Ancora random

1. I do miss my copy of 501 Latin Verbs Fully Conjugated in All the Tenses. I know I ought to be better than that. I ought to have all Latin verbs fully conjugated in all the tenses inside my head, ready to spew out as necessary. Ah, I should say, a second-conjugation pluperfect subjunctive third-person plural! But it is not so. Perseus' word analyser is not a complete substitute, though it does help.

2. I went to Rome. It's not as easy to be in as Bologna. Like a good medievalist I went to the Epigraphical Museum and looked at epigraphy for a while. There were some truly beautiful Rustic Capital inscriptions, but I have a soft spot for the clumsier ones, like this one showing cursive elements.



3. The Spar chains have shops in Rome but they are called Despar which is a bit wierd, really, and makes you think of those anti-capitalist T-shirts.



4. Federica says the bookshops are great here because so few people read. Only intellectuals read, she says, whereas in England culture is for everyone. I tried to suggest that some people wouldn't call it culture at all when it includes The Da Vinci code, and 25% of all books bought are Richard and Judy choices. (I know one's supposed to find the latter shocking, but I can only sympathise with those who want a straightforward easy read, and who go into a bookshop looking for something cheapish, fat, and reliable. Nor are all the R&J choices dumb by any means, and most of them are worth some time.)