Wednesday 28 July 2010

Who am I again?

So one of the people I follow is Jack at Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity. He recently replied to one of my comments saying that he would like to discuss classics with me at some point. Which made me realise I can't remember the last time I properly discussed classics with anyone, even people I met during my degree. I can't remember the last time I read a piece of Latin. I had a craving to re-read the Aeneid a while ago, but that never really materialised. It's a year since I graduated, and classics has been almost entirely side-lined. It made me sad. It used to such a big part of who I am.

I am still an armchair classicist though, even if I haven't really done it "academically" for a while. While on holiday I read Simon Scarrow's Under the Eagle. I loved it, which was a nice surprise. I randomly picked it up as part of a Waterstone's 3 for 2 a couple of months ago, knowing nothing about it. At first I was a little freaked out because it is entirely focused on the Roman Army, which is something I have never really known or cared about. But there's a nice little introduction at the front (somehow I managed to go through an entire degree without knowing the structure of a legion, but now it makes perfect sense). And the story was fantastic, three different threads were woven together very, very cleverly and while I predicted most of the plot twists, there was one that took me totally by surprise. Can't wait to start reading the next one!

Now I just need to start listening to Eels (who gave this blog its name) and I will really feel like myself again! It's been a while since I defined myself by anything other than my depression. I think it's about time I change that.

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