Day 18: Cameras are so literal.
Sonnet 9 (Ode to a Rose)
When I have fears that I may cease to be,
before my spoon has gleaned my teeming cup,
it seems to me, 'twould be a travesty,
had I not even chance to say, "what's up?"
You served my Laura with 'bundant sweet cream,
but charged her only for the smallest size.
Already, she'd begun to live a dream,
'miring it all--your lips your nose, your eyes.
I said that in your face I saw a rose,
a visage that could ne'er hold malintent.
I urged and prodded, pushed her to propose--
alas, by then, our shame had all been spent.
And yet, by heav'n, our love deserves such fame
as that of any girl who knows your name.
After this facetious fun, it was time to get to work. I
spent the next few hours researching and writing Certamen questions for the
first tournament of this year, which will take place on October 15th. For those
of you who are not familiar, Certamen is a Jeopardy-style academic competition
in which teams vie to flaunt their knowledge of the Classics. This activity was
an enormous part of my middle school and high school education, and I owe my
coaches and teammates an unbelievable amount for making me the nerd I am today.
Helping the Senior Classical League write questions for Kick-Off really is the
least we graduates can do. Because my area of strength is Language, I wrote a
number of Grammar questions for the two sets I am compiling in conjunction with
my bro Woojin. I think we have some very nice rounds coming together, and I
can't wait to hear what all you JCLers think of them when I moderate at the tournament in October!
Having nearly completed my share of the two rounds, I
decided to treat myself to the cultural experience Jessie had described to me
on Friday -- the drum circle at Meridian Hill Park! As Papa and I approached
the urban haven, we could determine its exact location merely by the amazing
rhythms we were hearing from blocks away. When we arrived, the scene of
diversity in front of us was unbelievable. People of all ages, races, and
income levels had congregated, holding all sorts of varied percussion
instruments, to unite in one song. The beat was perfectly organic -- there was
no one conductor and no set program. One musician would simply start playing,
thereby inviting others to join in. There isn't really a way to describe it (my
camera certainly couldn't capture it), so I really suggest you see it for
yourself! This spectacle takes place from around 5 to 9 every Sunday until it
snows, at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, D.C.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092100561.html
Jessie
arrived shortly after we did, and, although she hurt her tailbone playing
soccer this morning, immediately invited me to dance! We entered the corridor
between the lines of drummers, and the energy was unreal. We partied it up for
song after song, before finally wrenching ourselves away and heading in the
direction of our car. I am so glad we went on this adventure tonight and got to
see Jessie, and I can't wait to spend the day with her at work tomorrow! What a
magical way to end a marvelous day.
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