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| jenni |
Were it not for his name, Pliny the Elder would have been just another charred body lost in the ashes of Mount Vesuvius. Sure, you can argue that his seminal works on stones and mice would have been earth-shattering regardless, but in the back of your mind you will always suspect the truth: a good name can get you anywhere.
Think about it. Would Donald Presley still be alive? Would John have ridden his elephants over the Alps to rout the Romans? Who would have trembled at the thought of the Johnsonjugend? And you know Jacque Bonaparte would have been an accountant. It's all in the name. Sometimes I cry myself to sleep at the thought of my own thoroughly unspectacular name. Given something just a little more dramatic, I could have been a martyr, a tyrant, or at the very least an astronaut. I can't fault my parents for much, but this was clearly a huge oversight on their part.
On the other hand, I haven't been buried under a volcano, either. Things could be worse.
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| heather |
"They resist blows to such an extent that the hammer rebounds and the very anvil splits asunder, but this invincible element which defies Natures two most violent forces, iron and fire, can be broken by ram's blood. But it must be steeped in blood that is fresh and warm and even so, many blows are needed."
Pliny the Elder ca. 1 century AD In junior high I discovered Sydney Sheldon. Read all his books over and over. I ate them up and loved them. Trashy novels with strong female characters. Passion and intrigue and criminal acts. It was everything I wanted then, plus they were 'grown up' books, something beyond 'Sweet Valley High'. I sometimes get the urge to go back and reread them, to revisit the epic tales, but i realize that the writing style is so bad that i would only be disappointed. At the beginning of "Master of the Game" is the above quote. I did not know who Pliny the Elder was, but I thought it was a cool name. I figured he was Greek or maybe even fake. later i learned he was Roman and a prolific writer of natural history books. He died in the Mount Vesuvius eruption.
Pliny the Elder day was my creation. In one act I could commemorate trashy novels, cool names, and someone who died in an event that fascinated the hell out of me. I remember Pliny the Elder Day and I keep it in my heart.
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| jay |
dear ma'ams. send $15 in non-sequential bills to:
pliny the younger or face the consequences.
yours, |
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