Monday, July 14, 2008

Voltaire

2 comments:

sandwhichisthere said...

I have been reading Voltaire. I was supposed to in high school but, as with so many other things, I got distracted. I wish that I had read his work then. His sagacity is astounding. He probably seems so wise to me because he states things that I already know. That is something I learned about people long ago. If you tell someone something that they already know they will think "Wow, he is really wise too!".
Voltaire was a thinker and a drinker, a roue and a radical. A true man of the people. Voltaire's thinking is shocking which seems somehow apropos.
I have often wondered if I would be happier living a different time. Regency France is the latest candidate. All of the frailty of humanity combined with wine, venality, cream, and butter. Fire up the stove, break out the glasses, and we will talk a little treason! Are the French and the Irish related?

Cap'n Slappy said...

I wikipedia-ed sagacity, and there was no page available. So I laughed and thought "He misspelled the word, poor bloke".(Smug smile to self). The I looked it up in my thousand year old dictionary, and dammit! Doesn't your head hurt, old man?!!!!!! We were SURE it wasn't an actual word!(But Shaun had the same reaction the other day when I said "tantamount", and then sort of shook his head and smirked-he once told me a story about another lady friend, when he told her"you are luscious" and she responded angrily with"and what's THAT supposed to mean?!!!). I'm still peppering my speech with "ameliorate" after something you said ten years ago at Kristen's doorbell. Miss you. Is it at all significant that my verification word is dumddp? By the way, I just applied(and was accepted)to community college, the equivalent of cccc. I only have to take elementary algebra to be brought up to speed. I'm set to go for my associate of arts, to then transfer to real college for elementary education. I'm putting the kids in Athenian Academy(pending acceptance), a free charter school that teaches Greek and Spanish through immersion starting in kindergarten. When I told the principal(a Mexican man who speaks five languages, and took me on their tour himself)that AJ was slightly behind other first graders, he said"Put him in, I'll split him between kindergarten and first grade". This because there is a waiting list for kindergarten, but not first grade,or Mike's grade. I was pretty impressed, this is taking kids from the poorest local community and giving them a private school education in the wealthiest. I hate to be that way, but, you know,whatever gives them a toehold. Like you did with us. This is sending Algonquin kids to Sacred Heart. I remember your insistence about more affluent education, and sadly, it still rings true. Rich kids get a better deal. And this place has uniforms, so hopefully not too much difference will be noticed. Anyway, blah blah blah, I'll talk to you soon. Love you.