beboots

Here's a picture of cross-dressing/dress reformer Dr. Mary Walker (the only female military surgeon in the Union Army!) for you:


Hey guys, who else here has studied Hamlet? Well, even if you haven't, if you're familiar with the famed "To be or not to be, that is the question" soliloquy, and/or you have a dark sense of humour, listen to what I've just run across in my Civil War research...

(cut for mentions of gore)
( Let me tell you a tale... )

Q: How do you turn a piece of paper into a lazy dog in three steps?
A: A piece of paper is an ink-lined plane, an inclined plane is a slope up, a slow pup is a lazy dog. 

*rimshot*

Okay, so I like puns. I'm irrationally amused by them. More than I should be, I think. And in my English-French translation class today, we discussed how to translate things like advertising slogans, because they often have word play and cultural references and such that may not physically exist in the language/culture you're translating to. 

Some of my favourites from the list were:

"If I only have one life, let me live it as a blonde" (For hair colouring) I think that we ended up coming up with a pun in Québecois French with "blonde" (the hair colour) and "blonde", as in "ma blonde", which is slang for my girlfriend. 

"Let the train take the strain" (for some British rail company). I think one of the guys in my group came up with "Pour n'avoir rien à craindre, prenez le train-dre", which translates, roughly, to "So you have nothing to worry about, take the train", except the word for train has a verb ending tacked onto the end of it so it rimes with "craindre" (to worry). It would never actually fly, but the way that he said it, waggling his eyebrows? Funny as hell.

We didn't get to this one, but I love it: "It sits as lightly on a heavy meal as it does on your conscience." (for Jell-O)

We did get into this class-wide argument on how to translate Taco Bell's slogan "Think outside the bun." Clearly, it's a play on the expression "Think outside the box", telling consumers to think beyond hamburgers and think about tacos. We trashed the original slogan altogether, in my group, translating it as "C'est comme une fiesta dans ta bouche" (It's like a fiesta in your mouth!). A couple groups tried to translate it directly, but used the word "pain" (bread) which had us all descend into arguments, because "bread" doesn't immediately bring to mind hamburgers, right? Especially not in France. And then our prof said the most hilarious line (maybe you had to have been there and heard it said). He was saying that no, the girl's proposed translation would never work, because her word choice didn't convey "la réalité du 'bun.'" He said exactly what it sounds like - it didn't convey "the reality of 'buns'", like, hamburger buns have abstract connotations circling around them that invoke certain feelings and thoughts, and yeah, it's true, but he said it so seriously everyone started laughing. XD

Anyway, I don't have a picture that's thematically appropriate for this post, so here, have a picture of some Olympic athletes running with scissors:

( Oh, Ulster Unionists...  )

Also, I've decided to write my Honor's Thesis on American Civil War Medicine! (Although really, shouldn't I be working with my new crush, the Countess? ;) )

Myself as Fujiwara no Sai from Hikaru no Go at Bellerose Con. (Taken by Chris, the boyfriend of my best friend)


( So let me tell you what I've been up to lately... and it isn't all homework! )


Thriller zombies feel dead, and so do I...

So... long time no hear, guys! I've been ridiculously busy because of school (busier than I have any right to be, in September, but there you are), but I've finally found the time to give you guys an update.

But first, a brief photograph interlude!


Kirsten (left) and I (right) return to the Midway after successfully doing the Chautauqua petition program for the final time, on Harvest Fair (our last special event day of the year)

( I entered history to ESCAPE science... )

"Trying one's best is a good thing, but trying one's patience is a bad thing. A blunt instrument is dull, but a blunt remark is pointed." (seriously, what the hell, English? D: )

A cheerful little story for you guys, also courtesty of Bill Bryson's book "The mother tongue: English and how it got that way": 

On another note, my Habsburg history prof has been trying to encourage us to listen to classical music for the entire semester, telling us amusing stories about various composers - and of course the majority of what he calls "good" composers are from Central Europe. ;) In any case, because my brother was in the next room, chatting, I was like "GAH I need something to listen to... oh hey yeah classical instrumental music is supposed to be good for you to study to, right?" So I've been raiding youtube for awesome songs... and yeah, I've saved a bunch to my delicious. (Check it: http://delicious.com/Beboots/music ) They've really been helping, I think.

So what kind of stories was the good Professor Szabo telling us, about these composers? 
For instance, Heiden wrote the Austrian Imperial Anthem after seeing/hearing a crowd in England sing "God Save the King". He felt so moved that he wanted something like that for his own people. He, as an old man, was in Vienna when it was occupied by Napoleon and his troops. Now, the French really respected Heiden, and so he actually got an honour guard of French soldiers. They were so impressed with him, they requested that Heiden play something for them. Heiden, being a shaky old man by this time, sits down at his harpsicord... and plays the Austrian Imperial Anthem. ;)

Oh snap.  

Colonel Eigher, referring to the surrender of Austria to Napoleon, in the novel "Black Powder War" of the Temeraire series.

I'm rereading this book in particular with fresh eyes, as it deals with the defeat of both Austria and Prussia at the hands of Napoleon, which we have only recently been studying in my Habsburg history class. I love reading and going "OMG there are reluctant Saxon troops! We learned about them in class!" :D


Line of Lanterns by ~Beboots on deviantART

Also, I'm really pleased, because today, I got my results for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) in the mail... and I passed! Level Three! :D Huzzah!

This means that, according to them, I have apparently "mastered grammar to a limited level, knows around 300 kanji and 1,500 words, has the ability to take part in everday conversation and to read and write simple sentences. This level is normally reached after studying Japanese fora round 300 hours and after completion of an elementary course."

So... I'm pretty much at the level of a six-year-old. Maybe. With less instinct for what "sounds" right and such. Also, I barely passed: I got 64/100 on the writing-vocabulary section, 74/100 on the Listening section (I knew that that section pulled my mark up!) and 119/200 on the Reading-grammar section. I'm pretty sure a pass is like 50%, and I'm not much higher than that... D: Still, even though they are merely numbers and letters on a page, I feel self-satisfied. :)

Also, for the crack-worthy-ness that actually kind of sort of ties my talk of Habsburgs and Japanese together... Have I told you guys about Hetalia yet? It's essentially a manga series (which is now an anime...? Maybe?) that tells European history, but with all of the countries as people. It is adorable.

Cassidy. You know what I'm talking about, right? Right. :) (Also, can you resend me the link to that one hetalia comic you once sent me? I've somehow managed to lose it! ;_; )

Apparently, though, there's controversy, because the next season/book/whatever that's to come out has the adventures of the Axis Powers. Including Nazi Germany. D:

I dunno, my favourite characters are Austria and the Holy Roman Empire (which, fittingly, are two separate characters).

But here is some awesomeness: the Austro-Prussian war, as told by Hetalia, with anthropomorphized Austria and Prussia. These two clips are essentially the same, but with different versions of the song. In this one ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_z_9eCFBxk ) the lyrics of the song match the subtitles, thereby making it easier to understand if you know some Japanese. (From what I can get, half of it is "You're an idiot"/"Don't call me an idiot") Also, it is amusing because Austria (which has been around for centuries, if not millenia, btw) speaks pretty politely, whereas Prussia (which is an amalgamation of several German states that used to be under the Habsburgs' jurisdiction, like Austria) is hilariously... not polite. XD The second one is sung better, and it's also pretty funny because Prussia's part is sung by a woman. Yeah. <3 (Also, Austria's lines are more casual. And sung in a sexier manner. Just incidentally.)

Also, skip through the first twenty or so seconds of this clip and see the countries of the world do a dance! :D Including Canada. We have a teddy bear. It's awesome.

("What would you say if I shaved my mustache?")
Quote = the first line of Emmanuel Carrère's trippy novel, "La Moustache". Essentially, it is about an unnamed man who has a wonderful mustache, and who, one day, decides to shave it off, just for a lark. But nobody notices. Not even his wife. At first, he thinks that it's a joke, but then when he confronts his wife about it, she's all like "You never had a mustache!" Then, he has existential problems. It gets worse, because all of his co-workers, even people his wife doesn't know and couldn't have told about the joke say that he's never had a mustache. A few days later, at a restaurant, the man must show his photo ID, and his wife sees and is all like "You know it's illegal to deface your ID." and scraches off the "marker" that was his mustache. He's disturbed, and when he gets home that evening, searches for the photographs from his vacation in Java, feeling the need to save further irrefutable proof that he once had a mustache, but can't find them. Then his wife's all like "We've never been to Java" and the ex-mustache man is all like D: . Pretty much he starts going insane, and thinks that his wife's out to get him, or maybe that she's insane, not him, or both, and ends up running away to Hong Kong after she claims that his father has been dead for a year when he knew that they were supposed to have supper like, that week. It ends with him killing himself with his razor.

Um. Yeah. That's what I read over reading week. I promise you that I absolutely positively did NOT make that story up. Someone actually writes stuff like this. ;)


Fleur De Lis In A Blue Sky by ~Beboots on deviantART

Anyway, other than that, my Reading Week went well! :D I went to Quebec City and Montreal with my friend Maialen. It was awesome. :) We arrived in Quebec City the last day of the Winter Festival, so we witnessed the closing ceremonies. There were also uber-awesome ice sculptures scattered all across the city, so you could be walking along, thinking on how beautiful and quaint the street is, then turn a corner and see two giant ice fish kissing each other. I am not making this up.

Oh, and if you're staying in Quebec City, don't go to La Belle Planète backpackers hostel. It is... a little bit scary. Mostly because of Skee-pee - the scary dog belonging to the hostel owner. The place is really just a renovated appartment... which kind of looks like it's under renovations, even when it isn't. Skee-pee also goes nutso if you try to pet it, frequently jumps on the bed - even, or maybe even especially, if there's someone sleeping there. It also bites. Just so you know.

We stayed in Montreal-Alexendrie hostel, which was AWESOME, in Montreal. It's really close to both the Metro station and the bus station, so if you want to bus in from Quebec City like us, or bus to the airport, it works out really well. Plus, compared to La Belle Planète, it was so much nicer and more professional and more awesome all around. :)

The Festival of Lights began while we were there - can you say ice slides, camp fires with marshmallows, tire à érable, Quebecois bands and fireworks? :D

For the uninitiated, tire à érable = a delicious French Canadian treat involving dripping really hot maple syrup onto crushed ice, and rolling it as it cools into taffy onto a popscicle stick. OMNOMNOM, delicious and patriotic... <3

I think that I shall write more about my trip, later on, when I'm not procrastinating and avoiding doing my homework... ;)

(Subject line = exerpt from the chapter on the Thirty Year's War in one of my Habsburg history class textbooks ("The Habsburg Monarchy: 1618-1815" bgy CHarles Ingrao, if you want to know.)

That quote details the confrontation between some protestant dudes and the catholic representatives in Prague in 1618:

"Following a heated exchange they hurled both men, plus their secretary, out of a window. As the three men fell sixty feet into the dry moat below, one of the conspirators taunted them by exclaiming "See if your Virgin Mary will help you now!" The survival of all three men, two with only superficial injuries, prompted a flurry of pamphlets claiming that eyewitnesses had seen angels swooping out of the heavens to break their fall to earth. Whether by divine intervention or sheer luck the three had, in fact, survived the celebrated Defenestration of Prague by falling onto a pile of manure that had been dumped directly under a window." (pg. 30)

:3 Heehee - defenestration. <3

And now for something completely different: