Quiet time

I'm huddled in the stacks of the old library, trying to pound out 4,000 words on medieval Latin and Arabic science and universities. From my sixteen books (not counting Turabian's style guide and The Craft of Research) you wouldn't think that was all I was trying to do. Really, I want to understand better what these people are thinking about.

From what I can tell, they're thinking about the world, and it's really neat. They're trying to categorize and classify knowledge. Ibn Sina's treatise on geology is the coolest thing I've read in ages - it's so right on in so many ways and it was written a long time ago. Anyway, I don't think anyone should buy into the notion that the middle ages are "scientifically vacuous."

It isn't all roses though. I found an Arabic scholar who goes through each "nation" (don't think nations as we think of them) and tells us how good at science (I'm still not sure what he means by science - perhaps natural philosophy is a better way to think about it) they were. Anyway, if your nation isn't interested in science, you're all a bunch of indolent, lazy, crazy folk. That means you, Africa.

I've got a thousand words down and a month to go. You'd think I'd be able to relax. I've never been this ahead of things, but I've also never had to write 30 pages worth of research in a semester before.

I really should get back to work though.

Oh my gosh! I have to tell you the exciting news! My parents have finally gotten their act together long enough to replace Alice, my old Subaru. Baby, they bought us one sweet little 1992 Volvo 240. She is the hippest little sedan you've ever seen. I am going to name her Gudrun (it's a good Scandinavian name for a good Scandinavian car, I think) and plaster her with feminist bumper stickers if I have my way with things.

2001-11-14, My study break

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