Tag: me

Anonymous asks:

What languages can you speak/sign?

I basically just know tiny bits of a bunch of different languages, but not quite enough of any of them to actually be useful – French, Italian, German, modern Greek, Maori… and I can read and write Latin and ancient Greek pretty well.  As a classics grad student, you’re basically expected to be able to read anything that’s put in front of you, whether or not you’ve studied the language before (you tend to get told things like “this book is in Dutch, but it’s really useful, so good luck”), so you get pretty good at just muddling through with a dictionary and general knowledge of how translation works without ever reaching actual fluency in any one language.

Anonymous asks:

If you’re a Classical archeologist, how come you’re so knowledgable about evolutionary biology? And is Jim as smart as you are? Curious because I admire your wide-ranging intellect!

Flattery will get you everywhere, anonymous grey sphere.

So, for my undergrad I did what in New Zealand we call a conjoint degree.  You have a higher course load, and it takes four years (instead of three, which is the standard for a bachelor’s degree in New Zealand), but you come out of it with two degrees.  As a result, although I’m an archaeologist, I actually also hold a BSc in chemistry, which is fundamental to a lot of my work, because I’m interested in analytical techniques for investigating the chemical composition of artefacts and archaeological materials (for my PhD, I want to conduct analyses of that kind on samples of Roman window glass).  I also have a better-than-layman’s knowledge of biology and statistics, but they’re definitely not specialist subjects of mine.

Jim the Editor is about half as clever as he thinks he is, but that’s still enough to make him as smart as me. 😉 He probably has broader knowledge of a lot of subjects where I tend to dive down obscure rabbit holes… which helps in keeping me honest.

Anonymous asks:

ARE YOU DEAD?

YES

I recently chose to spend some time dead, for tax reasons

Accordingly, I booked a few weeks at a luxury resort in the inner ring of the seventh circle of hell, concealed my treasures within a hermetic vault beneath the Southern Alps, and arranged my own murder at the hands of an international cabal of mystic assassins

My remaining agents on the mortal plane have now established a psychic link to allow me to answer reader questions, as well as orchestrate terrible vengeance against all those who have abandoned my service or otherwise wronged me during my absence, in preparation for my inevitable resurrection

The ritual will commence shortly; please do not be alarmed if you are struck by falling frogs while outside, and if you have pets, try to keep a qualified translator of Old Babylonian on hand to record any instructions they may give you

Anonymous asks:

What are you doing at the moment? How are feeling? where is Jim the editor?

Ehhhhhh… Well, I’m in charge of a university-level class for the first time ever, which is a lot of fun but so, so exhausting… and I have to propose a PhD thesis topic in a couple of weeks, and I know I want to work on Roman window glass, but beyond that there are still a bunch of methodological details to work out… So yeah. Fun times all around. As for where Jim is… Rome, as it happens. He’s in Rome, doing some research for his own thesis at the British School.

Anonymous asks:

What’s your favorite Alolan form?

Tricky. I think I’ve met all of them now… Probably the Marowak. I’m not a huge fan of losing the original type completely, but Marowak does at least keep its Electric immunity through Lightning Rod, and the whole dark, mystic aesthetic is a really neat take on Marowak’s design. These Marowak are not f&£#ing around; they’ve straight-up jumped in the deep end of death worship.

Anonymous asks:

Who are your favourite starters of each type of each evolutionary stage? Like, who’s your favourite Grass unevolved starter? Who’s your favourite Fire middle stage starter? Who’s your favourite Water fully evolved starter? Etc.

Hmm… let’s see…

Grass: Bulbasaur; Grovyle; Torterra

Fire: Charmander; Braixen; Infernape

Water: Froakie; Wartortle; Empoleon

The fourth generation’s fully evolved forms have been my favourites since they were released; the younger forms of the first generation starters will always have a special place in my heart though.