Guitars, Violas, & Rabecas...

My husband has been fascinated with stringed instruments - especially of the plucking and strumming kinds - ever since he started learning how to play classical guitar. He looks for stringed instruments wherever we go and has now a cavaquinho and a mandolin besides his beloved Spanish guitar. We are now in Brazil and discovered what Brazilians and Portuguese call a "viola" - a 10-string guitar with a narrower top and that seems to be the instrument of choice in rural Brazil and Portugal. I've been searching the internet to find out what it is called in English (since a viola is more like a violin in that language) and so far, have only found texts on its portuguese provenance, its rural nature, and its dissemination throughout Brazil.

One quote is worth recording:
"a viola tinha pais portugueses, o violão tinha pais espanhóis, ambos eram netos de mouros e bisnetos de hebreus" by Gustavo Pinheiro Machado, a virtuoso of the viola. It reads: "the viola had portuguese parents, the guitar had spanish parents, both were grandchildren of moors and greatgrandchildren of Jews". I wonder what Sanchez-Albornoz would say about that...

Some sites I found:

Historia da Viola Caipira
Viola Braguesa
Roberto Correa

reading

I came across this tip on reading for comps: "The best method is: read the book, mark important sections in the margins; close the book; write one or two paragraphs on what the argument was; then fill in important detail as you think needed, referring back to what you marked in the margins"
Hmmm... this sounds sensible...

Another one says: "I took detailed notes as I read, then for each book wrote a one to two page book review summarizing the argument and my response to it. I then annotated my bibliography with a paragraph description for each book. My final review during the last week consisted of rereading my reviews and my annotations, as well as writing out practice essays."

This sounds like my previous experience. I was writing as detailed notes as I could in Notebook files, which I then wrote a short abstract for in my Bookends database. The idea is that I would have an annotated bibliography towards the end, like I did for my directed reading with M. I may combine the two methods...

and the reading drags on...

Why is it that the work one has to do seems to drag on at turtle pace while the time one has to do it in goes by at lightspeed?? That's definitely how I feel about this summer. When I finished my last paper on April 30th, the comps seemed a world away and the summer seemed more than enough time to finish my main field, get started on one of my minor fields and even take some time off with my family. Well, it's now August, there are only 3 weeks left of summer and I leave for Brazil in 4 days having read, maybe, 40% of my major field. I'll bring some reading down but I don't expect to reach the first week of september with more than 50% of my major field done. Where has the time gone???? Oh well, I just keep telling myself it's not worth getting stressed out about... if I end up needing an extra month of preparation, the world is not going to end. Besides, I'll probably read much faster once the date looms closer and pressure builds. I'll make sure to regularly meet my supervisors to keep the pressure going.

Speaking of pressure, I learned a lot about my performance under pressure then. I've always know I needed a bit of it to perform but had no idea I needed such vast quantities. I'll explain. I only needed to take two seminars in the Fall semester to fulfill my course requirements. To those two courses, I rapidly added paleography (essential for my work as a medievalist), medieval Catalan and intensive Latin. One of the history courses was a year-long directed reading course with my supervisor, to which was added Diplomatic Editing in the Spring term, as well as continuting with medieval Catalan & Latin. Since the normal load at my department is of 2 courses per term I was very worried about how well I would cope. To my utter surprise I did better and was much less stressed this year than I was last year when I had half the course load! I found out that the more time I have to do things the more it gets filled by inconsequential crap like mindlessly browsing the internet & worrying about the future. I'm definitely at that state right now - wasting valuable reading time worrying about a move to Barcelona that won't happen before I write my comps.

After a bad reading week, I had a good hour of reading tonight. I used a new strategy. Instead of taking notes on my computer as I read, I decided to just read the entire chapter. While I was reading, I restrained myself to minimal notes around the margins (don't worry - I don't write on books, I use post-its). After I finished, I spent about 10 mins typing the post-it notes on my computer. That way, I was able to go through 40 pages more thoroughly than I had before in about 1 hour while generating less notes. I'll try this again tomorrow and see if I can finish this particular book in the morning.

I've given myself the deadline of November 30 to finish reading. That would give me December to review and I could write the exam at the very beg. of January. That means I only have 109 days to finish 160 books... eeek!

Goddess of Wisdom

Voce eh Thot, o deus da sabedoria


Que deus egipcio voce eh?
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100 things

landismom from the Bublebee and Sweet Potato blog was tagged to do this list. I thought it was great fun and here's my own. Let me know if you do one and I promise I'll read it!

1. I was born in Resende, a town of about 100,000 about 170 km from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2. My parents were there for a wedding, scheduled for Saturday, May 31st at 8 pm. I was born May 31st at 6:40 pm
3. My parents never made it to the wedding
4. I now live in Toronto, Canada.
5. I lived in Montreal for 4 years before moving to Toronto
6. Until I moved to Canada in 1999 I had never lived in one city for more than 2 years
7. My dad was in the military
8. I'm a computer geek
9. I love travelling.
10. I love meeting new people
11. I have two brothers, one older and one younger
12. We are very close
13. I have two nephews and a niece
14. My oldest nephew (he's 8) is the most emotionally mature child I've ever met; he's also the most creative.
15. My niece just turned 18 months and talks non stop. all day long. every day. it's been a few months now.
16. I don't know how long my brother and sister-in-law will be able to keep their sanity
17. my other nephew is two and has redefined "terrible twos"
18. I'm a very proud aunt. You obviously couldnt tell.
19. I love kids
20. I'm the second oldest of 16 grandchildren on my mother's side
21. I'm one in about 12 on my dad's side
22. I've taken care of most of my cousins
23. Yet, I'm not sure I want to have kids of my own.
24. Maybe I overdid it.
25. the thing I enjoyed most about childhood were the summers, when we would roam free and play all day long. No schedules. It really bothers me that kids in North American can no longer do that.
26. My husband and I have been together for 9 years
27. We've been married for almost 6.
28. We met on the Internet.
29. He's older than me
30. By 27 years
31. My parents were shocked when they first found out
32. But immediately relieved when they met him
33. He's definitely the kid in the relationship
34. I went to university at 16
35. I was in law school for 8 years (in Brazil it's not a second degree)
36. I hated law school
37. the degree normally takes 5 years but I had to almost restart every time we moved
38. I love history
39. three years before I graduated from law school I decided I would be a historian
40. but after 5 years of law school I decided I couldn't do it until I finished
41. I defended my thesis at law school on Nov 18 1999
42. I started my history degree on Jan 2001 and never looked back
43. I was never a very good student until I started my history degree
44. I'm now doing my PhD and loving every minute
45. I don't care if I don't get a job when I'm finished
46. After 8 years doing what was thought to be the "right thing" I now want to do what I enjoy
47. I have to read 200 books by december
48. It's August and I've now read about 35. eeek.
49. I've lived in Fort Lewis, WA for one year when I was 7
50. That's when we saw snow for the first time
51. I loved living in a foreign country and learning a new language
52. I couldn't wait to live in a foreign country again
53. My husband and I are moving to Spain for a year and a half in January
54. I need to do research for my thesis in Barcelona
55. And I'm paid to do that
56. I consider myself very fortunate for being able to do that
57. I averaged 20 books a month when I was 14
58. my older brother taught me to read when I was 3 and he was going to kindergarten
59. every day he taught me everything he had learned that day
60. I did not like reading books when I was 12
61. My brother taught me to enjoy reading
62. I'm a dog person, but I like cats too
63. I wanted a dog ever since I can remember
64. It took me 17 years to convince my mom
65. I have a Cocker Spaniel called Tequila
66. I once got drunk on tequila
67. could never drink tequila again
68. both my parents have an Italian great-grandfather who immigrated to Brazil
69. that makes me an Italian citizen. go figure
70. I used to work as a desktop publisher
71. I love languages
72. I speak Portuguese, English and French and I read Spanish, Catalan and Latin.
73. My husband and I are now learning to speak Spanish
74. He's also learning to play classical guitar
75. I want to learn Hebrew and Arabic one day
76. I have trouble concentrating
77. I found a discarded cigarette, still smoking, when I was 5
78. smoking it was the worst idea I ever had
79. but it cured me from ever even entertaining the possibility of trying again
80. I love gourmet food
81. I love to cook
82. I love going to restaurants
83. I like planning
84. but I don't have to stick to my plans
85. I'm a gemini
86. I'm very curious
87. which makes me a good historian
88. I love sharing knowledge
89. I'm pro choice
90. I'm pro gay marriage
91. few things bother me more than racism & discrimination
92. it's just not fair
93. I love office supplies & electronic gadgets. I once worked at an office supply store. Needless to say, I didn't make much money - most of my paycheck was written off for things I bought at the store.
94. I once owned 3 computers – all in working condition
95. I have two palm pilots & two cellphones that I hardly ever use; I'm not proud of that
96. I vowed not to buy another electronic gadget for another 2 years
97. I worry too much
98. I love kayaking & dragon boating – the only sports I was ever any good at
99. I love sitting in a bar, nibbling food, having drinks and chatting with my husband
100. When I finish my PhD my husband and I are walking 800 km from the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostella, Spain. Can't wait.

Done! It took me about an hour and a half...

Air France crash

The crash of the Air France Airbus 340 at the end of a very slippery runway at Toronto's Pearson Airport had me glued to the tv from 5 pm (when I first heard of the crash) until 9:30 pm. It just reinforced my dislike for landings and take-offs.
Coverage of the incident illustrates the general tendency of the media of focusing on the negative. Since nobody knew how many (if any) people were saved, journalists across the country focused on "possibly hundreds dead" at horrible accident. This stress was so marked that the minister of transportation was told there were over 200 dead in Toronto. Once it was clear that everybody escaped, the media switched the focus of the story to the ensuing mayhem at airports across the country, which was typically negative on the airlines (esp. Air Canada). They kept repeating how the airport was closed and flights were cancelled. Luckily my friend Gen did not listen to the news and continued on her way to the airport. Her Zoom flight out of Pearson to Belfast left on time at 9:30 pm. Which is not to say there wasn't mayhem and misinformation at the airports, I just wish coverage was less prone in alarming the public rather than informing.

New profile pictures

I like this picture...

BUMBLEBEE SWEET POTATO

This site does much to dispell the notion of the "ugly American" so common these days outside of the US
BUMBLEBEE SWEET POTATO

Ahhh Paris...

My friend Gen is leaving for Ireland and Paris tomorrow. This made me think of my recent whirlwind trip to the city of lights in May. For the foodies on a budget out there, check out these places:

Le temps de Cerises
Lunch menu formule for 13,50 euros included entree, plat & dessert. The wine list was good and the bistrot was clearly a popular neighbourhood tradition - there were no tourists when we were there and the place was packed! Service was good and speedy, and the food was very tasty and plentiful.
Note: it is only open for lunch and I recommend going early (before 12:30) but it seems to turn into a popular wine bar at happy hour...




Mouff'tartes
Amazing sweet & savoury tarts at rue mouffetard. Menu formule for 8,40 euros included a tarte salée with small salad (choice of green or carrot), a tarte sucrée and a drink. I had a tarte Provençale (tomato, green pepper, olives, tuna & feta cheese) as my main course and asked for a recommendation for dessert. The Tarte Rose aux Pistaches recommened by the waiter was just exquisite!