sal ac lepos

First, the practical:
I won't promise to update this thing every day. Some days there will be a few entries, others none. That's how life goes. It also depends, naturally, on the availability of material - that is, how many stupid people have said stupid things or done stupid stuff. "Stupid" being entirely subjective, of course.

Now, a brief explanation:
When he was disparaged for writing verses too soft, Catullus composed a vicious little poem in defense of their wit and charm, sal ac lepos (not to be confused with lepus, which is not only soft but also cuddly and normally possessed of a short, fluffy tail and long, furry ears). The difference between sal and lepos is hard to define, but when Cicero juxtaposes them the first tends to mean "biting wit" or "sarcasm" and the second, "charming wit" or "allure". Sometimes I like to think of them as House and Patrick Jane, at which point I know I need to stop watching TV while doing Latin.
The unofficial motto of this endless series of complaints thoughtful commentary on life, the universe and everything is sal gratia salis, which any MGM fan should now be able to translate. I'm afraid you won't find much lepos (or many lepores) here to help the sarcasm go down, but if you get sick of it you can always go watch Mary Poppins with a bunny.
Finally, for those unfamiliar with the fight song "Ten Thousand Men of Harvard", illegitimis non carborundum is fake Latin for "don't let the bastards wear you down". It's funny precisely because it isn't actually Latin at all, so save your breath (or spare your fingers) if you were planning to post a snarky brilliant comment about how a Classicist, even an ancient historian, should know better. (In my defense, I'm not a philologist, no matter how often I pretend otherwise.)

For those who are interested, the Catullus poem is number 16. If you haven't read it, find yourself a good translation and enjoy, but be warned that it's the epitome of the sort of fun which gentlemen of upstanding character used to take great pains to omit from their morally unimpeachable texts.