Queen of Homework

That's me. I truly have done myself proud. I have basically finished all five homework assignments that I have to hand in this week. Before Saturday I had already finished three although I left it until Sunday to finish them and printing them out. On Saturday, didn't do that much work, had already started on my fourth assignment a few days before and done well on Friday, so I let myself out for a while for food and fresh air. Árdís and I walked into the subwaystation and when we came into the city center she left me to go see some scary movie at the cinema and I started my Christmas shopping. When her movie was over we met up again and took a taxi home. Did some tiny work for my assignemt, but couldn't really focus on anything specific about it because I hadn't heard from the girl who is doing the same presentation so I was quite worried about a clash of subject. But I heard from her today (Sunday) and I got an epiphany and started writing and writing and finally I think I have down to a perfect .... or almost perfect presentation. Now I just have to tweak it about a bit and make a few notes to hand out in class and I am ready to go. I am in short, Brilliant!!! And it is not over yet, because I was on such a roll today, I even started on my fifth and last assignment for the week (I hope) and have almost finished it as well. I feel really good now about myself. The work may very well be rubbish but I did it and I did my best and you can not really ask for more in five days and five assignments.

I need sympathy :|

I got a wee shock today, as another assignment was dumped into my lap for next week. Oh, dear, I now have two assigments to hand in on Monday, one on Tuesday and do a presentation (worth 20% of overall assessment) on Wednesday. Which means for the next few days I will have no life. But since I am a good little girl and always deliver on time, I am awarding myself a little weekend break today. I came home from school today and got to work. Good thing to get my hands dirty right away, I figured. So surprise surprise, I finished one already. I had already done the preliminary work for it so no biggie. That is why I am going to the cinema with Árdísi tonight, we are going to see The Legend of Zorro. I am going since I really want to see it and because I won't have any time at the weekend. Tonight when we come home from the cinema, I will probably start doing the 800 - 1000 word report for Celtic Place names I have to hand in on Tuesday, since I started working on it yestarday evening and got a mountain of data and material to go through, so it shouldn't take too long. But then the headache starts. For Monday I have to hand in an assignment for Early Irish, I have to put lots of masculine, neuter and feminine nouns through their cases with their definite article and add adjectives as well. Ouch! And then I have to study like a crazy person for Early Irish Literature as I will be presenting a presentation on 'The imagery of kingship' in The Destruction of Da Derga's Hostel and in The Adventure of the Sons of Eochaid Mugmedóin on Wednesday. Now can you sympathize with me? Just a little bit. Please!

Basket case

That's going to happen to me after this year, I swear. I will end up as a basket case in some looney bin institution. This week I have been learning about cases in Old Irish (gömlu góðu föllin í málfræði). In Gaelic there are four cases, not too bad, most of the time, but in Old Irish there is one extra. I was telling my friend about them; the nominative (nefnifall), genetive (eignarfall), dative or the prepositional (þágufall), vocative (ávarpsfall) and the last one acusative (þolfall). After this long list of cases my friend suggested that there was a case missing from all of this and I tend to agree with her. There is definitely one case missing - it's the abusive case. There really should be something like that in the list as well. Maybe there even once was since in the old Indo-European language there were 8 cases.
In Icelandic we have four, but we also have 3 genders, masculine, feminine and neuter. Not a problem there, and very easy to understand and figure out what belongs where, when you get your head around the definite article. We have the same cases as Old Irish except the vocative one, I think it is because we are not used to address anyone that we do not know in any other way than: "Hey you!" or "Listen" (Heyrðu) which sounds better and not too rude in Icelandic.

Guess what ... I'm normal!!!

I mean it, really, I am. I figured it out while I was sitting in class today sounding out old Irish words. I am so sick and tired of people doing that "what, what are you studying?" thing-look, when I say that I am studying Celtic and Gaelic, but now I think I have finally crossed the threshold where it won't bother me 'that' much any longer. Sitting among people who have learned Greek and Latin (hello people, who have been pointing it out to me that it is a dead language and shouldn't be studied because of that, even though I want to) and also studied Breton (those who do not know, it is a Celtic language spoken in Bretagny in France), there is also a Welsh native speaker in our class, a girl from Hungary and one from Germany. I am finally vindicated, I do not have to feel ashamed explaining to people any more why I want to learn Scottish Gaelic or Old Irish (400 years old Gaelic) or even dabbling with Medieval Welsh when the time comes. This is what I am interested in, and this is what I want to do. I will probably never do anything in this field that is going to be of any consequence but I do not care. This is my passion, and something that I have wanted badly for more than ten years. I have finally allowed it to happen, I am in my third year and I am still surviving even though people left and right have been telling me that it might not be for me or that it is incredibly difficult. Get off my back, I earned my way here, I didn't cheat or lie or steal, this is my hard work behind these last two years and I am going nowhere.
If other people can take pride in learning languages, so can I!
Languages are important even dead or almost dead ones.

A weekend in pictures!

Sort of. On Saturday I sort of dragged my friend Árdísi to the cinema to see Wallace and Gromit; the attack of the were-rabbit. It was brilliant, I laughed myself silly through the whole movie. We also got a wee treat at the beginning when they showed us a short film about the Madagascar Penguins and their Christmas fun. It, also, was brilliant, although we felt it was still too early for Christmas thinking. And this was the beginning of a weekend in pictures. That evening we also watched the usual Saturday tv, Charmed, CSI and of course now, Spaugstofuna. I also watched some DVD before going to sleep.
Now Sunday was a bit different. I sneaked out into the city center without letting Árdísi know and did a bit of light shopping. Came home shortly after two o'clock pm and just a few minutes later Árdís nabbed me and I went with her out to Byres road. She was heading into Blockbuster to get a membership card for the video rental, so I decided to tag along and maybe get one of my own. When there it all took like 5 minutes tops and we had our membership card and all we had to do now was pick out our movies. Árdís took a horror film I was not interested in watching and then I took Shall we dance, the american version, because friends recommended it and I was interested in it. Then for the third movie we decided on Robots since I had never seen the whole film and she hadn't seen it at all. It was hilarious, we both laughed our heads off. It was good fun, and so, it is easy to say that my weekend was mostly spent in front of some sort of screen the whole weekend.
But now, I am off to bed, watching a bit of DVD before I have to get up and go to school!!!

First day at school

Boy, has anyone noticed how time flies while lying in bed and then when you finally drag your butt from under the covers and start getting ready to head out the door it's like time slows to a halfdead snail on an evening walk.
I woke up at 8 am and decided that since I was awake I could lie in bed for a few minutes I wouldn't need to get up until at least half past 8 to get ready. Did that, spent even a few more minutes in bed actually, but finally got dressed and started up my computer. I have checked all my e-mails, the latest news and stuff, finished getting everything ready for school and still the clock has not struck 9 am yet. This means that next monday, I will probably not go out of bed until ten minutes to nine ... what can I say, I love my bed.
So, wish me good luck on my first day back in school. Only two classes today, no one is ready yet. I have an hour in Early Gaelic Literature in Translation (sounds exciting doesn't it) and The Historical Development of the Gaelic Language (which really does sound exciting) or it's just me being a geeky nerd.

Connectivity

I got a webcam a few days ago, love it. Love technology. Very happy news.
I also love, being able to be in contact with friends and family. Just today, I was on msn talking to a friend of mine in Iceland and at the same time we were talking to our mutual friend Guðný who is currently in Brasil. Then a few moments later I was talking with my friend Margréti in Sweden through Skype. A lot of things have changes in 50 years or so, when the most you could expect from your loved ones abroad was a letter aound Christmas.

Drive by shooting in Glasgow

Wow, sometimes living in Glasgow can almost make you feel like you live in a Hollywood movie. A few days ago I saw on the news that there had been a drive by shooting on the M8 motorway though Glasgow, not so very far away from where I live. But far enough, so I wasn't bothered. It's not quite as far, but a possible measure would be from Ártúnsholti where I live and almost at the Grensásveg junktion, although not as straight a line as that one. Thankfully no one was killed or even injured, only one car was hit with bullets and they do not think it was pre-meditated shooting.