Catching up, the suggestions box, and the end of chivalry?
Hi, people. Long time no write; sorry about that. Been busy getting over jetlag and/or doing general maintenance, catch-up, and reorientation after being away for so long. I'm getting the hang of the North American keyboard again, and I've finally stopped typing
juliet?a instead of juliet_a, which is nice.
Classes start in two days but it won't be that big of a deal, I guess, since I only have 3 hours of class on Thursday and then my next classes aren't until Tuesday. My earliest classes all year start at 10am and my latest class this year ends at 6pm; not too shabby. Mondays and Fridays off will probably be nice too, although I don't know yet when tutorials will be. I'm kind of excited for third year...it could be good, maybe.
Now, time for a bit of business: I'd like to take a little survey about different aspects of my blog, just so I have an idea what needs to be worked on and how interesting (or boring) this site is for you, the visitor. Yes, of course this site is mostly for me, but it would be next to meaningless with out visitors, really, so I want to know what you think. If you could answer these questions in the comments or something, that'd be great; no obligations. :) Here goes:
1. How often do you visit/check for updates?
2. Why do you like or dislike this site?
3. What is your favorite aspect of this site (which content do you like the most)?
4. What would you like to see more of?
5. What is on here that's a waste of space?
6. Which (if any) of the Diversions have you tried? Did you enjoy it/them?
7. Any topics for which you would like to have a Diversion? :)
8. Any layout suggestions?
9. Any suggestions for my next header image?
10. Any other comments, complaints or suggestions?
Thanks much. :)
From today's
The Globe and Mail:
An old-fashioned idea
Brad Miner, author of
The Compleat Gentleman: The Modern Man's Guide to Chivalry, can remember the day the idea came to him to write the book. He was at a screening of
Titanic with his son, says The Hartford (Conn.) Courant. In the film, the industrialist and philanthropist Benjamin Guggenheim, knowing he was doomed, remarked: "We've dressed up in our brest and are prepared to go down like gentlemen." Seated behind him, Mr. Miner said, was "a group of young people laughing, cackling at the comment. Why was that funny? Why was is that the idea of a gentleman had become so marginal? ... If there's a real difference between now and the past, it's that once upon a time, being a complete gentleman, or being chivalrous, was the common aspiration of most men. Now, that's not true."
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Um, well I'm glad that experience allowed him to write and publish an entire book, and it probably is true that chivalry is dead (or at least endangered) these days, but....am I the only one who thinks maybe that wasn't what the "young people" were laughing about? That...just maybe there was just something about the phrase "prepared to go down like gentleman" that they found funny and didn't actually have to do with the idea of being a gentleman? *Laughs* I just find it amusing that
that's what inspired Miner's whole book, and I don't think he really understood what the young people were laughing about.... :)
Anyway, yes. Still got some stuff to do that will probably get done faster (HA! Like I ever finish anything quickly...) if they get done before school starts. Argh.
Don't forget to answer my survey questions, please and thank you. Ciao!
