I'd have preferred it to stay historical, rather than get bogged down in Faux Orientalist Lord Of The Rings stuff.

This probably brands me as a hopeless pedant, but I haven't watched and don't plan to watch 300 for this very reason--the fantasy aspects would drive me crazy! For some reason the Greco-Persian Wars grabbed my interest big time a few years ago, but so far none of the fictional accounts of Thermopylae that I've read have satisfied me. So I'm planning to write my own, only focusing on the larger conflict and not just the Spartans and Thermopylae. I've got a pretty good idea what my two major characters are going to be like, and the big picture history part of the plot writes itself, so now all I need are character arcs within that big picture plot...and research so I'll know ancient Greece like I know Regency England.

Maybe I'll write it within the next decade sometime...

I'm trying not to think about the fact that on top of everything else I have going on right now I start teaching again in another week.

Gronklies.

Happy first day of school to Suzi's kids!

HEC ALERT: I'm getting my hair cut tonight. My two requirements are: 1) pieces in my face so's I can hide behind them, and 2) looks good coming out from under a helmet. Any ideas?

(I may actually have to grow the back out long, just to compensate for the helmet hair.)

Connie, I had the same thing happen once, ages ago. The mechanic I took it to didn't charge me a penny for putting in a new bolt - but he may have been in a generous mood as he had just had my business for a new clutch a couple weeks before. With any luck your mechanic will think it takes longer to fill out the paper work than to fix, and will slide it to you on that basis.

Ok, I volunteered to bring a sugar-substitute dessert to Daniel's family reunion this weekend. I'm leaning toward something cheesecake-ish as it doesn't take that much sugar to begin with, so there's less fake sugar to weird up the flavor. Any suggestions or ideas or recommendations for recipes?

ETA: killed the thread with my last post. Mebbe I'll just shu'p now.

Want: [link]

300 was so far removed from reality it was hard to even link it to Thermopylae...but it was removed from reality across the board. The men were airbrushed and CGId into unrealistic proportions, Xerxes was about 9 feet tall, and somehow the Persians got elephants onto their skinny warships. And a cave troll.

Best luck with the repairs, Connie. And Cashmere, so much ~ma and hope that everything works out for child care.

Lots of good-school~ma to all the teachers and parents and students out there! I am boiling alive in my classroom and hoping against hope that it cools down soon. Dear gods. I've already taught three classes this morning and have two more to teach after lunch. Have I mentioned how much I despise teaching in 45-minute segments? I really hope I can work with other like-minded teachers to get us onto the block (every other day class meetings for longer blocks of time) at some point. I've spent 9 of 11 years in various kinds of block schedules, and it makes me weep that I've ended up back in a more traditional schedule. Hate hate hate hate. Did I mention hate? Even my Vornado is not particularly helping to cool my room. That may have a lot to do with my pissy attitude this morning.

OTOH, my students seem to be lovely overall. Looking forward to working with them this year. Also, I know have a couple of hours until my next class, and I'm seriously considering an iced coffee run.

I kept having to stifle my giggling during 300. Apparently epic battle scenes filled with mostly naked men crack me up. I thought Xerxes was faaaaaaabulous, and spent every time he was on screen playing "Identify the MAC products they used!", with bonus marveling at his eyebrows.

somehow the Persians got elephants onto their skinny warships. And a cave troll.

And a rhinoceros. (Judging from the vid I've seen, not the movie, which I haven't.)

Lots and lots of ~ma for Connie and Cashmere.