Thesis work

So I figure that it's time to talk a little bit about how the thesis is going.

Right now I have three chapters finished, about 15 pages each. I feel like I have said the bulk of what I need to say about Aeneas, his education, his transformation, and the founding of the new civilization. After scouring the UDallas website, I found on the MA politics page that the thesis should be 13,000-20,000 words so I think I will just follow that format even though I am in the Humanities program. My plan right now is to edit edit edit which will no doubt add a couple hundred words because my problem is always *clarification*. I also need to write an introduction and a conclusion which should put me close to the 20,000 word rang since I have about 15,000 right now as is.

So what is my thesis about? Well before I talk about what its about let me tell you how I got to writing on the Aeneid first of all.

In college, my senior thesis was basically on the identity of the Roman people/civilization. I was already drawn to that, even before I went to Rome. I also did my JP on Machiavelli which also ties me to Rome. I really think there is something inside of me that is drawn to Roman history more than any other people/civilization (well maybe only second to Argentina). Anyways, Donny is convinced its my Latin blood, and that I must be descended from Caesar himself (which would mean I was related to Aeneas himself)! Well anyways, when I got to UD I took two graduate courses which included the Aeneid, one of which was actually entirely on the Aeneid! Can you imagine spending an entire semester on just one poem, one work?! It was amazing. That class had two professors teaching it. One was Bainard and the other was a classicist from Ohio, I think. It was pretty insane having an English and Classics teacher in one class. Boy, did they look at the work completely differently! While I almost entirely disagree with the way classicists look at the Aeneid (its a poem for goodness sake!) I was inundated by the amount of writing on the Aeneid. But thankfully, I am approaching the work as a poem and not an artifact so most critiques on the Aeneid don't help too much with interpretation although they help tremendously with the finer details and references made.

Okay, so why the Aeneid? Well I think more than any other work, philosophical, political, or theological, the Aeneid gives the most insight into the identity of the Roman people and of the novus ordo seclorum. And consequently, I think it gives us insight into who we are as moderns and Americans. Anyways, I was reading this awesome book on Virgil and he was saying how we are so confused today in how we understand the Romans. Primarily, we are baffled by the fact that it was the Roman empire that first accepted Christianity, making it a state religion. It is pretty insane to think that the most powerful civilization in the world, much much much more powerful than anything today, was the first to take Christianity and run with it (albeit only through the blood of the martyrs). It wasn't those smarty pants Greeks or the Jews even, it was the Romans who set the stage for Christianity and who make it THEE state religion. I mean, Rome had every single god/goddess in the Pantheon and they were ready to put a statue of the crucified Christ in there too if Christians would just accept to worship the other hundreds of gods as well. But as fate would have it, the Romans side not with those all-powerful muscular man gods, they side with the crucified Christ, the god that they tried to kill! Well having read the Aeneid about 4 times in classes and about a dozen other times on my own, I'm starting to think that its more baffling that we moderns don't understand Rome at all. I mean, the American founders did. Why don't we?!

So my thesis concentrates on the political nature of the Aeneid, obviously (go poli-sci people!). I argue that Aeneas changes the paradigm within himself to change the paradigm of the known order of the world. Looking at Aeneas, we can see how Rome becomes a new order for the ages, unlike anything before it. And then I go into what characterizes this new civilization, what makes it last, why it is the eternal city. Of course I bring in some Voegelin, Aristotle, Faulkner, Louise Cowan. Oh and a famous critic actually went to Portsmouth Abbey! The school library has all of his work, and actually, the library here is amazing. I have no problem finding what I need, they even have Voegelin, AT A HIGH SCHOOL!? The monks of course have all the intellectual works in their library but they let me use it whenever (cutest old men ever, and brilliant!).

After three semesters at UD, I got married, moved to a new state, started a new job, and had a baby. The past two years have been crazy to say the least, but that time was crucial for me and the thesis. During those two years I would read the Aeneid and sources but scattered throughout weeks and months. I would try to write but it was hard. I thought I would never get to finish it. I started thinking that maybe I should take a 6 credit course over the summer at the Dallas Institute which would fulfill the requirement and I would be officially a master. But I only thought that way for a second. I wanted to write this thesis so badly. So Donny and I came up with the schedule that we have this summer and it has been working. It is like a muse has been hanging out with me in the library all day, every day. Donny and I still plan on doing the Dallas Institute some day. Have you guys heard about it? They do these summer seminars where you are in class all day in the heart of Dallas at this amazing southern house. They even provide you with lunch (of course I'm thinking of food)! They get the best teachers from all over to teach at the program (Louise even still gives lectures!). Its only 2 weeks I think but its amazing. And the topics change every year. Like for English, they do epic one summer then lyric, then comedy and so on. So Donny and I want to do that, and get some teachers from around here to do it too. The summer institute is for teachers and educators so the Abbey would love to send us down and take care of it for us. Some TMCers who work here all want to do it too. Maybe we can all plan a summer to do it and it could be the reunion we have been waiting for!!! Or we can all just go to Rome and reunion there!

Okay, sorry for the post with only text and no photos but I need to get back to my thesis. I will make up for the photoless post soon.

Chau for now!

Update!

Hey! It seems like the whole blogosphere is slacking on posting. I can't even count on reading posts from blogs that would normally post 2-3 times a day. Where is everyone? Enjoying summer? Weird.

Well I'm guilty of not posting in a long time, too. Here is the update on what we have been up to over here in the ocean state:

I'm in the library every day from 9-5. I come home for lunch but that's about it. I leave the house after I put Luisa down for her morning nap. Then I come home, eat lunch, put Luisa down for her afternoon nap and then I return to this:

While I work on the Aeneid, Donny and Luisa do things like this:

And this:

While I do more of this:

 

Seems somewhat unfair...I totally have more fun!

But on Saturday's, I get a break which is nice because two important days fell on Saturday's this year: Luisa and Caleb turned one! 

Since Luisa loves strawberries so much, we went to pick some strawberries at a local farm and I made her a strawberry shortcake.

I still can't believe she is one already. Frenchie, watch out because M will be one in no time!

So, the following Saturday, we went up to NH, had lunch with Dr. Sampo & Dr. Mumbach, and then we went to the real party, Caleb's birthday!

 

Look at these buddies!! They were so cute together!

But now, I return to this:

I love this book and need to write a blog post just on this book!

So, what is going on in your lives?

Emily- Maybe you can write a post about your upcoming trip to Spain! Or post another Maternity Monday, I looove those posts!

Francesca-You should post about how you and Emily are GOING TO BE IN SPAIN TOGETHER! So unfair! Also, you need to post more photos of M. I miss her!

Haeley-Write a post on the books you are reading, especially Rabelais. Also, I want photos of you because I miss you!

Lucie&Sean- Those cryptic FB posts are not doing it for me. You have so much going on in your lives that I need a serious update on the LSATs, jobs, family, everything! Oh and photos of everyone would be nice too :)

I look forward to reading your posts SOON!

Happy Independence Day!

Chau!

Beach Baby!

Well the Ocean State at least provides us with easy access to the ocean. First beach day of the summer and Luisa was ecstatic. I was talking to a friend about how Luisa has a serious love of water. I remember when my mom gave Luisa a bath at 2 weeks old and my mom could no believe how much Luisa liked it. My mom said that Luisa was like a fish! Till this day, Luisa takes a bath every night. She will drink the water, dunk her head under, splash her face, and even lie down in the water. Anyways, this friend mentioned that Luisa must be a water sign from the Zodiac calendar, and although I think that stuff is ridiculous, I looked it up and in fact, Luisa is a water sign (Caleb is too, Emily). I still think that stuff is still ridiculous.

The water was freezing but that didn't stop lil' Luisa. And after a couple hours, she cuddled up in the beach chair with me and just hung out. And Luisa does not really ever cuddle! She also seemed to soak up all the sun because I returned home with little to no color but she was perfectly tan! 

Summer update

Hey all,

This summer has started off pretty great so far. We finished up with school and meetings and headed over to Providence and Boston for a couple nights. We did a good job of planning the trips too. We looked up things to do and planned for something big each day. 

On Sunday, we went to mass at the beautiful cathedral in Providence- sorry, no photos of that- and then we went to the Zoo!

And then we went to the Children's Museum in Providence. It was awesome! So much fun things for Luisa to do, and I'm not gonna lie, Donny and I found it pretty entertaining too. There were two floors full of great activities. I want to go back!

And then we finished our mini vacation with a trip into Boston. I pretty much only have one photo of the trip, sorry its kind of boring. But we walked a lot and ate great food and we went to a foreign book store and bought tons of books! 

 Anyway, that has been our summer thus far. Since this trip I have been pretty much locked in the library reading and writing while Donny and Luisa have just been chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool... but since the weather has been so crappy lately, I really don't mind being indoors, so far.

How's your summer been going?

Laughter

Here is the last of the posts for the month of pictures link up (although its no longer May...)

So this blog is really funny! I picked a few vines that I thought were fitting to each of you ladies. Even though Emily is the only one pregnant, I picked some based on what I think you were like/would be like as a pregnant lady. Hopefully this makes you laugh!!

For Emily:

When my pregnant wife is crying for no reason and I ask if it’s because of her hormones.

She’s like:

For Francesca:

My wife’s fear of her water breaking in public.

That it would, more or less, go down something like:

For Corrado:

Being in the delivery room with my pregnant wife.

My fear of how I might react to everything going on is like:

For Ryan:

When a newborn baby farts and it makes me laugh.

I’m like:

For Sean and Lucie:

When my pregnant wife and I both come to the conclusion that Taco Bell for dinner sounds way better than me cooking pasta for the umpteenth time this week.

We’re like:

For Donny:

Trying to walk through our pitch-black bedroom while my pregnant wife is taking a nap and tripping over everything and anything on my way into the bathroom.

It’s like:

For Haeley:

When I come home to my pregnant wife looking exhausted and lying on the couch and ask her if she was able to finish everything on her “to-do” list for today.

She’s like:

I was probably all of these combined plus worse but here is one 

For Me:

When my pregnant wife wants to go to sleep and I’m not tired yet.

She’s like:

This month (or so) of pictures was great! Thanks Haeley! Can't wait to read your funny posts!

 

Guilty pleasures

Hello!

Its been a long time sine I posted. We are all late on this part of the Haeley's link up but here goes.

So let me see. I don't know if I have any huge or embarrassing guilty pleasures. All I have to offer for this post is what I do to waste time. There have been so many times when Luisa wakes me up early and I am so tired. But, as soon as she heads to her room for her naps, I suddenly feel a burst of energy. Its perfect, I think to myself, now that she is asleep I can finally clean the house, do the laundry, organize school work, write that blog post I've been meaning to get to... but instead, I slump on to the couch to catch up on those shows that have been sitting on my DVR, or I spend too much time reading other blogs, or I look online at all the things I CAN'T afford to buy but that I all of a sudden really, really neeeeed. Like...

These....

And this dress,

These adorable shoes for Luisa,

Oh and while we are taking a trip Impossible-never-going-to-happen-ville, I would like this,

And a private jet to take me to this place whenever I need a relaxing vacay,

And then Luisa wakes up and I realize that I've wasted all of that time that could have been used so much more productively. I also realize suddenly how tired I am when she wakes up. So I guess my guilty pleasure is wasting time. Whats yours?

A (very) late Mother's Day post

Honestly, as Mother's Day was approaching this year, I was thinking about what to get my mom and my mother in law and it really didn't even hit me that I now belong among those celebrated on that day. It was weird for me because I always remember any and every day that I should be celebrated...birthday, anniversary, ALL of the Marian feast days...but I somehow forgot about Mother's Day. We ended up "celebrating" it on Monday because I was working on Sunday. Motherhood has been strange. In some ways, I feel like I haven't changed a bit. In other ways, im so utterly different. One thing is for sure, my everyday experience of life has so dramatically changed that I can no longer fathom life without the constant and unconditional love (dependence) that Luisa has for me. 

Right now I work part time for the school. It seems to be a perfect balance because I get to be with Luisa every day. And even though I spend literally alomst every minute with her, Donny and I still miss her when we put her down for the night. We often contemplate waking her up just to hang out for a little longer. We don't wake her (most of the time) but we will spend a lot of those night flipping through photo after photo, video after video, of that little wonder. 

Donny and I have spoken about the many experiences of having a baby, but one thing that has stuck me is how I so often feel like she is not really my own child. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I grew up babysitting my whole life, or maybe because I have so many nieces to play with. But when I think about it in a larger sense, I realize that in fact, it is true. Luisa is not mine. She belongs to someone much greater and more capable than I. She is my little gift that I get to take care of for a while. Hopefully it's a long while.