Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of artsand eloquence. - John Milton There is much that is overwhelming about Athens. Before ever even having stepped foot in the Greek capital, I had heard that it was dirty, unsafe, sprawling and as hot as an inferno. And while I can't say that my two and a half…
Every day she got up, tucked her three cookbooks under her arm, shut herself up in the kitchen and cooked, listening to Vivaldi. The books were Elizabethan Cuisine, Plato's Symposia, and Renaissance Spices and Sauces. At night they all traveled together with their sense of taste: as they chewed they would become ancient Greeks eating…
Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut, that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive.- Edith WhartonEver since I started teaching (way back in August of 2008), I've generally had the early bird shift. My first ever Reading and Composition class…
This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be…
When in Rome, do as you done in Milledgeville. -Flannery O'Connor My oh my, in the past few weeks, I feel like I've run at least three marathons! It has well and truly been crazy-busy around here. So busy, in fact, that my poor old blog has been neglected...and around the time of our one…
It's all so familiar and clear,My eye's accustomed to every turn; I'm not mistaken- I'm at home;The wallpaper flowers, the chains of books...-Valery Briusov ("At Home"; in the photograph to the left, that is indeed Briusov, posing underneath his desk...In case you're wondering why, it's best not to ask questions; I mentioned several posts ago…
Dining with Dostoevsky 