Archive for March, 2009
A Swiss Prostitute and John Calvin
Posted by Michael Livingston in Uncategorized on March 19th, 2009
One of my colleagues brought this story to my attention today:
GENEVA – A well-known prostitute who campaigned for the rights and dignity of sex workers was given an honored place of rest on Monday, in the same cemetery where Protestantism’s John Calvin is buried…
Apparently, this high honor is causing no small amount of angst amidst some very conservative folks in Switzerland.
More Hobbitspeak
Posted by Michael Livingston in Homelife on March 16th, 2009
Last night was hectic, with far too many things going on at once. Samwise, in the middle of all the running about, took a, um, #2 in his little plastic kid potty.
We started this whole potty training thing pretty recently, and it’s been surprisingly successful when it comes to the #1 end of things. Alas, #2 has been far more iffy. So when I passed through the living room and he said “Poop, potty” and I looked and — lo! — there it was … well, the wee hobbit got a high-five for sure.
After the potty was emptied and cleaned, I went in search of a VHS tape we happened to be looking for, which I thought might be in the living room. Access to this room is accomplished via two possible routes: the small entry foyer and, far more often, a short landing of stairs off the kitchen. I took the latter on my way back from the bathroom, stepping confidently into the living room with the puffed up bearing of a Father whose Son has done well. The Hobbit was already there before me, standing over next to his potty, looking pretty pleased with himself.
“Good job, buddy,” I told him again. (Who says I can’t give positive reinforcement, eh?)
“Poop, potty, uh, floor,” he replied.
I smiled, translating in my mind. “That’s right,” I said. “Samuel should poop in the potty, not on the floor.”
The Hobbit smiled back. Serene. Proud. “Poop, uh, potty, uh, floor,” he said, pointing to the stairs.
“That’s right. Definitely not on the floor,” I said.
I often talk to my students about the dangers of translation. Since I teach medieval literature, the subject comes up quite a bit. Among the many problems inherent in any translation is the question of whether the translator translated what the text really says, or what he or she wants it to say. The same thing happens in reading, of course, especially when it comes to students trying to read their own works — they read what they want to say, not what they actually say.
All of which I mention as prelude to the fact that I, too, am guilty of mistranslation from time to time. The Hobbit was not telling me about how he was proud to have pooped, as is proper, in the potty as opposed to the floor. He was saying, quite to the contrary:
“Father, I defecated earlier, as you know, in the plastic potty. Prior to accomplishing this feat, however, I also left a couple of items on the floor, just there, beside your foot. I did this in the most high traffic area of the house in full confidence that you, Mother, or the Dog would find it and clean it up expeditiously. As you yourself have failed to notice and nearly stepped in the mess, I thought I would point it out to you now.”
Which, when you think about it, was pretty nice of the young master.
Not as nice as actually doing the full of the deed in the potty, mind you, but a good effort nonetheless.
My Jeep LJ
Posted by Michael Livingston in Project LJ (Jeep) on March 15th, 2009
Thanks to my wonderful parents, it looks like I’ll be able to put my Jeep up for sale sooner rather than later. They’ve rescued it from storage, driven it up the mountain to their place just outside of Golden, and even spit-polished the rig a bit. Local ads might go up as soon as the next day or two.
Here, then, is a test-run of my Craigslist advert:
…
Special 2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (LJ) Rubicon
This striking, well-maintained, low-mileage, one-owner Jeep is an off-roader’s dream come true. In addition to the already formidable features of the specialized Rubicon edition, this rugged beauty has more than $4000 worth of aftermarket accessories — many no longer available — and a factory warranty until 2012! We still love this rig, and only an expanding family moves us to sell it. Seriously. This machine is gorgeous.
THE QUICK FACTS…
Bright Silver Metallic; 6 cyl., 6-speed manual trans.; 23,200 miles; Sunrider soft-top; GPS navigation; many off-road upgrades (winch, lift, skidplates, bumpers, etc.). The title is clear.
THE DETAILS…
Factory Features (Rubicon, with options):
— Dana 44 heavy-duty axles front and rear, with a 4.11:1 axle ratio
— Tru-Lok push-button locking differentials front and rear
— 4.0L Power-Tech I-6 engine with heavy-duty 6-speed manual transmission
— Two front tow hooks
— 4:1 Rock-Trac part-time 4WD system
— Full, removable hard doors
— LT245/75R16 (31”) Goodyear Wrangler MT/R off-road tires (full-size spare)
— 16” x 8” “MOAB” Silver wheels
— Sunrider easy-folding soft-top (quickly opens up a massive 45”x23” sunroof)
— Fog Lamps
— Black Diamond Plate Sill Guards
— Air-conditioning
— Convenience Group (extra lamps, improved console, cup-holders, etc.)
— Floor mats
— Security Group (Sentry Key Engine immobilizer, auto-dimming rearview mirror with map lamps, digital compass, and outside temperature display)
— Fold-and-Tumble rear seat.
— AM/FM stereo radio with CD player
— 7 speakers, including subwoofer
— Next Generation driver and front-passenger airbags
— 4-wheel disc brakes
— LATCH system
— Locking fuel cap
— Speed control
— Leather-wrapped Steering Wheel
— 15/19 city/highway mpg
Custom Features:
— T-Max EWI-10000 Submersible Winch
— Garmin Trail Guide system with removable handheld GPS unit (awesome)
— Skid-row Nightcrawler Front Bumper with 6 “spotter’s lights”
— Jeeperman Trail Skidz rock rails
— Smittybilt/Rugged Ridge Off-road Cargo Rack with custom “grab handle” extensions and bracing (not currently installed; see below)
— Jeeperman Rear Bumper with tow hitch and shackle points
— JKS Quicker Swaybar Disconnects
— Rocky Road Outfitters 2″ Budget Lift Kit
— Buchanan Precision Machine 1.5″ Seat Lift-kit
— Mopar Jeep-branded Mud-flaps
— Skid-row Steering Box Skidplate
— Auto Ventshade Bugflector II
— Quadratec Domelight Kill Switch
— Stepshield Entry Guards
— Custom felt-lined pouches for removable windows
THE KNOWN PROBLEMS…
— The key cylinder slips intermittently when unlocking the fuel filler cap (a minor annoyance).
— There are a few small pocks in the finish from rocks thrown on highway or trail. They’re noticeable only through close examination, and are nothing unusual for a used vehicle. Just trying to be upfront about everything!
— The belly skidplates have some dings. Blame Moab.
— There’s a small front silver skid plate on the bumper in many of the photos. This plate is currently off the vehicle but would be happily handed over for later install.
— The cargo rack has recently been taken off the vehicle, as I’m unsure if you’ll want it or not. If you do, I’ll include it along with all the relevant parts to do the easy install.
THE WARRANTY…
On top of all this, the vehicle comes with a transferable extended Jeep warranty (Maximum Care), good until 4/20/2012 or 70,000 miles on the odometer ($50 dealer transfer fee applies). That’s a roughly 3-year, 45,000-mile factory warranty!
…WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Email or call!
A Couple Hours to Write…
Posted by Michael Livingston in Fiction on March 14th, 2009
…and I’m revising the opening chapters of Shards of Heaven. Yippee!
More Jeep Thoughts
Posted by Michael Livingston in Homelife, Project LJ (Jeep) on March 13th, 2009
Contemplation about the off-road vehicle in my life continues. We’re feeling pretty confident that we’ll sell the LJ at this point.
It’ll be hard for me to be without a soft-top vehicle, and harder still to succumb to the “big SUV” nature of what we’re heading toward, but it’s almost surely the right thing to do. A different rig will have more cargo room, more towing capacity, be safer, and be quieter on the road. Since they ought to be close in off-road capability — if I play my cards right — that means a switch.
At this point, we’re still leaning toward the Jeep Commander (XK). That’s being set aside, though, to focus on the immediate problem at hand of selling a Jeep that’s currently half a continent away in Colorado.
Shako Printed
Posted by Michael Livingston in Academics, Teaching on March 11th, 2009
The 2009 issue of The Shako, the literary magazine of The Citadel, is now officially published. I received the printed copies this afternoon, a full day ahead of schedule, which was a huge weight lifted from my shoulders.
This weekend is Corps Day here at El Cid, the 166th “birthday” celebration of the Corps of Cadets. Since the associated events always draw a big crowd of alumni and parents in addition to the cadets themselves, it’ll also mark the magazine’s distribution.
This will be my third year at heading up the magazine, and I continue to be very impressed by the creative abilities of the cadets. It’s especially striking when you consider how little opportunity to engage in creative works either in the classroom (we don’t have an art department, and we average one creative writing class a year, I think) or outside of it.
At any rate, this year’s issue is finished. Next week the planning shall begin for 2010.
Considering a New Jeep
Posted by Michael Livingston in Project LJ (Jeep) on March 10th, 2009
I’m not sure what started it, but we’re giving serious consideration to selling the LJ in favor of, well, something else. Quite possibly a Jeep Commander, which would promptly get a 4″ lift and bigger tires. One can get a great deal on a Commander right now, and it would (with modifications) be suitable to both the hardcore off-road capabilities I demand and the gentle on-road luxuries we’d like. It could be a great long-term solution for the growing family.
Nothing is for certain yet, since leaving behind my “real” Jeep — a soft-top utilitarian rig — is a leap that’s tough for me to take. We’ll see. I did test-drive a Commander yesterday, and I found it far less “boat-y” than I expected such a big rig to be.
The Wife rolls her eyes at me, but it also has not gone unnoticed by me that the Commander is near to the same scale as the Land Rover Series 109″ vehicles, which were modified into awesome things like the Dormobile back in the dim days before my birth. It’s probable that there are steel crossbeams in the roof to prevent me from doing it, but I’m not just a little tempted to get a Commander and start planning to cut most of the roof out. Add in some fiberglass molding, some canvas making, a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and foul words … and one might have the modern equivalent of the beauty picture here. Sweet, eh?
640 Gallons of Leaves
Posted by Michael Livingston in Homelife on March 8th, 2009
Not quite the record I set last year, but it was a lot of raking just the same. What was most depressing, I must say, was looking up into the oak canopy — beautiful though it is — and seeing how many unfallen leaves remain. I suspect I’ll have at least one more round of clean-up before too long.
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