Another day of reading for me. The articles and chapters of books have been very interesting. We were also to read a secton from the Satyricon of Petronius. I didn't realize we were only supposed to read the middle section, what's called Cena Trimalchionis. I started from the beginning. There should be a warning label on it with XXX. I found it quite disgusting, and I wouldn't consider myself a prude. It wasn't just that people were having sex indiscrimately with everyone and everything, it was also the violence of rape against women, men, boys, and girls.

The highlight of my day was actually being able to use Skype to talk with my family using video. What an amazing tool it is. The irony is we've been talking so much through email and IM that we didn't really have anything new to talk about. It was great to see my wife and daughters. It's like a window through time and space.

I've been able to read many of my assignments electronically. Today I discovered another of the books I need to read is available as a revised electronic book. Besides just have the text available, this revised book has images in high resolution, a 360 panorama of the Hall of Philosophers in the Palatine Museum -- which I need to go visit, and 3d renderings and reconstructions of statues. Technology is amazing. At least it is for me.

Tomorrow it's back to the routine. Monday morning we have seminar. Wednesday we're off to Ostia for a full day. Thursday morning we'll be back in seminar. Then Friday we're trying to get special access to the Vatican Museum. They're not being very cooperative. They want us to pay half-fare and wait in the long lines with everyone else. Maybe that's fair, no pun intended. What does it mean, though, for every other museum in Rome and vicinity to recognize our status but not the Vatican. Does it mean that we're not special or does it mean the Vatican thinks it is? We'll see what happens on Friday.