flotsam; jetsam

1. Hee. Scott M. sent me this parody, A. E. Housman's Fragment of a Greek Tragedy. Being sent things related to the Iditarod pleases me very much. My mom sent me a bunch of musty old classics from her bookshelves, and Fiona's dad sent me an advice manual about becoming a professor (thanks, Tom!).

2. This review really makes me want to reread The Histories, which we are not reading for the Iditarod, but which is utterly delightful. I recall that he described and endorsed the system of one town wherein the most beautiful girls were auctioned off as wives to the highest bidder; the proceeds from this were then used to pay other men to take the plainer girls as wives. I love this idea. It is so practical, and everyone wins. Beauty becomes a communal asset! I defy anyone to come up with a better way to get all the young folks married off.