One of the people I always thought should have a Substack actually now has one - very much worth a follow.

My first substack post can be found here: open.substack.com/pub/astrocla...

#CFP plug for this exciting annual symposium on gender and/or otherness in creative writing or pre-modern drama. Having attended last year I can confirm firsthand what a lovely bunch of people the GOTH team are! fass.open.ac.uk/research/cen...

I learnt a lot from this, including which early modern nation was associated with butter consumption. It's none of the ones you think.

Wonderful surprise to see that Shakespeare Survey 78 is now out in the world, including a piece by yours truly on inter-English conflict in The Merry Wives of Windsor that I am actually quite proud of! www.cambridge.org/core/books/a...

Always strive to have the confidence of Apollonius of Tyana in writing to Vespasian after he had the temerity to demand Greece pay taxes.

Many thanks to Dr Francesca Beretta for organising last night's Classics School Lockdown Translations Unlocked event. We heard creative translations of Plautus, Ovid, Lucan, Rabelais, Huysmans, Pavese, Borges, Suskind, Ritsos, and Goldman. We were joined by VIP guests Michael Hall and Emily Hayes.

I've been studying Roman history for almost a decade, and it's only now that I've come across the claim that Roman general and dictator L. Cornelius Sulla had only one testicle (Dig. 49.16.4).

*Such* an enjoyable weekend after so much preparation, hosting New Voices on the Polis here in Oxford So grateful to our excellent speakers, to the inimitable @nakhthor.bsky.social, and to my fellow organisers for making this all possible And now: an early night and a lie-in, I think

Tonight was the termly BNC-STA Classics Research Symposium. Many thanks to Scott Arcenas and Tom Gavin for very exciting papers on Stasis and Economic Growth in Classical Greece and on Koina and Cooperation between the Greek Poleis of Asia Minor.

Ordinarily I despise people who write in library books - I will make an exception here.

Short but (in my opinion) fun note on plague, kissing, and Aelius Aristides by me in here - enjoyable merely for the question of ancient 'social distancing' if nothing else!

come along for some excellent seminars this term, all either online or in hybrid format! especially excited for this week's paper given by @brendankanect.bsky.social!

Applications are now OPEN for 2025 UNIQ+ postgraduate research internships at Oxford University. Find out more about UNIQ+ open to UK undergraduates from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds (and spot the Greek vases opportunity!) – apply by 19/02/2025: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/g...

The Google Maps page for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre giving some real wisdom.

Some really solid work in one of the Oxford Classics Faculty basement rooms.

Day 12: 4 Fruits. The name is a lie. This was one fruit. This was just strawberry. A good strawberry but we have to demand more. Inklings of other flavours but not substantial at all. 6/10.

Day 11: Mango, Raspberry, Lime. Just all raspberry, no lime at all, very little mango. Even eating a chunk of mango gave no mango taste. Not bad tasting but ill conceived. 5/10.

Day 10: Caramel with Madagascan Vanilla. The bourgeois decadence of eating caramel for breakfast was going to get this one far, but this was just absolutely delightful; the vanilla flavour is natural and comes in strong. Very much canelé vibes. 10/10.

Day 9: Blueberry and Maple Syrup. Really surprising here, nicely acidic and fresh. Maple flavour actually comes through, big blueberry pancake vibes. Actual chunks of blueberry really put this over the top. There's a little room for improvement but we love to see a creative risk. 8/10.

Day 8: Cherry and Honey. Horrible, no good, very bad. Honey overpowers here to the jam's detriment, some chunkage but the flavour is actually just a unpleasant. Cherries deserve better. 2/10.

Day 7: Rhubarb and Spices. Pleasant but I feel the pleasure of rhubarb (tartness) is lost, very mild; perhaps thinking a really good rhubarb jam is possible is potentially hubristic. 6.5/10.

Day 6: Orange, Yuzu, and Grapefruit Marmalade. Grapefruit still comes through at the end, despite it being up against two strong flavours in the melange; yuzu is a wonderful addition, not too sweet and intensely citrusy. 9/10.

Day 5: Pineapple and Passion Fruit. I was afraid this wouldn't be good, considering pineapple flavoured food often tastes overly sweet and synthetic. But this was delightful: bold and tropical, a good pineapple chunk, flavours compliment without battling for dominance. 7/10.

Day 4: Strawberry and Wild Strawberry. Fresh, light, vibrant, and not too sweet - more floral and complex than a classic strawberry. A real showcase in how classic flavours can still be executed well. 8/10.

Day 3: Pears and Cocoa Nibs. The cocoa nibs floated to the top, which would have been a significant problem if the jar were bigger. The nibs are not particularly noticeable in taste or texture. The pear is subtle and would perhaps benefit from a complimentary flavour. 6/10.

Day 2: Hazelnut Chocolate Spread. Smooth, rich, and nutty - comparisons to Nutella are inevitable here but this stands up well. It could have slightly stood apart from the competition, either in terms of additional flavour or texture, perhaps spice or chunks of hazelnut? 7/10.

Day 1: Apricot and Orange Flower. A slight fear it would taste of soap, but actually an excellent combo; smooth (little chunkage). The flavours don't fight but build pleasantly on each other, orange flower is subtle but insistent. 8/10.

In previous years on Twitter I did a day by day account of the Bonne Maman jam advent calendar - although a few days late, let's begin #jammas2024

Need to work out how to explain to my supervisor that my DPhil is going to take a nosedive now that all of Classic Doctor Who is on BBC IPlayer...

Finished moving house and celebrated being near to an excellent (and relatively cheap!) butcher with an oxtail ragu!

Honestly, recipe reviews have to be one of the best places in the world to find completely unhinged sentences.