Friday, March 18, 2005

Little colored lines....

I spent about 8 hours today with my nose almost against the computer, schooching points on multiple curves up a hair, down a notch - trying to match the numbers. Once I got pretty darn close, I felt like I had constructed a mosaic of the Sistine Chapel.
The brick wall didn't lead anywhere horrible - we've since moved on to more work and more work and more work. Still, there's that feeling of accomplishment, though.

Book #7 - The Prospect Before Her by Olwen Hufton. A rather hefty tome detailing just about every aspect of the lives of women throughout Western Europe from 1500-1800. Despite it's length (which was a bit frustrating when I'm trying to get to 50 books this year), it was fascinating and not a boring read at all. It can be so easy to only look at a slice of this and form theories from there. Hufton goes miles beyond that with her examination from every angle - Protestant/Catholic, City/Rural, by region, by income, by occupation.... She takes all of this and conveys a ton of info, while still finding the space and presence of mind to tell the stories of these women. If you're intrigued about how women's lives evolved and some of the great characters that arose during this period, I would recommend. Just know it will take a while to finish - maybe bite it off in manageable chunks....

J bought two "Shakespeare in a Box" sets today. Gives you the basic necessities to act out the plays yourself. We've already thought of some friends who might enjoy - seems like fun!

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