Caution: Legs May Appear Larger than They Are

Today while I sat and watched Little-Miss-Can’t-Stop-Jumping have her piano lesson, my mind wandered away from the music without my realizing it. Quite by accident, my gaze had landed on her legs and for a moment I sat there astonished by their extraordinary length. I had flashbacks to her infancy when her folded little legs couldn’t even clear the edge of her car seat.

It’s not a surprise she’ll be tall. At one ounce shy of 10 pounds at birth, the doctors made sure I knew what I’d be in for. They predicted 5’10” at least. Chronic neck pain aside, that’s ok by me. But that’s not my point. It’s a forest for the trees thing – the day to day grind distracts me away from observing the passage of time. They grow, I know. I just have to remember not to blink or I may miss it.

“Hic, Haec, Hoc” or: How to Memorize Practically Anything

 
I used to teach Latin. When I was an undergraduate, my Latin professor and head of the Classics Department was so impressed with my command of Latin that she offered that I teach the Beginning Intensive Latin class. As it happened, another (significantly less generous) professor was slated to teach that class and he wouldn’t budge. To appease us both, she let him keep his class and gave me the Advanced Intensive Latin class instead.

I think I was only 22 at the time. That was a big deal for me.

Significantly older now, I look back on that particular class with a proud memory. I barely slept for the duration, as I was either planning class or writing or grading tests. I had been teaching High School Latin for a while and I enjoyed that, but what I loved most about teaching college level Latin was that I didn’t have to get involved with students on a personal level. I could teach for the joy of the language. If a student couldn’t recite the principal parts of laudo, what did I care? I preferred the more impersonal nature of the teacher-student relationship at the college level.

One of my best tips for learning the seemingly never-ending string of paradigms that Latin requires—or anything else for that matter—is to make use of as many senses as possible to aid memorization. Looking at the printed word uses your sense of sight (brain is working). Saying the paradigm out loud adds speech and hearing to the mix (brain is super-duper-working). If Latin could be tasted or touched, I’d have recommended those too. When I was first learning, I’d turn my paradigms into songs and sing all day long.

Thanks to that, my husband—who never studied a stitch of Latin—can recite the entire Hic Haec Hoc paradigm to this day.

GIVEAWAY - Mockingbird - 5x7 Photograph by CatLudwigStudio - CLOSED

And the winner is…..(chosen by random.org)
Min:1 / Max:54
Result: 51 = Bella!
Congratulations, Bella, and thank you to everyone who entered.
Don’t forget to check back for the next giveaway!
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CatLudwigStudio is the breathtaking photography shop of Kansas native Cat Ludwig. Able to penetrate the depths of form with her camera lens, Cat seems to magically capture complex beauty in simple settings. As a “plein air” photographer, Cat wanders treasure-hunt style through streets and gardens to capture that perfect shot.

About her “Mockingbird” photo, Cat said:

“I took this at a local garden in town. I was following the bird around trying to get just the right shot when it flew over the wall and I thought I'd missed it. I walked out the entrance and there it was posing for me. What a sweet moment.”

We are so fortunate to have Cat’s photo for our giveaway!

And there’s even more good news…the winner will be permitted to substitute “Mockingbird” for any other listing in Cat’s shop!

HOW TO WIN:
Visit the CatLudwigStudio shop and comment here below letting her know which item is your favorite.

FOR ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

(1) Tweet this post
(2) Blog about this contest with a link back to this post
(3) Follow my blog
(4) Follow Cat’s blog
In your comments here below, let me know if you have done these things so I can give you additional entries. This contest is open to everyone.

DRAWING:
Midnight on December 13th

Bon chance!

And the Oscar for the Best Packaging Goes to…

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my producer, agent, speech coach, set designer, and director without whose support and constant belief in me, this groundbreaking documentary would never have been possible.