S. Worthen | Weblog

Is olive oil the new big thing in skin care products? I am, on the whole, completely oblivious to cosmetic and bath product trends, but I've noticed a number of new and heavily advertised olive oil based skin care and soap products lately. A friend gave me a bar of soap last year from her trip to Greece. Then I saw more soap in a local store. Then I noticed an advertisement for mango olive oil body butter in a Body Shop window. Then I received a pot of a mango-free version for Christmas. Is it coincidence or a trend of the moment?

While on the subject, Pliny, in book VII of his Natural History, notes that Aristaeus invented/discovered oil and oil mills, while we are indebted to Eumolpus of Athens for the invention/discovery of the growing of vines and trees. Hugh of St. Victor, on the other hand, specifies Minerva invented olive-growing.

I had my first tutorial of the semester today and it went fairly well. I only neglected to do one major thing - tell them anything about myself other than my name and email address. It just completely slipped my mind. In the scheme of things, at least, it's a minor thing to forget and it gives me something to liven up next week's tutorial with.

The Leeds Armoury website has a few fun things available for download in pdf format, including a cut out doll with a full suit of armor to color and put on Henry VIII. Look for the link to Henry VIII and the Tonlet armor.

They also have an entertaining, militarily-oriented list of dates in history, at least one for each day of the year . Today, for example, is the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans (1815) and Eli Whitney's death (1825) - he's known as the inventor of interchangable parts, used to make gun manufacture more expedient.