Quiz Frenzy

One night in Texas I took a bunch of blogthings quizzes. Some of them were right on the dot. I thought they were interesting, so here are some of the results I got...

***Your Personality Is Like Marijuana***


You're laid back and easy going, so much so that taking a shower is
often too much trouble for you!
Nevertheless, you're quite popular, and many people enjoy your
company. You're rarely turned down.
You're prone to giggle fits, paranoia, and forgetting where you are exactly.


What Drug Is Your Personality Like?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatdrugisyourpersonalitylikequiz/

***You are a Believer***


You believe in God and your chosen religion.
Whether you're Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or Hindu..
Your convictions are strong and unwavering.
You think your religion is the one true way, for everyone.


What's Your Religious Philosophy?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourreligiousphilosophyquiz/


***You Are Wonder Woman***


A true goddess, you have the strength and skills to rule the world.
You're one sexy amazon... all of the superhero guys are fighting over you!


What Superhero Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatsuperheroareyouquiz/


***You Are a Visual Learner***


You tend to remember what you see, and you have a good eye for aesthetics.
You excel at art, design, and computer programming.
You would be an excellent film director - or the next Bill Gates!


What's Your Learning Style?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourlearningstylequiz/

***You Are a Centaur***


In general, you are a very cautious and reserved person.
However, you are also warm hearted, and you enjoy helping others in
practical ways.
You are a great teacher, and you are really good at helping people get
their lives in order.
You are very intuitive, and you go with your gut. You make good
decisions easily.


What Mythological Creature Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatmythologicalcreatureareyouquiz/


***You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained***


The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to
detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.


Are You Right or Left Brained?
http://www.blogthings.com/areyourightorleftbrainedquiz/


***Your Political Profile:***

Overall: 55% Conservative, 45% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/howliberalorconservativeareyouquiz/


***You Are From Mercury***


You are talkative, clever, and knowledgeable - and it shows.
You probably never leave home without your cell phone!
You're witty, expressive, and aware of everything going on around you.
You love learning, playing, and taking in all of what life has to offer.
Be careful not to talk your friends' ears off, and temper your need to
know everything.


What Planet Are You From?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatplanetareyoufromquiz/


***You Should Rule Mercury***


Close to sun, Mercury has very long days - and is rarely visible to
the rest of the solar system.

You are perfect to rule Mercury, because you live for the present -
and can truly enjoy a day that goes on forever.
Like Mercury, you are quick and elusive. Your wit is outstanding, and
you can win any verbal sparring match.

Some people see you as superficial, but in truth, you just play many
roles and have many interests.
A great manipulator, you usually get what you want from people. And
they're happy to give it to you.


What Planet Should You Rule?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatplanetshouldyourulequiz/

***You Are 7: The Enthusiast***


You are outgoing and playful - always seeing the happy side to life.

You're enthusiastic and excitable. You love anything new.

Multi-talented, you do many things well... and find success easy.

You prefer to keep things light with others. Opening up is hard for you.


What Number Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatnumberareyouquiz/


***You Are Root Beer***


Ultra sweet and innocent, you have a subtle complexity behind your sugary front.
Children love you, but so do high end snobs... when you're brewed right.

Your best soda compatibility match: Dr. Pepper

Stay away from: Diet Coke


What Kind of Soda Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofsodaareyouquiz/


***Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence***


You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of
your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding
your vocabulary.

You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer,
politician, or translator.


What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofintelligencedoyouhavequiz/


So.... I guess that's me in a nutshell.

Linguistic Quiz Answer

ghoughphtheightteeau = potato

gh - "p" as in hiccough
ough - "o" as in though
phth - "t" as in phthisis
eigh -"a" as in weigh
tte - "t" as in gazette
eau - "o" as in plateau

Linguistic Quiz

How do you pronounce ghoughphtheightteeau?

Stay tuned for the answer...

Some days I love comics.

Like yesterday - this was the daily Dilbert.

Reading in Latin

Today I read to my daughter in Latin for the first time. I read "Three Blind Mice" - it was a pretty good story. She was quiet through the whole book. Sweet little girl.

Can aliens speak Latin?

We're watching the 4th season of Farscape again (one of the best sci-fi shows ever) and in "A Constellation of Doubt" D'argo uses the phrase ad nauseum. How cool is that? My favorite aliens speaking my favorite language...

Books, books, fun books...

I got 4 books in the mail today and I am excited. Mostly I bought them so I could read them to my daughter, who is only 5 days old. But sooner or later she will be old enough to enjoy (let's hope this isn't just wishful thinking on my part!) the books I'm so excited about. They are...

Winnie Ille Pu - Winnie the Pooh in Latin
Tres Mures Caeci - Three Blind Mice in Latin
Quomodo Invidiosulus Nomine Grinchus Christi Natalem Abrogaverit - How the Grinch Stole Christmas in Latin
Fairy Tales in Latin

I have others, too. The Giving Tree, The Cat in the Hat, and Green Eggs and Ham in Latin. It's wonderful.

Frasier

To my delight I heard a familiar phrase on Frasier the other day...

"Numquam postea"

Ah... music to my ears.

Answer to Tribond

All three are derived from the names of Roman deities:

Veneration: Venus (Veneris, gen, 3rd decl)
Cereal: Ceres
Volcano: Vulcan

You could also add the word 'jovial' to the list... it's derived from the genitive stem of Iuppiter, Iovis.

Congratulations to Kimberlee and Richard for correctly answering... or answering at all. =)

Trivia: honorificabilitudinitatibus

In Love's Labours Lost, Shakespeare uses the longest word in any work of English literature: HONORIFICABILITUDINITATIBUS. What does it mean?

The word "honorificabilitudinitatibus" is the dative singular conjugation of a real medieval Latin word. Dante actually used it more than once, as did other writers of the period. A translation of it would be "the state of being able to achieve honors."

Love's Labour's Lost

Last week we went to see William Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost performed by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. This has to be one of my all time favorites. Not only is it fast-paced and witty, but it defies the conventional definitions of both comedy and tragedy, falling someplace between the two. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the play is the comic relief that Holofernes presents through his musings on language. He is presented as a Latin scholar, but reveals himself as a linguistical bumbling idiot - it's funny stuff. Act V scene I might just be my favorite scene in the play:

Act 5, Scene 1

SCENE I. The same.

Enter HOLOFERNES, SIR NATHANIEL, and DULL

HOLOFERNES

Satis quod sufficit.

SIR NATHANIEL

I praise God for you, sir: your reasons at dinner
have been sharp and sententious; pleasant without
scurrility, witty without affection, audacious without
impudency, learned without opinion, and strange with-
out heresy. I did converse this quondam day with
a companion of the king's, who is intituled, nomi-
nated, or called, Don Adriano de Armado.

HOLOFERNES

Novi hominem tanquam te: his humour is lofty, his
discourse peremptory, his tongue filed, his eye
ambitious, his gait majestical, and his general
behavior vain, ridiculous, and thrasonical. He is
too picked, too spruce, too affected, too odd, as it
were, too peregrinate, as I may call it.

SIR NATHANIEL

A most singular and choice epithet.

Draws out his table-book

HOLOFERNES

He draweth out the thread of his verbosity finer
than the staple of his argument. I abhor such
fanatical phantasimes, such insociable and
point-devise companions; such rackers of
orthography, as to speak dout, fine, when he should
say doubt; det, when he should pronounce debt,--d,
e, b, t, not d, e, t: he clepeth a calf, cauf;
half, hauf; neighbour vocatur nebor; neigh
abbreviated ne. This is abhominable,--which he
would call abbominable: it insinuateth me of
insanie: anne intelligis, domine? to make frantic, lunatic.

SIR NATHANIEL

Laus Deo, bene intelligo.

HOLOFERNES

Bon, bon, fort bon, Priscian! a little scratch'd,
'twill serve.

SIR NATHANIEL

Videsne quis venit?

HOLOFERNES

Video, et gaudeo.

Enter DON ADRIANO DE ARMADO, MOTH, and COSTARD
DON

ADRIANO DE ARMADO

Chirrah!

To MOTH

HOLOFERNES

Quare chirrah, not sirrah?
DON

ADRIANO DE ARMADO

Men of peace, well encountered.

HOLOFERNES

Most military sir, salutation.

MOTH

[Aside to COSTARD] They have been at a great feast
of languages, and stolen the scraps.

COSTARD

O, they have lived long on the alms-basket of words.
I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word;
for thou art not so long by the head as
honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier
swallowed than a flap-dragon.

MOTH

Peace! the peal begins.
DON

ADRIANO DE ARMADO

[To HOLOFERNES] Monsieur, are you not lettered?

MOTH

Yes, yes; he teaches boys the hornbook. What is a,
b, spelt backward, with the horn on his head?

HOLOFERNES

Ba, pueritia, with a horn added.

MOTH

Ba, most silly sheep with a horn. You hear his learning.

HOLOFERNES

Quis, quis, thou consonant?

MOTH

The third of the five vowels, if you repeat them; or
the fifth, if I.

HOLOFERNES

I will repeat them,--a, e, i,--

MOTH

The sheep: the other two concludes it,--o, u.
DON

ADRIANO DE ARMADO

Now, by the salt wave of the Mediterraneum, a sweet
touch, a quick venue of wit! snip, snap, quick and
home! it rejoiceth my intellect: true wit!

MOTH

Offered by a child to an old man; which is wit-old.

HOLOFERNES

What is the figure? what is the figure?

MOTH

Horns.

HOLOFERNES

Thou disputest like an infant: go, whip thy gig.

MOTH

Lend me your horn to make one, and I will whip about
your infamy circum circa,--a gig of a cuckold's horn.

COSTARD

An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst
have it to buy gingerbread: hold, there is the very
remuneration I had of thy master, thou halfpenny
purse of wit, thou pigeon-egg of discretion. O, an
the heavens were so pleased that thou wert but my
bastard, what a joyful father wouldst thou make me!
Go to; thou hast it ad dunghill, at the fingers'
ends, as they say.

HOLOFERNES

O, I smell false Latin; dunghill for unguem.
DON

ADRIANO DE ARMADO

Arts-man, preambulate, we will be singled from the
barbarous. Do you not educate youth at the
charge-house on the top of the mountain?

HOLOFERNES

Or mons, the hill.
DON

ADRIANO DE ARMADO

At your sweet pleasure, for the mountain.

If you are ever presented the opportunity to see this play performed, I recommend it. It is well worth it.

Tribond

What do these three words have in common? (The answer will be posted later...)

1) Veneration
2) Cereal
3) Volcano

Latin on Prarie Home Companion

Everyone knows that Garrison Keillor loves English majors. Or loves to mock them and remind them that they can do nothing with a degree in English. But I didn't know that he loves Latin.

I am an English major. Er, well, I was until I graduated with my English degree, that is. I guess now I am an English degree holder. That counts for something, right? Not if you're looking for a job. As you know, I've become a teacher. A Latin teacher, to be exact. This is my third year and I love it. But imagine my surprise and elation when Garrison Keillor announced that his next guest would be quoting a poem in Latin! Ah... music to my ears, made sweeter by the classical pronunciation to which I adhere, but which is so often discarded for the ecclesiastical. It was beautiful and it made me glad to be addicted to NPR.