“Don’t just say ‘I love you’ — engrave it free on any new iPod and add signature gift wrapping for just $5.00.”
I saw that on the Apple store site earlier today and decided that something is wrong with the world. With that said, I’m typing this on a mac, and my engraved iPod is resting snugly in my bag. However, my iPod is engraved with: “He’s doing it.” It’s a reference to The Graduate. If you all recall the scene, Benjamin was breaking up Elaine’s wedding, and Elaine’s father was getting up to stop him, but Mrs. Robinson stopped him and whispered: “he’s doing it.” The line doesn’t make a lot of sense, and for a year or two as an undergrad, the correct answer, when someone was doing something you didn’t understand, was “he’s doing it.”
I apologize for the very long absence, but I am sure that no one is reading this blog any longer anyway. However, I will say that I am finishing up Murray Tolmie’s The Triumph of the Saints right now and will have something to say about it soon.
Does anyone know anything about John Mabbatt/Mabbitt, one of the leaders of a Particular Baptist congregation in London in the 1640s? I ran across him in Tolmie, and my advisor gave me some advice on places to look for further info on him (which I haven’t done yet), but I was curious if anyone knew something about him. I am in the process of ordering some copies of the parish registers from Mabbott’s home parish to see if perhaps he was related in some way. It would certainly explain some of Mabbott’s later connections and activities. From what I have seen of the registers already, the Mabbotts back in Nottingham tended to spell their names more like John than Gilbert, so I am hopeful.
I also have a hunch that a pamphlet I found recently was actually written by Mabbott. I can’t be too certain, as there is no evidence beyond my hunch, but the author sounds a lot like the editor of the Moderate and it was published by the same publisher.
Not much else comes to mind to report. I’ve been doing some work, playing Assassin’s Creed 2 (which is fantastic, and it’s been fun to meet Lorenzo de Medici, climb around the Duomo and the Doge’s palace, and check out the view from San Gimignano’s many towers), and otherwise staying out of trouble. I was back East for winter break, which was interesting. Philadelphia was freezing cold, and I learned that 19º F is physically painful, especially with wind. I spent some time in North Carolina as well, which I will now heartily recommend to everyone. It is a beautiful state.
I am now teaching Writing 2 for the second time. I assigned a product test experiment for the science unit and got back some interesting results. I now know that some gummi worms stretch much farther than others, that Bounty is certainly the best paper towel to buy (in three separate experiments), and that Kirkland trash bags hold on average 2 more pounds than Glad bags without breaking. Oh yes, and which of three waterproof mascaras work best. I find that one a little less useful, but I’m sure someone else would be very interested.
Anyway, I promise further thoughts on the Civil Wars and composition pedagogy in the near future. Until then, stay classy, planet Earth.
Gilbert Mabbott 