i had my appointment with professor quigley. he was advising me on the commitment required in the pursuit of a phd, as well as the requirements. so we spent one and a half hours discussing how much is needed to be read, and what is the attitude that has to be taken towards study. in the course of the discussion he brought up a few writers of greek and roman literature and the list is below. it is something like a really basic list for the ancient literature era, and the point of reading from era to era is to see for myself the development of ideas, philosophy and literature. first gain the knowledge, then develop the skill. extensive, then intensive reading.

Scio me nihil scire (I know that I know nothing. Certain knowledge cannot be obtained.)
--- Socrates

Non scholae sed vitae discimus (We do not learn for school, but for life.)
--- Seneca

Greek Literature
Homer: Odyssey and Iliad
Plato:, Republic
Sophocles: Oedipus Rex, Antigone
Euripides: Hippolytus
Aeschylus: Prometheus Bound
Aristotle: Poetics

Roman Literature
Virgil: Aeneid
Ovid: Metamorphoses
Seneca: Medea

anyone interested in reading with me?

on another note, i made a trip down to the zoo with some of my friends. looks very different from what i remembered. the cats are all lazy just like those you see everyday. they just lie down and stare, sleep or stone. there was a cute penguin. quite inquisitive and bounced around around following helaine's phone accessory. butterflies are very nice, though fragile. one had a torn wing. injured but still trying to live from day to day, much like some of us.

an unfortunate secondary effect is that, who knows who started it, the chicken little dance song is stuck in my head.

Dragostea Din Tei by O-Zone

Ma-ia-hii Ma-ia-huu Ma-ia-hoo Ma-ia-haha
Miya-hee Miya-hoo Miya-ho Miya-haha

Alo, Salut, sunt eu, un haiduc, Si te rog, iubirea mea, primeste fericirea.
Alo, alo, sunt eu Picasso, Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic, Dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic.
(Hello, greetings, it's me, an outlaw,I ask you, my love, to accept happiness.
Hello, hello, it's me, Picasso,I sent you a beep, and I'm brave, But you should know that I'm not asking for anything from you.)

Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma, nu ma iei, Nu ma, nu ma iei, nu ma, nu ma, nu ma iei.
Chipul tau si dragostea din tei, Mi-amintesc de ochii tai.
(You want to leave but you don't want don't want to take me, don't want don't want to take me, don't want don't want don't want to take me.
Your face and the love from the linden trees, And I remember your eyes.)

Te sun, sa-ti spun, ce simt acum, Alo, iubirea mea, sunt eu, fericirea.
Alo, alo, sunt iarasi eu, Picasso,Ti-am dat beep, si sunt voinic, Dar sa stii nu-ti cer nimic.
(I call you, to tell you what I feel right now, Hello, my love, it's me, your happiness.
Hello, hello, it's me again, Picasso, I sent you a beep and I'm brave, But you should know that I'm not asking for anything from you.)

Bertram awoke @ 9:03 PM with