(no subject)

[dr_pretentious]

purpledice tagged me with the eight random things meme. I don't generally do memes, but this one has been entertaining to read in other people's journals.

1.
There's a family of house finches nesting in our front porch's eaves. It's not a good thing for the porch. I don't have an official position on house finches--on the one hand, they're living creatures, while on the other hand, they're a species not native to North America--but I like their song, I like their plumage, and I like how happy our cat is to watch them through the window.

2.
I'm descended from a pope--an unremarkable, undistinguished pope, with one of the shortest reigns on record (913-914 CE).

3.
The items on this list aren't really random, of course. There are some things I don't talk about in public lj posts, and a few things I don't talk about on lj at all.

4.
I had one year of Ancient Greek at college. The first day, we learned a Sappho fragment about the evening star. Fifteen years later, whenever I see the evening star, I still greet it with those two lines of Sappho.

5.
My living room is not childproofed.

6.
I like Brandywines better than any other variety of tomatoes, but they're a pain in the ass to grow.

7.
The average American has three phobias, so I don't feel too bad about mine: heights, needles, eye injuries.

8.
After learning city driving in Seoul--where, at least in the 1980s, no traffic regulation had the force of law and the locals could get licenses without ever having to take a road test--I'm just not that impressed with the bad drivers in any US city. Not even Boston.

Comments

[purpledice.livejournal.com]

Wow, I honestly didn't think anyone I tagged would go for it, especially you. I feel special. ^^

I hate needles and heights, too, but especially needles. *shiver*

[jasminewind.livejournal.com]

2. I'm descended from a pope--an unremarkable, undistinguished pope, with one of the shortest reigns on record (913-914 CE).

Perhaps the fact that he has descendants, in part, an explanation of his short reign?

[jasminewind.livejournal.com]

I'm related to the Sultan of Saudia Arabia by marriage (my paternal grandfather's sister was the late Sultan's favored wife). If I ever get tired of this modern life, I can always retreat into the luxury of Saudi royalty - sure you'll never see my face again, but I won't have to drive myself around like a chump either!

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Nah. Mistresses and offspring were pretty normal for popes back then. If anything, Pope Landus is remarkable for being a less nasty piece of work than were most of the popes installed by the Theophylact family. Anyhow, after he died his kids fled to France and took Landeau as their surname. After the Norman Conquest, it got anglicized to Landon. The Italian version of his name is Lando, and I've wondered whether he might be the source for George Lucas's Lando Calrissian. Who might arguably be cooler than a one-year puppet pope whose only known accomplishment was to set up his patroness's boyfriend as a cardinal.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Knowing DC traffic, there must be times when that's almost tempting. : )

[happy-dr-friend.livejournal.com]

So, who do you tag?

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I don't tag people. An amusing enough meme will attract people to pass it on.

[soleilfire.livejournal.com]

godz!
THE Sultan of Saudi Arabia!!
a pope!!

it is just not enough to be the tenth generation grandaughter of Rebecca Nurse anymore! what's a girl to do?

[(Anonymous)]

there are probably a whole lot of people out there who are related to a saudi sultan (tatakallam al-arabiyya? ayna sultan min aslik?)

-upyernoz

[reynaud.livejournal.com]

Even more so, it took a *long* time (the 2nd Lateran Council, 1139) for the concept of married clergy to be finally outlawed.

My big question on this would be, how do you know your descended from him?

House FInch

[hairyape68.livejournal.com]

If the house finches nesting on your front porch are Carpodacus mexicanus, they are indeed American natives, originally confined to the western US but now pretty well spread all over the US.

REH

Re: House FInch

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I just googled around to find some Carpodacus mexicanus pictures, and yes indeed, that's who I have in my eaves. I wonder how I took it into my head that they'd come from Europe.

Have we met? How did you come across my blog?

Re: House FInch

[hairyape68.livejournal.com]

I don't now recall how I happened on your blog. Some sort of reference from elsewhere, I suppose. I don't think we have met, as I live in Missouri and visit California or New Mexico when I travel. (Relatives, mostly. Some in Oregon also.)

The house finches were originally a western species, common enough in California. I have been told that a bird dealer in Ohio imported some to sell as cage birds, found out it was illegal, and turned them out to spread in the east. We did not have them here (Columbia, MO) 30 years ago.

REH