garb. We found the word for "twilight" in Latin ('crepusculum.') Now I can use that word on her . . . that's cool.

I guess I'll try again tomorrow. But I don't even want to since I already am disgusted with myself.

Sigh. Tomorrow. I'll. Try. Again.

I will.

Sic incipit.

Can't believe I'm doing this. Okay. Here goes.

What I'm liking right now in my class is that every time they get me to say: "Rem acu tetigisti!" they get a "buck." Man! They truly love those bucks. Latina Prima gets semunciae, Quinta gets denarii, and Sexta gets aureae. (Magister has the others.)

Sum asina. Videtur mihi lux per me lucet, ubi de meo die loquor.

I know, know, know that they will do better if I speak in Latin. It's so hard in the levels I teach! Or is this just a fallback that I play with? I know that I should be speaking all Latin at the upper levels. But it's so much FASTER in English! I can download everything I know about the ablative absolute with notes I've had for a decade on transparencies, and ecce! omnes de hoc sciunt! Seriously, they are good notes.

I know that I should do a TPRS story. I know that I should do Substitutions. It's so fun to do that. I could bring in so much. Sed, timeo! Non habeo tempus! Non habeo tempus!

Annula dixit, "Sali modo." Nolo salire!! Timeo salire!

Maybe later, more about the bucks. I'm determined that this be stream of consciousness.

And, in my first post, let me advise: comment away. But this is no ordinary blog. I'm forcing this activity on myself re vera propter petasum meum.