Same problem here, Fiona: What to do when plotting requires a label for a timespan that's more than a day but less than a month? The period between market days is too useful to ignore. I figure that if Romans said, "Caesar was stabbed during the last nundinum," poetic license allows me to write it as "Caesar was stabbed last week." That seems to be a lesser evil than bringing readers to a screeching halt.
Avoiding the screeching halt is definitely good! Once I tried using the Kalends, Nones and Ides, but that huge chunk between the Ides and the new month defeated me. What with some Ides being on the 13th and inclusive counting, it got to the point where chapter titles such as “18 days before the Kalends of October” appeared. I had to sit with a Kennedy’s Shorter Latin Primer open in front of me, working it all out on my fingers.
My high school ran on odd and even days, which only needed to be adjusted once or twice a year around holidays. It was clearly indicated which was which in the daily newsletter that came out before we got there, along with any other scheduled items like sports, arts, and the day's lunch menu. With illustrations including the masthead by some very talented cartoon artists.
The even days had stately balanced fonts for the masthead; the odd ones had letters of all the non-balanced type that teens could draw, so you didn't even need to read to know which day it was.
I clearly remember at least once when the menu was illustrated by a cartoon drawing of a tray of gloppy objects, and the obligatory carton of milk was labeled "MOO JUICE".
Quiz answer: because the Trump-like egos of Julius Caesar and his adoptive son Augustus obliged them to shove in summer months of their own, pushing September into ninth place.
As for the eight/seven day week, I now rest my case, M’lud!
Same problem here, Fiona: What to do when plotting requires a label for a timespan that's more than a day but less than a month? The period between market days is too useful to ignore. I figure that if Romans said, "Caesar was stabbed during the last nundinum," poetic license allows me to write it as "Caesar was stabbed last week." That seems to be a lesser evil than bringing readers to a screeching halt.
Avoiding the screeching halt is definitely good! Once I tried using the Kalends, Nones and Ides, but that huge chunk between the Ides and the new month defeated me. What with some Ides being on the 13th and inclusive counting, it got to the point where chapter titles such as “18 days before the Kalends of October” appeared. I had to sit with a Kennedy’s Shorter Latin Primer open in front of me, working it all out on my fingers.
My high school ran on odd and even days, which only needed to be adjusted once or twice a year around holidays. It was clearly indicated which was which in the daily newsletter that came out before we got there, along with any other scheduled items like sports, arts, and the day's lunch menu. With illustrations including the masthead by some very talented cartoon artists.
The even days had stately balanced fonts for the masthead; the odd ones had letters of all the non-balanced type that teens could draw, so you didn't even need to read to know which day it was.
I clearly remember at least once when the menu was illustrated by a cartoon drawing of a tray of gloppy objects, and the obligatory carton of milk was labeled "MOO JUICE".
Quiz answer: because the Trump-like egos of Julius Caesar and his adoptive son Augustus obliged them to shove in summer months of their own, pushing September into ninth place.
As for the eight/seven day week, I now rest my case, M’lud!
The week is accepted but the months is even more interesting - at least I think so…
Also, the Roman New Year used to be March 1, so September was in seventh place originally.
The winner! Not very fun fact, July used to be Quintilis and August Sextilis
The Romans were very stolid in many ways -- naming half the year with numbers!
Practical. You know where you are. Until January becomes the first month and everything falls about
Correct as always, Sally x
Loved reading this, Fiona.
I'm grateful for your advice on 'weeks'. It's a joy to learn stuff like this and avoid those 'oops' moments!